Bypass Tool for Use with a Tubing Anchor

The present application is a conversion of U.S. Provisional Application having U.S. Serial No. 63/659,924, filed June 14, 2024, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(). The disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Not applicable.

The present disclosure relates to a bypass tool for use with a tubing anchor in oil and gas operations.

When gas separators are used below tubing anchors, there are times when the gas is directed towards the outside of the gas separator. The gas will flow upwards between the bottom hole assembly (BHA) and the casing where the tubing anchor creates a bottleneck. The liquid component from the gas separator is forced up and through the inside of the tubing anchor. The bottleneck on the outside of the tubing anchor can cause a liquid hold up above the tubing anchor and a gas holdup below the tubing anchor. Ultimately, in some situations, the gas can be forced back into the gas separator and even into the pump that the separator directs the liquid the gas is separated from to.

Accordingly, there is a need for a bypass tool that can be used with the tubing anchor to diffuse the bottleneck that can occur outside of the tubing anchor.

The present disclosure is directed to a bypass tool. The bypass tool includes a bypass tubing insertable through a tubing anchor. The bypass tool also includes a lower bypass nipple supported by a lower end of the tubing anchor and to permit gas to pass from outside of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) to between the bypass tubing and the tubing anchor and an upper bypass nipple supported by an upper end of the tubing anchor to permit the gas to pass from between the bypass tubing and the tubing anchor to back outside of the BHA.

The present disclosure is also directed to a method of recovering production fluids from a well using the bypass tool. The method includes positioning a bypass tool at a desired location in a well. The method also includes pumping a gas through the bypass tool.

Referring now to, the present disclosure relates to a bypass toolfor use with a tubing anchorto facilitate gas moving uphole past the tubing anchor. More specifically, the bypass toolallows gas to flow inside the tubing anchoras well as around the outside of the tubing anchor. In an exemplary embodiment, a bottom hole assembly (BHA)can include a gas separator (not shown) disposed downhole of the tubing anchor. The gas separator can be used to separate a liquid from the gas. The liquid is sent to the surface via a dip tube (not shown) and the gas exits the gas separator and travels in the uphole direction between the BHAand the casing. The BHAcan also include a tubing subabove and/or below the tubing anchor.

The bypass toolincludes an inner bypass tubethat can extend through the tubing anchorto carry liquid through the tubing anchorto the surface. An annulus area is created between an outer surfaceof the inner bypass tubeand an inner surfaceof the tubing anchor. The bypass toolcan also include a lower bypass nippleand an upper bypass nipple. The lower bypass nipplehas at least one openingdisposed therein to permit gas from the separator flowing between the BHAand the casingbelow the tubing anchorto pass to the annulus area between the inner bypass tubeand the tubing anchor. The upper bypass nippleincludes at least one openingas well to permit the gas in the annulus area to flow back out to the area between the BHAand the casingabove the tubing anchor. The bypass tooloffers an alternative route for the gas to flow in addition to flowing upwards around the outside of the tubing anchor.

In addition to the upper and lower bypass nipplesand, the bypass toolcan include a lower tubing connectorand an upper tubing connector. The lower tubing connectoris designed to engage with the lower bypass nippleand the tubing anchor. Similarly, the upper tubing connectoris designed to engage with the upper bypass nippleand the tool (e.g., a tubing sub) disposed above the bypass toolin the BHA. Depending upon the thread orientation of the upper and lower ends of the tubing anchor, the lower tubing connectoror the upper tubing connectorcould extend between the tubing anchorand the appropriate bypass nippleor. In certain embodiments, the bypass toolcan include a second lower connectorfor connecting the lower bypass nippleto tubing sub or a tool in the BHAdisposed downhole from the bypass tool. The second lower connectorcan have a seal assemblydisposed therein that engages the inner sideof the second lower connectorand the inner bypass tube. The seal assemblyprevents fluid flowing from inside the tools downhole from the tubing anchorand into the annulus between the inner bypass tubeand the inside of the tubing anchor. The seal assemblyalso prevents any substances in the tools disposed downhole from the tubing anchorfrom flowing into the annulus between the inner bypass tubeand the inside of the tubing anchor. Similarly, the upper tubing connectorcan have a seal assemblydisposed therein that engages the inner sideof the upper tubing connectorand the inner bypass tubeto prevent fluid flowing from the annulus between the inner bypass tubeand the inside of the tubing anchorand into any tools disposed in the BHAuphole from the tubing anchor. The seal assemblyalso prevents any substances in the tools disposed uphole from the tubing anchorfrom flowing into the annulus between the inner bypass tubeand the inside of the tubing anchor.

The lower bypass nippleis designed to be able to be releasably secured directly to the tubing anchor, or the lower tubing connectorif the lower tubing connectoris disposed between the tubing anchorand the lower bypass nipple, on one end and whatever tool is disposed downhole from the bypass tool. The lower bypass nipplecan also be designed to be able to be releasably secured to the lower tubing connectoron one end and whatever tool is disposed downhole from the bypass toolon the other end. The lower bypass nippleincludes a bodyportion where the multiple openingsare disposed to permit the gas to flow into the annulus area between the bypass tubingand the tubing anchor. The lower bypass nipplecan also include a lower engagement end for engaging whatever tool is disposed downhole from the bypass tooland an upper engagement end for engaging the tubing anchor. The upper and lower engagement ends can be threaded. Also, the inner lower end of the lower bypass nipplecan be threaded to engage with the threaded end of the lower tubing connector. The seal assembliesandcan also be designed to engage the connection ends of the bypass nipplesandto prevent fluid from flowing to undesirable places.

The upper bypass nippleis designed to be able to be releasably secured to the tubing anchoron one end and whatever tool is disposed uphole from the bypass toolon the other end. The upper bypass nipplecan also be designed to be able to be releasably secured to the upper tubing connectoron one end and whatever tool is disposed uphole from the bypass toolon the other end. The upper bypass nippleincludes a body portionwhere the multiple openingsdisposed therein permit the gas to flow from the annulus area between the bypass tubingand the tubing anchor. The upper bypass nipplecan also include a lower engagement end for engaging the tubing anchorand an upper engagement end for engaging whatever tool is disposed uphole from the bypass tool. The upper and lower engagement ends can be threaded. Also, the inner upper end of the upper bypass nipplecan be threaded to engage with the threaded end of the upper tubing connector.

It should be understood and appreciated that ends of the bypass tubing, the bypass nipplesandand the tubing connectorsandcan have any desired orientation such that liquid from the gas separator can flow through the bypass tubingand gas from between the BHAand the casingcan flow through the lower bypass nipple, into the annulus area between the bypass tubingand the tubing anchor, out through the upper bypass nippleand back out into the space between the BHAand the casing.

The present disclosure is also directed to a method of recovering oil/gas/fluids from an oil and gas well using the bypass tool. The method includes the step of positioning the bypass tooldown into a well and allowing the gas component from the oil and gas well to pass through the bypass toolto allow the gas to flow more efficiently past the tubing anchor.shows the flow of gas through the bypass tooland depicted by arrows. The method can also include running various flexible equipment (not shown) down through parts of the bypass toolto target areas of the well downhole from the tubing anchor. The flexible equipment could be capillary tubing, a wire, a communication cable, and the like. More specifically, the flexible equipment could be run down the annulus between the BHAand the casingand through one of the openingsin the upper bypass nipple. The flexible equipment could then be forced in the downhole direction through between the inner sideof the tubing anchorand the inner bypass tube. The flexible equipment could then be forced out of one of the openingsof the lower bypass nippleand back into the annulus area between the BHAand the casing. In one embodiment, the flexible equipment is capillary tubing that is used to deliver treatment fluids to a desired part of the well downhole from the tubing anchor. The treatment fluids can be any known fluids for treating well, such as a corrosion inhibitor, fresh water, etc.

From the above description, it is clear that the present disclosure is well-adapted to carry out the objectives and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the disclosure. While presently preferred embodiments have been described herein, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the disclosure and claims.