A wellhead completion assembly has a head connected to surface casing. A rotatable flange or the like can be used to connect various components to a threaded end of the head. A casing hanger installs in the head, and the hanger's upper end extends beyond the head's top edge. This exposed end has an external threaded connection to connect to various wellhead components using a rotatable flange or the like. For example, a locking ring can threadably connect to the head's threaded end to support the hanger in the head. Then, a rotatable flange can threadably connect to the hanger's exposed end so that another component, such as a completion spool or gate valve, can nippled up directly to the hanger. When the hanger is fluted, a pack-off assembly can allow testing off inner and outer sealing integrity via a test port accessible through an opening in the locking ring.
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23. A wellhead completion method, comprising:
connecting a casing head to surface casing;
landing a casing hanger in the casing head to support production casing in the surface casing such that an upper end of the casing hanger extends beyond an upper end of the casing head;
disposing a pack-off plate on the upper end of the casing hanger, the pack-off plate sealably engaging an external surface of the casing hanger and sealably engaging an internal surface of the casing head;
threadably connecting a head ring on the upper end of the casing head and directly engaging an upper surface of the pack-off plate with the head ring, the upper end of the casing head fitting through an opening of the head ring;
threading a connector to the upper end of the casing hanger; and
connecting an additional component above the casing hanger by connecting to the connector.
21. A hanger pack-off assembly, comprising:
a casing hanger positionable in a casing head and having a first external threaded connection about an external surface;
a hanger ring positionable about the external surface of the casing hanger; and
a pack-off plate defining an a first opening through first and second sides of the plate, the first opening having a first internal threaded connection threading onto the first external threaded connection on the casing hanger, an outer surface of the plate having a first pair of sealing seats formed thereabout, an inner surface of the plate having a second pair of sealing seats formed thereabout, a test port defined in the first side of the plate and communicating with the inner and outer surfaces between the first and second pairs of sealing seats, the pack-off plate comprising a lip positionable in wedged engagement between the hanger ring and a portion of the external surface of the casing hanger.
33. A wellhead completion assembly, comprising:
a casing head connecting to casing at a wellhead and having a first external threaded connection adjacent a first end;
a casing hanger landing in the casing head and having a second end and a shoulder, the casing hanger comprising a pair of sealing seats on an outer surface and comprising a test port defined in the shoulder, the test port communicating between the pair of sealing seats, the second end extending beyond the first end of the casing head and having a second external threaded connection, the second external threaded connection connectable to a connector to support at least one additional component above the casing hanger; and
a head ring threadably connecting to the first external threaded connection of the casing head and defining an opening through which the second end of the casing hanger extends, a portion of the head ring directly engaging the shoulder on the casing hanger, the test port in the shoulder of the casing hanger being accessible through the opening in the head ring.
1. wellhead completion assembly, comprising:
a casing head connecting to casing at a wellhead and having a first external threaded connection adjacent a first end;
a casing hanger landing in the casing head and having a shoulder and a second end, the second end extending beyond the first end of the casing head and having a second external threaded connection, the second external threaded connection connectable to a connector to support at least one additional component above the casing hanger;
a pack-off plate disposed on the second end of the casing hanger adjacent the shoulder, the pack-off plate having an upper surface, an inner portion, and an outer portion, the inner portion sealable sealably engaging an external surface of the casing hanger, the outer portion sealable sealably engaging an internal surface of the casing head; and
a head ring threadably connecting to the first external threaded connection of the casing head and defining an opening through which the second end of the casing hanger extends, a portion of the head ring directly engaging the upper surface of the pack-off plate.
9. A wellhead completion assembly, comprising:
a casing head connecting to a first casing and having a first external threaded connection adjacent a first end, the casing head comprising a double-bowl arrangement defining an internal shoulder within an internal bore;
a casing hanger landing on one or more other components supported by the internal shoulder of the casing head, the casing hanger defining at least one flute and having a shoulder and a second end, the second end extending beyond the first end of the casing head and having a second external threaded connection, the second external threaded connection connectable to a connector to support at least one additional component above the casing hanger;
a head ring threadably connecting to the first external threaded connection of the casing head and defining an opening through which the second end of the casing hanger extends; and
at least one pack-off component positioning positioned between the shoulder of the casing hanger and a portion of the head ring, the at least one pack-off component sealably engaging an external surface of the casing hanger and sealably engaging an internal surface of the casing head, the at least one pack-off component sealing fluid communication through the at least one flute in the casing hanger.
37. A wellhead completion assembly, comprising:
a casing head connecting to a first casing and having a first external threaded connection adjacent a first end, the casing head comprising a double-bowl arrangement defining an internal shoulder within an internal bore;
a casing hanger landing on one or more other components supported by the internal shoulder of the casing head, the casing hanger having a shoulder and a second end, the second end extending beyond the first end of the casing head and having a second external threaded connection, the second external threaded connection connectable to a connector to support at least one additional component above the casing hanger;
a head ring threadably connecting to the first external threaded connection of the casing head and defining an opening through which the second end of the casing hanger extends;
a hanger ring positionable about an external surface of the casing hanger; and
a pack-off plate positioning positioned between the shoulder of the casing hanger and a portion of the head ring, the pack-off plate having an inner portion threadably connecting to a third threaded connection on the external surface of the casing hanger, the pack-off plate having an outer portion sealably engaging an internal surface of the casing head, the pack-off plate comprising a lip positionable in wedged engagement between the hanger ring and a portion of the external surface of the casing hanger.
14. A system for a wellhead completion assembly, comprising:
a first head component having one end connectable to casing at a wellhead and having a first external threaded connection adjacent another end; and
second head components each having second an internal threaded connections connection adjacent one end and having a second external threaded connections connection adjacent another end, the second each internal threaded connection connectable to the first external threaded connection on the first head component, the second internal and external threaded connections of each of the second head components being complementary and threadably interconnectable to one another,
wherein the first head component is Used independently on the wellhead for a single-bowl arrangement of the wellhead completion assembly,
wherein one of the second head components is used in conjunction with the first head component for a first multiple-bowl arrangement of the wellhead completion assembly, the second internal threaded connection of the one second head component connecting to the first external threaded connection on the first head component to stack the one second head component on top of the first head component; and
wherein two or more of the second head components are used in conjunction with the first head component for second multiple-bowl arrangements of the wellhead completion assembly, the second internal and external threaded connections of the second head components interconnecting to one another to stack the two or more second head components on top of one another, the internal threaded connection of a lowermost one of the second head components connecting to the first external threaded connection on the first head component to stack the second head components on top of the first head component.
2. The assembly of
a first pair of sealing seats on the outer portion,
a second pair of sealing seats on the inner portion, and
a test port defined in the upper surface and accessible through the opening in the head ring, the test port communicating with the inner and outer portions between the first and second pairs of sealing seats.
3. The assembly of
4. The assembly of
5. The assembly of
6. The assembly of
7. The assembly of
8. The assembly of
10. The assembly of
11. The assembly of
an inner portion threadably connecting to a third threaded connection on the external surface of the casing hanger, and
an outer portion sealably engaging the internal surface of the casing head.
12. The assembly of
13. The assembly of
a first pair of sealing seats on an outer portion,
a second pair of seals sealing seats on an inner portion, and
a test port defined in an upper surface of the plate and accessible through the opening in the head ring, the test port communicating with the outer portion between the first pair of sealing seats and communicating with the inner portion between the second pair of sealing seats.
15. The system for the assembly of
a casing hanger supported supportable in the wellhead completion assembly, the casing hanger having a distal end extending beyond the first head component in the single-bowl arrangement or beyond a topmost end one of the second head components in the multiple-bowl arrangements of the wellhead completion assembly, the distal end having an external threaded connection connectable to a connector to support at least one additional component above the casing hanger; and
a head ring threadably connectable to the first external threaded connection on the first head component in the single-bowl arrangement or threadably connectable to the second external connection of a topmost one of the second head components in the multi-bowl arrangement multiple-bowl arrangements, the head ring defining an opening through which the distal end of the casing hanger extends.
16. The system for the assembly of
a pair of sealing seats on an outer surface, and
a test port defined in the shoulder and accessible through the opening in the head ring, the test port communicating between the pair of sealing seats.
17. The system for the assembly of
an upper surface positioning adjacent the portion of the head ring;
an inner portion engaging an external surface of the casing hanger, and
an outer portion engaging an internal surface of the wellhead completion assembly.
18. The system for the assembly of
a first pair of sealing seats on the outer portion,
a second pair of sealing seats on the inner portion, and
a test port defined in the upper surface and accessible through the opening in the head ring, the test port communicating with the inner and outer portions between the first and second pairs of sealing seats.
19. The system for the assembly of
a hub threading on the first external threaded connection of the first head component in the single-bowl arrangement or threading on the second external threaded connection of the topmost one of the second head components in the multi-bowl multiple-bowl arrangements; and
an adapter disposing disposed on the an end of one the first or second head component components and locking to the hub, the adapter connecting connectable to at least one additional component above the wellhead assembly.
20. The system for the assembly of
22. The assembly of
24. The method of
25. The method of
26. The method of
27. The method of
wedging a lip on the pack-off plate between a hanger ring and the external surface of the casing hanger, and
engaging the hanger ring against the internal surface of the casing head.
28. The method of
29. The method of
30. The method of
31. The method of
32. The method of
34. The assembly of
35. The assembly of
36. The assembly of
38. The assembly of
39. The assembly of
40. The assembly of
a first pair of sealing seats on the outer portion,
a second pair of seals sealing seats on the inner portion, and
a test port defined in an upper surface of the plate and accessible through the opening in the head ring, the test port communicating with the outer portion between the first pair of sealing seats and communicating with the inner portion between the second pair of sealing seats.
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A well has one or more casings installed in a borehole to reinforce and seal it, and wellhead components install at the surface above the exposed end of the casings. For example,
Because various operations may be performed at the wellhead, the arrangement of components may be modified to accommodate different operations, pressures, and implementations. One typical wellhead operation involves fracing. According to conventional practices, an isolation tool, such as a stinger, installs in the wellhead to isolate bores and outlets from pressures that may be higher than pressure-ratings for the wellhead's flange connections.
In one typical wellhead arrangement, a casing hanger supports casing in the casing head, and a tubing spool nipples to the casing head so that another hanger can be used in the tubing spool to support tubing in the casing. Typically, an adapter must be installed on the casing head prior to nippling up the tubing spool so that the adapter can pack-off or seal around the casing hanger. In another typical wellhead arrangement, a fluted casing hanger support casing in the casing head so that drilling fluids during cementing operations are allowed to return through the hanger's flutes. Later, a pack-off bushing installs above the fluted casing hanger to seal off the flutes. Typically, there is only a limited ability to test the seal created by such a pack-off.
A wellhead completion assembly is capable of versatile arrangements. The assembly has a first head component that connects to surface casing. A rotatable flange or the like can be used to connect various components to a threaded end of this first head component. Alternatively, second head components can threadably stack on top of one another and can threadably stack on top of the first head component to create a multi-bowl arrangement.
For either arrangement, the assembly can use a casing hanger that installs in the head (i.e., first head component in a single-bowl arrangement or the top most second head component in a multi-bowl arrangement). In either case, the hanger's upper end extends beyond the head's top edge. This exposed end has an external threaded connection to connect to various wellhead components using a rotatable flange or the like. For example, a locking ring can threadably connect to the head's threaded end to support the casing hanger in the head. Then, a rotatable flange can threadably connect to the hanger's exposed end so that another component, such as a completion spool or gate valve, can nippled up directly to the casing hanger.
The casing hanger can be fluted or not, and a pack-off plate can be used to seal the casing hanger in the head. This pack-off plate can have a test port accessible through an opening in the locking ring holding the hanger in the head. The test port allows operators to test the inner and outer sealing integrity of the pack-off plate. In one particular arrangement, the casing hanger has a sealing ring positioned about its external surface. The pack-off plate threads onto an external threaded connection on the casing hanger, and a lip on the pack-off plate positions in wedged engagement between the sealing ring and a portion of the external surface of the casing hanger.
Also in the arrangement, the casing hanger 200 has production casing 14 connected by an internal threaded connection 204 at the hanger's lower end 203b. To install the hanger 200 and the casing 14, a running tool 52 connects by a coupling 54 to an external threaded connection 206 at the hanger's upper end 203a, and the hanger 200 and the casing 14 are run through the BOP stack component 50 and into the casing head 100. Once run in, the casing hanger 200 lands in the head 10 by engaging an internal shoulder 103 so that the production casing 14 is supported within the surface casing 12.
As will be appreciated, each of the components of the assembly is composed of a suitable material known in the art for a wellhead component. Preferably, the threaded connections (106, 204, and 206) have ACME-2G left-handed thread forms. For some exemplary dimensions, the conductor pipe 10 may be 16-in. casing, and the surface and production casings 12/14 may respectively be 9⅝-in. and 4½-in. casings. The connection of the rotatable flange 110 to the BOP stack component 50 may be 11-in. rated at a working pressure of 5,000-PSI. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, these values are provided as examples for illustrative purposes, and components of the assembly can be sized for 13-inch connections and other sizes of casing.
During operations, it would be desirable to be able to nipple up a tubing spool above a production casing hanger without requiring the use of secondary pack-off to seal around the hanger. As shown in
With the ring 120 installed, the tubing spool 60 call couple directly to the exposed end 203a of the hanger 200. In particular, a rotatable flange 62 or other connector threads onto the hanger's external threaded connection 206, and the spool 60 bolts to the rotatable flange 62. A gasket is disposed in a groove at the hanger's top edge to seal the connection. This connection between hanger 200 and spool 60 can be 4 1/16-in. rated at a working pressure of 10,000-PSI, for example. With the spool 60 connected, other components can then be connected above the spool 60, and tubing (not shown) can eventually be hung in the spool's bowl using a tubing hanger (not shown). Because the completion spool 60 nipples up directly to the hanger 200, the casing hanger 200 essentially acts as a spool, and the need for secondary pack-off is eliminated.
As shown in detail in
The hanger 200 shown in
In contrast, the pack-off assembly 210 in
Being fluted, however, the hanger's lower end 303b defines a plurality of flutes or cutaways 304 (four shown in
As briefly discussed above in
As best shown in
As the pack-off plate 400 is tightened onto the hanger 300, internal seals 450 (e.g., O-rings) on the pack-off plate 400 eventually engage a side portion 309b of the hanger's surface, while outer seals 440 (e.g., O-rings) engage the internal wall of the casing head's bore (not shown). Likewise, the plate's lower lip 404 wedges in between the lowermost ring 430 and a side portion 309b of the hanger's surface so that the lower-most ring 430 seals against the internal wall of the casing head's bore (not shown).
To test the sealing integrity, the pack-off plate 400 defines a test port 406 in its top surface 405 that is accessible when the locking ring (e.g., 120 in
In addition to being used with the casing hanger 200, pack-off assembly 210, and other components discussed above, the casing head 100 can be used on its own with various other wellhead components in a number of other arrangements. In one example shown in
In other uses, the casing head 100 can also be used on its own in conjunction with some conventional wellhead components. For example,
In both arrangements, a conventional hanger 76 having slips 77 lands on the head's internal shoulder 103 to support the production casing 14, and a conventional pack-off plate 74 seals against the production casing 14 and the head 100. Segmented rings 72 engage against the production casing 14 within the spool 70 in
The casing head 100 disclosed above represents a single-bowl type, meaning that it defines a single bowl and has a length for supporting a single hanger.
In the arrangement of
In the arrangement of
In addition to these arrangements of
The double-bowl type casing head as shown in
As shown in
In assembling the double bowl arrangement, for example, the first head component 610 connected to outer casing 12 lands on the landing assembly 20, and the second head component 620 supported by running tool 54 threads to the first component 610 at a threaded connection 630. This threaded connection 630 can use the same type of threading and rating as previous embodiments. For example, this connection 630 can be similar to the connection 106 in
As shown in
As shown in
Not only does the modular assembly 600 provide for versatile arrangements, but it facilitates contingency operations when a stuck pipe occurs. When running the casing 14 and hanger 650 through the head components 610/620 and the outer casing 12, for example, the inner casing 14 may become stuck in what is commonly referred to as a stuck pipe situation—an example of which is shown in
In a conventional double-bowl casing head, cutting the excess casing can be difficult because the point at which the cut must be made lies deep within the double-bowl casing head. In other words, an operator has to carefully cut the casing within the confined space of the double-bowl head with a welding tool and then to prepare the end of the cut casing properly for further operations.
The modular assembly 600, however, facilitates stuck pipe contingency operations. When a stuck pipe occurs as in
In addition to facilitating preparation of the inner casing 14 during stuck pipe contingency operations, the modular assembly 600 also helps operators perform modifications to a control line when a stuck pipe occurs. For example,
If a stuck pipe occurs while running the inner casing 14, the hanger 650, and the control line 700 downhole, operators have to modify the arrangement of the control line 700 to connect it to the side coupling 704. In a conventional double-bowl type of head, operators would have to modify the control line's connection by making modifications deep within the double-bowl head and confined in the annulus between the inner casing and the head.
The disclosed modular assembly 600, however, alleviates some of this difficulty. For example, as shown in
The foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the Applicants. For example, it will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosure that components of one embodiment of the wellhead completion assembly can be combined with components of another embodiment to produce a variety of versatile arrangements for well completions. In exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein, the Applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended claims. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof.
Rogers, John, Travis, Todd, Cain, Brandon Matthew, Bilyeu, Michael L., Altman, Gordon Ronnie, Willard, Steve, Davidson, Carl Edwin, Menard, Robert Scott
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