Universal drilling and completion system

摘要

Methods and apparatus are described to drill and complete wellbores. Such wellbores include extended reach horizontal wellbores, for example in shales, deep subsea extended reach wellbores, and multilateral wellbores. Specifically, the invention provides simple threaded subassemblies that are added to existing threaded tubular drilling and completion equipment which are used to dramatically increase the lateral reach using that existing on-site equipment. These subassemblies extract power from downward flowing clean mud, or other fluids, in an annulus to provide additional force or torque on tubular elements within the wellbore, while maintaining circulation, to extend the lateral reach of the drilling equipment and completion equipment. These added elements include combinations of The Leaky Seal™, a Cross-Over, The Force Sub™ and The Torque Sub™. The use of such additional simple elements allow lighter drilling equipment to be used to reach a given lateral distance, therefore reducing drilling costs.

主权项

1. A method to rotary drill an extended section of a borehole with a rotary drill string that includes at least the first step of inserting a first mandrel assembly comprising a first mandrel possessing first hydraulic means as a first threaded component into said drill string comprised of discrete threaded drill pipes that are attached to a rotary drill bit used to drill said extended section of said borehole,
whereby said first mandrel possessing first hydraulic means produces an additional force on said rotary drill bit, whereby said first mandrel possessing first hydraulic means is located within a first segment of said wellbore having a casing, whereby said first hydraulic means comprises a first wear resistant elastomer material having a first portion bonded to said first mandrel and a second portion that makes a sliding and rotating seal with a first interior surface of said first segment of casing, whereby said first elastomer material is disposed within a first annular region located between said first mandrel and said interior of said first segment of casing, whereby said first elastomer material also possesses a first fluid passageway that allows clean drilling mud to flow within said first annular region in a downhole direction towards said rotary drill bit, whereby said first fluid passageway allows clean drilling mud to flow completely through said first elastomer material from a first portion of the annular region located in an uphole direction above said first elastomer material to a second portion of the annular region located in a downhole direction from said first elastomer material, and whereby said additional force on said rotary drill bit is generated by clean drilling mud flowing through said first fluid passageway within said first elastomer material, and which method also includes at least the second step of installing a second mandrel assembly located at a position downhole from said first mandrel assembly as a second threaded component that is inserted into said drill string comprised of discrete threaded drill pipes that are attached to said rotary drill bit used to drill said extended section of said borehole, whereby said second mandrel assembly comprises a second mandrel possessing second hydraulic means, whereby said second mandrel possessing second hydraulic means is located within a second segment of said wellbore having a casing, whereby said second hydraulic means comprises a second wear resistant elastomer material having a first portion bonded to said second mandrel and a second portion that makes a sliding and rotating seal with a second interior surface of said second segment of casing, whereby said second elastomer material is disposed within a second annular region located between said second mandrel and said interior of said second segment of casing, whereby said second elastomer material possesses a second passageway that allows fluid flowing in a downhole direction within second annular region to flow through a portion of said second elastomer material and into an open channel within said second mandrel to an interior portion of said second mandrel to allow clean drilling mud to flow within the drill string toward the drill bit, and whereby an interior blockage is located within the interior portion of said second mandrel in a direction uphole from said open channel to force the clean drilling mud to flow in a downhole direction within the drill string towards the drill bit, and whereby said first and second steps provide an additional force on said rotary drill bit attached to said drill string and clean drilling mud is provided from within said drill string to said drill bit, which steps are used to rotary drill an extended section of a borehole.