Tubular airlock assembly
View Patent ↗A rupture assembly that may be employed in the oilfield industry facilitates the deployment of a tubing string in a well. The rupture assembly may be installed at the bottom of the tubing string for the purpose of trapping air in a lateral section of the tubing, between the rupture assembly and an upper sealing assembly. As a result, the buoyant force in the lateral section reduces the drag encountered while running the tubing through the casing, thereby significantly reducing rig time, or permitting operations where none were possible previously. Once at landing depth, surface pressure may be added to burst and remove the seal and rupture assemblies.
1. A rupture assembly for a well tubing, comprising:
an upper tubular portion coupled to a lower tubular portion;
a first rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by a disengageable securing mechanism; and
a second rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by an impact member, the impact member having at least one impact surface,
wherein in operation:
the first rupture member is released from the disengageable securing mechanism when exposed to a threshold hydraulic pressure that is less than a rupture burst pressure of the first rupture member;
upon release from the disengageable securing mechanism, the first rupture member directly contacts the impact member causing the first rupture member to shatter into fragments; and
the fragments directly contact that impact the second rupture member causing the second rupture member to shatter into fragments.
2. A rupture assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the first rupture member is a hemispherical dome having a convex surface facing uphole of the well tubing, and
the second rupture member is a hemispherical dome having a convex surface facing downhole of the well tubing.
3. A rupture assembly according to claim 2 , wherein each hemispherical dome is formed of a frangible material.
4. A rupture assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the frangible material comprises glass, ceramic, carbide, metal, plastic porcelain, an alloy or a composite.
5. A well tubing, comprising:
a length of tubing positionable in a wellbore;
a sealing assembly disposed at an upper end of the tubing for forming an upper boundary of a buoyant chamber; and
a rupture assembly disposed at a lower end of the tubing for farming a lower boundary of the buoyant chamber, the rupture assembly including,
an upper tubular portion coupled to a lower tubular portion,
a first rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by a disengageabie securing mechanism, the first rupture member being a hemispherical dome formed of a frangible material having a convex surface facing uphole of the length of tubing,
a second rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by an impact member, the impact member having at least one impact projection, the second rupture member being a hemispherical dome formed of a frangible material having a convex surface facing downhole of the length of tubing,
wherein application of a threshold hydraulic pressure that is less than a rupture burst pressure of the first rupture member releases the first rupture member from the securing mechanism causing the first rupture member to impact against the at least one impact projection of the impact member and shatter into fragments that impact the second rupture member causing the second rupture member to shatter into fragments.
6. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein the frangible material comprises glass, ceramic, carbide, metal, plastic porcelain, an alloy or a composite.
7. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein the buoyant chamber comprises air.
8. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein
the first rupture member is a hemispherical dome having a convex surface facing uphole of the well tubing, and
the second rupture member is a hemispherical dome having a convex surface facing downhole of the well tubing.
9. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein the disengageable securing mechanism comprises a shear ring.
10. The well tubing of claim 9 , wherein the shear ring comprises tabs bendable or shearable upon application of force.
11. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein the sealing assembly and rupture assembly have an inner diameter substantially the same as an inner diameter of the tubing.
12. The well tubing of claim 5 , wherein the sealing assembly comprises a rupture disc.
13. A method of installing a length of tubing into a wellbore comprising:
running the length of tubing into the wellbore, wherein the length of tubing comprises a sealing assembly disposed at an upper end of the length of tubing for forming an upper boundary of a buoyant chamber and a rupture assembly disposed at a lower end of the length of tubing for forming a lower boundary of the buoyant chamber, the rupture assembly including,
an upper tubular portion coupled to a lower tubular portion,
a first rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by a disengageable securing mechanism, the first rupture member being a hemispherical dome formed of a frangible material having a convex surface facing uphole of the length of tubing,
a second rupture member held in sealing engagement between the upper and lower tubular portions by an impact member, the impact member having at least one impact projection, the second rupture member being a hemispherical dome formed of a frangible material having a convex surface facing downhole of the length of tubing,
wherein application of a threshold hydraulic pressure that is less than a rupture burst pressure of the first rupture member releases the first rupture member from the securing mechanism causing the first rupture member to impact against the at least one impact projection of the impact member and shatter into fragments that impact the second rupture member causing the second rupture member to shatter into fragments.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the frangible material comprises glass, ceramic, carbide, metal, plastic porcelain, an alloy or a composite.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first rupture member and second rupture member assembly are installed in a radially expanded area of the upper and lower tubular portions.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein an inner diameter of the rupture assembly is substantially the same as or greater than an inner diameter of the tubing.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the wellbore is a deviated wellbore.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the wellbore is a horizontal wellbore.
19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the buoyant chamber comprises air.