Delivering an agent into a well using an untethered object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9915116-B2
Application number	US-201615014791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Feb 27, 2015
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

An embodiment may take the form of a method usable with a well including pumping an untethered object into the well to land on a restriction downhole in the well and using the restriction to trigger release of an agent carried by the object into the well. Another embodiment may take the form of an apparatus usable with a well having a solid object adapted to be pumped into the well and an agent to be adapted to be released from the solid object in response to the solid object landing on a restriction in the well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method usable with a well, comprising:
pumping an untethered object into the well to land on a restriction downhole in the well; and
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent carried by the object into the well,
wherein using the restriction comprises:
using the restriction to trigger release of a sealing agent carried by the object into the well;
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent to form a protective film on at least one component of the well; or
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent to plug pores in the well;

wherein the untethered object comprises a first component, a container containing the agent and a tethered coupling between the first component and the container, and using the restriction comprises:
landing the untethered object on the restriction; and
using pressure developed from a fluid barrier produced from the landing to open the container to release the agent.

2. A method usable with a well, comprising:
pumping an untethered object into the well to land on a restriction downhole in the well; and
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent carried by the object into the well,
wherein using the restriction comprises:
using the restriction to trigger release of a sealing agent carried by the object into the well;
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent to form a protective film on at least one component of the well; or
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent to plug pores in the well

wherein the untethered object comprises a wedge and a container containing the agent, and using the restriction comprises:
landing the untethered object on the restriction; and
using a momentum of the wedge to open the container in response to the landing.

3. An apparatus usable with a well, comprising:
a solid object adapted to be pumped into the well; and
an agent adapted to be released from the solid object in response to the solid object landing on a restriction in the well, wherein the agent is selected from a set consisting essentially of a sealing agent, an agent to form a protective coating in the well, and an agent to plug pores in the well, wherein the solid object comprises a ball, and the agent comprises a layer formed on an exterior of the ball.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the agent is deposited on the exterior of the solid object near a downhole end of the object.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the solid object comprises an internal cavity, and the agent is disposed in the cavity.

6. A method usable with a well, comprising:
pumping an untethered object into the well to land on a restriction downhole in the well; and
using the restriction to trigger release of an agent carried by the object into the well, wherein the untethered object comprises a solid object and the agent is disposed on an exterior of the solid object, and using the restriction comprises:
landing the untethered object on the restriction; and
using a flow created due to the landing to remove the agent from the exterior of the solid object.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising locating the agent toward a downhole end of the solid object.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Jacob Gregoire
• Roy Indranil
• Dardis Michael
• Fleming John

Classifications

• E21B34/063

  Valve or closure with destructible element, e.g. frangible disc (E21B34/103 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B34/14

  operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B27/02 Primary

  Dump bailers, i.e. containers for depositing substances, e.g. cement or acids · CPC title

• E21B34/142

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