Cementing system for wellbores
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a cementing system and method for wellbores by cementing an annulus between a wellbore casing and a wellbore. In at least one embodiment, the invention includes a landing collar defining a restricted passage, a wellbore casing defining a passage coupled to the landing collar, a top cementing plug for sealingly engaging the wellbore casing, a bottom cementing plug for sealingly engaging the wellbore casing, and a fluid injection assembly coupled to the wellbore casing for injecting fluidic materials into the wellbore casing and controllably releasing the top cementing plug and the bottom cementing plug into the wellbore casing. The bottom cementing plug includes a plug body defining a plug passage, a frangible membrane for sealing the plug passage, and a one-way valve for controlling the flow of fluidic materials through the plug passage. The invention also includes the bottom cementing plug and methods for operation.
1. A wellbore cementing system comprising:
a tubular member adapted to be placed in the wellbore at a desired location and defining an internal fluid passage and a wellbore annulus;
a plug land having a fluid passage there through, the land associated with a distal portion of the tubular member;
a non-floating shoe associated with the tubular member and located distally of the plug land;
a first plug adapted to sealingly engage the internal fluid passage comprising:
a plug body having a fluid passage there through;
a removable plug seal positioned to block flow through the fluid passage; and
a one-way valve disposed in the plug fluid passage and adapted to prevent fluid flow through the plug fluid passage from a distal end of the body to a proximal end of the body; and
a fluid injection assembly coupled to the tubular member and adapted to inject material into the wellbore and controllably release the first plug into the tubular member.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the injection assembly is adapted to remove the plug seal by overpressurization when the plug body has contacted the plug land.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plug seal is a frangible material.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve comprises: a flapper valve.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve comprises: a ball valve.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one-way valve comprises: a spring biased dart valve.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second plug adapted to sealingly engage the internal fluid passage and wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to controllably release the second plug into the tubular member after the first plug.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to inject a hardenable material into the tubular member after the first plug and before the second plug.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to force the hardenable material between the first and second plugs into the wellbore annulus.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the fluid injection assembly causes the plug seal to rupture once the first plug is adapted to pass the hardenable material between the first and second plugs into the wellbore annulus.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to inject a displacing fluid on top of the second plug to force the hardenable material into the wellbore annulus.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first plug is removably coupled to a support member such that the first plug is positioned in sealing engagement with a portion of the tubular member disposed in the wellbore and so that the internal fluid passage in the tubular member communicates with an internal fluid passage in the support member.
13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a pressurization device
adapted to seal against a portion of the first plug so that the injection assembly can increase fluid pressure in the internal passage proximal the first plug.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the pressurization device comprises a ball placed in the internal fluid passageway and forced into engagement with the first plug by the injection assembly.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the injection assembly is adapted to cause the pressurization device to pass through the first plug fluid passage when the first plug is in contact with the plug land.
16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plug carrier adapted to sealing engage the tubular member and having a plug carrier land, the plug carrier removably coupled to the support member proximal the first plug.
17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a second plug adapted to sealingly engage the internal fluid passage of the support member and to engage the plug carrier land, thereby forming a second plug/carrier assembly.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to inject a hardenable material into the tubular member after the first plug and before the second plug/carrier assembly.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the fluid injection assembly is adapted to pressurize against the second plug/carrier assembly to decouple the plug carrier from the tubular member support.