Submersible pump systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9303496-B2
Application number	US-201313867607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2013
Priority date	Apr 20, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A submersible pump system that is operable to permit selective access into a production zone of a well bore while a submersible pumping device is operating includes a Y-tool, a submersible pumping device, a control valve assembly and a power conduit. The control valve assembly is also operable to selectively permit access between the interior of the submersible pumping system and the exterior of the submersible pumping system. The valve is operable to form a dynamic seal. The power conduit is operable to convey both power and a pre-designated control signal simultaneously. A method for accessing the production zone of the well bore with a well bore tool uses the submersible pump system while the submersible pump system is producing production zone fluid. The submersible pumping device continues to operate without interruption after transmission of the pre-designated pump control signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A submersible pump system that is operable to permit selective access into a production zone of a well bore while a submersible pumping device is operating, the submersible pump system comprising:
a Y-tool having a production tubing branch, a submersible pump branch and a bypass branch;
a submersible pumping device that couples to and is in fluid communication with the Y-tool through the submersible pump branch, where the submersible pumping device is operable to receive a pre-designated pump control signal;
a control valve assembly that couples to and is in fluid communication with the Y-tool through the bypass branch, where the control valve assembly comprises a valve, is operable to receive a pre-designated valve control signal and is operable to selectively permit access between the interior of the submersible pumping system and the exterior of the submersible pumping system, and where the valve comprises both a valve disk and a valve bore wall, where the valve bore wall defines a valve bore;
a seal assembly in the control valve assembly that dynamically seals against an outer surface of a well bore tool that selectively is inserted through the control valve assembly; and
a power conduit that couples to and is in communication with both the submersible pumping device and the control valve assembly, where the power conduit is operable to convey both power and a pre-designated control signal simultaneously.

2. The submersible pump system of claim 1 where the power conduit is operable to convey electrical power.

3. The submersible pump system of claim 1 where the valve disk has a disk bore wall, where the disk bore wall defines a disk bore.

4. The submersible pump system of claim 3 where the valve is a ball valve.

5. The submersible pump system of claim 1 where the seal assembly comprises elements that project radially inward and axially flex in response to movement of the well bore tool.

6. The submersible pump system of claim 5 where the seal assembly is positioned along the valve bore wall.

7. The submersible pump system of claim 5 where the valve comprises a first internal seal assembly that is positioned along the valve bore wall and a second internal seal assembly that is positioned along the disk bore wall.

8. The submersible pump system of claim 5 where the valve is also operable to form a static seal.

9. The submersible pump system of claim 1 , where the seal assembly comprises annular elastomeric elements that circumscribe an axial bore that intersects the valve assembly.

10. The submersible pump system of claim 1 where the seal assembly is positioned along a disk bore wall.

11. A method for accessing a production zone of a well bore with a well bore tool using a submersible pump system while the submersible pump system is producing a production zone fluid, the method for accessing comprising the steps of:
introducing the submersible pump system of claim 1 into the well bore such that the submersible pump system is located in the production zone;
transmitting through the power conduit a pre-designated pump control signal such that the submersible pumping device operates to produce the production zone fluid;
introducing into the submersible pump system the well bore tool such that the well bore tool traverses through the bypass branch of the Y-tool;
transmitting through the power conduit a pre-designated valve control signal such that the control valve assembly operates to permit access to the production zone through the control valve assembly valve;
introducing the well bore tool into the production zone such that the well bore tool traverses through the control valve assembly; and
forming a dynamic seal between the well bore tool and the valve of the control valve assembly as the well bore tool is moved axially through the control valve assembly,
where the submersible pumping device continues to operate without interruption after transmission of the pre-designated pump control signal,
where the well bore tool is configured to traverse through the submersible pump system, and
where the production zone is a fluidly isolated portion of the well bore and contains the production zone fluid.

12. The method of claim 11 where the transmitted pre-designated valve control signal is an electrical signal.

13. The method of claim 11 where the pre-designated valve control signal is transmitted through hydraulic fluid.

14. The method of claim 11 where the well bore tool is selected from the group consisting of coiled tubing, carbon rods, plugs and logging while pumping (LWP) instruments.

15. The method of claim 11 where the dynamic seal forms in a disk bore of the control valve assembly valve.

16. The method of claim 11 where the dynamic seal forms in the valve bore of the control valve assembly valve.

17. The method of claim 16 where the dynamic seal comprises a series of elastomeric rings disposed concentrically in the control valve assembly.

18. The method of claim 11 where the dynamic seal is a first dynamic seal that forms in a disk bore and a second dynamic seal that forms in a valve bore.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of manipulating the well bore tool traversing the control valve assembly such that a static seal forms between the well bore tool and the control valve assembly proximate to the location of the dynamic seal that forms during the introducing the well bore tool into the production zone step.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Xiao Jinjiang
• Shepler Randall Alan

Classifications

• E21B23/12

  Tool diverters · CPC title

• E21B43/129

  Adaptations of down-hole pump systems powered by fluid supplied from outside the borehole (gas-lift E21B43/122; jet pumps E21B43/124) · CPC title

• E21B43/128 Primary

  Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives · CPC title

• E21B23/002

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic