Method and apparatus for a well employing the use of an activation ball

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9404330-B2
Application number	US-201414193822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2014
Priority date	Jul 12, 2010
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A system includes a tubular string and a hollow ball. The tubular string is adapted to be deployed downhole in a well and includes a seat. An activation ball adapted to be deployed in the well to lodge in the seat. The ball includes an outer shell that forms a spherical surface. The outer shell forms an enclosed volume therein, and the outer shell is formed from a metallic material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An untethered object for deployment into a wellbore fluid passageway, the object comprising:
a spherical metallic body defining an enclosed volume and sized for landing in a seat for creating an obstruction within a wellbore fluid passageway, wherein the body is hollow to reduce its specific gravity to less than 2.0 for flowback of the object; and
a sensor positioned within the volume.

2. The object of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor.

3. The object of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

4. The object of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a depth sensor.

5. The object of claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage device disposed within the enclosed volume and configured to collect data from the sensor.

6. The object of claim 1 , further comprising:
a radio frequency identification tag.

7. The object of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed within the enclosed volume.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a fill material positioned within the body, wherein the fill material comprises at least one of a plastic, thermoplastic, poly ether keytone, fiber reinforced phenolic, foam, liquid, or gas.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the volume of the body comprises one or more support structures made of at least one of plastic, metal, ceramic, and composite material.

10. A system comprising:
a tubular string comprising a seat and a fluid passageway;
an untethered object configured to flow through the fluid passageway and lodge within the seat to create an obstruction within the fluid passageway, the object comprising a hollow spherical metallic body defining an enclosed volume, wherein the object comprises a specific gravity selected to be less than 2.0 to facilitate flowback of the object, wherein the system comprises a plurality of seats disposed along the tubular string.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the tubular string is a casing string that extends from a surface location into a wellbore.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of seats comprise inner diameters that become progressively smaller when moving toward an end of the wellbore.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of untethered objects with varying diameters.

14. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a sensor within the body, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a storage device disposed within the enclosed volume and configured to collect data from the sensor.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the metallic hollow body comprises one or more support structures inside made of at least one of plastic, metal, ceramic, and composite material.

17. A method comprising:
selecting a hollow metallic untethered object, the object having a specific gravity of less than 2.0;
deploying the untethered object within a tubular string comprising a fluid passageway to form an obstruction within the fluid passageway;
pressurizing a region of the tubular string using the obstruction;
measuring at least one of pressure and temperature using a sensor disposed within the object; and
flowing back the untethered object.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the tubular string is a casing string that extends from a surface location into a wellbore.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the object is deployed by flowing the object through fluid in the fluid passageway.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the object forms the obstruction by lodging within a seat disposed along the tubular string.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the object is deployed by flowing the object through at least one other seat disposed along the tubular string.

22. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
activating a downhole tool using a radio frequency identification tag disposed within the object.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Speer Tracy
• Shkurti Piro
• Wolf John Chrysostom

Classifications

• E21B47/07 Primary

  Temperature · CPC title

• E21B34/142

  unsupported or free-falling elements, e.g. balls, plugs, darts or pistons · CPC title

• E21B23/04 Primary

  operated by fluid means, e.g. actuated by explosion (E21B23/08 takes precedence) · CPC title