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US-20260125958-A1 - DISPLACEMENT OF A TUBULAR STRING THROUGH A WELLBORE

US20260125958A1US 20260125958 A1US20260125958 A1US 20260125958A1US-20260125958-A1

Abstract

A system for use with a subterranean well can include a tubular string deployed in the well, at least one downhole tractor connected in the tubular string, and at least one downhole vibratory tool connected in the tubular string. Another system can include a tubular string deployed in a well, and at least one of the group consisting of multiple downhole tractors and multiple downhole vibratory tools connected in the tubular string. A compliance tool can be connected between a downhole tractor and a downhole vibratory tool connected in the tubular string.

Inventors

  • Roger L. Schultz

Assignees

  • THRU TUBING SOLUTIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250417

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising: a tubular string deployed in the well; at least one downhole tractor connected in the tubular string; and at least one downhole vibratory tool connected in the tubular string.
  2. 2 . The system of claim 1 , in which the downhole tractor is connected between the downhole vibratory tool and a bottom hole assembly.
  3. 3 . The system of claim 1 , in which the downhole vibratory tool is connected between the downhole tractor and a bottom hole assembly.
  4. 4 . The system of claim 1 , in which the downhole tractor is spaced apart from the downhole vibratory tool a distance sufficient to provide compliance in the tubular string between the downhole tractor and the downhole vibratory tool.
  5. 5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a compliance tool connected in the tubular string between the downhole tractor and the downhole vibratory tool.
  6. 6 . The system of claim 5 , in which the compliance tool permits a length of the tubular string between the downhole tractor and the downhole vibratory tool to vary.
  7. 7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an injector assembly that axially vibrates the tubular string at a surface location.
  8. 8 . The system of claim 7 , in which the injector assembly axially vibrates the tubular string as the injector assembly displaces the tubular string in a wellbore of the well.
  9. 9 . The system of claim 7 , in which the injector assembly comprises an injector chain assembly, the injector chain assembly including multiple motors for driving respective multiple chains.
  10. 10 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an injector assembly configured to displace the tubular string in the wellbore; and a vibration tool configured to vibrate the injector assembly.
  11. 11 . The system of claim 10 , in which the vibration tool is connected between the injector assembly and a wellhead of the well.
  12. 12 . The system of claim 10 , in which the vibration tool is connected between the injector assembly and a support structure that suspends the injector assembly above a wellhead of the well.
  13. 13 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pump connected to the tubular string, and in which a flow rate of fluid pumped into the tubular string at a surface location is periodically varied to thereby produce axial vibration of the tubular string.
  14. 14 . The system of claim 13 , in which the pump pumps the fluid through first and second flow paths connected in parallel, and in which a time-varying flow restrictor is connected in the second flow path.
  15. 15 . A system for use with a subterranean well, the system comprising: a tubular string deployed in the well; and at least one of the group consisting of multiple downhole tractors and multiple downhole vibratory tools connected in the tubular string.
  16. 16 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising an injector assembly that axially vibrates the tubular string at a surface location.
  17. 17 . The system of claim 16 , in which the injector assembly axially vibrates the tubular string as the injector assembly displaces the tubular string in a wellbore of the well.
  18. 18 . The system of claim 16 , in which the injector assembly comprises an injector chain assembly, the injector chain assembly including multiple motors for driving respective multiple chains.
  19. 19 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising an injector assembly configured to displace the tubular string in the wellbore; and a vibration tool configured to vibrate the injector assembly.
  20. 20 . The system of claim 19 , in which the vibration tool is connected between the injector assembly and a wellhead of the well.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of the filing dates of U.S. provisional application No. 63/715,818, filed on 4 Nov. 2024 and U.S. provisional application No. 63/770,557, filed on 12 Mar. 2025, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 19/034,696, filed on 23 Jan. 2025, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 19/034,791, filed on 23 Jan. 2025. The entire disclosures of these prior applications are incorporated herein by this reference for all purposes. BACKGROUND This disclosure relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in an example described below, more particularly provides for displacement of a tubular string through a wellbore. It can be difficult at time to displace a tubular string through a wellbore. Friction (including differential sticking) can impede the displacement of a tubular string through a wellbore in a variety of different types of well operations (such as, milling, drilling, stimulation, testing, completion, and other types of well operations). It will, therefore, be readily appreciated that improvements are continually needed in the art of displacing tubular strings in wellbores. The present disclosure provides such improvements, which may be used for various different purposes in well operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of an example of a well system and associated method which can embody principles of this disclosure. FIG. 2 is a representative perspective view of an example of surface equipment which may be used with the FIG. 1 system and method. FIG. 3 is a representative side view of an example of an injector chain assembly of the surface equipment. FIGS. 4A-C are representative graphs of displacement, velocity and axial acceleration over time for a first example of axial vibration of a tubular string in the system and method. FIGS. 5A-C are representative graphs of displacement, velocity and axial acceleration over time for a second example of axial vibration of a tubular string in the system and method. FIGS. 6A-C are representative graphs of displacement, velocity and axial acceleration over time for a third example of axial vibration of a tubular string in the system and method. FIG. 7 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 8 is a representative cross-sectional view of an example of a vibration tool that may be used in the FIG. 7 system and method. FIG. 9 is a representative side view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 10 is a representative schematic view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 11 is a representative schematic view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 12 is a representative schematic view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 13 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 14 is a representative cross-sectional view of an example of a vibration enhancing tool that may be used with the well system and method. FIG. 15 is a representative cross-sectional and schematic view of another example of the vibration enhancing tool. FIG. 16 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 17 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 18 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 19 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. FIG. 20 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of another example of the well system and method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Representatively illustrated in the accompanying drawings is a system, apparatus and associated method which can embody principles of this disclosure. However, it should be clearly understood that the system, apparatus and method are merely one example of an application of the principles of this disclosure in practice, and a wide variety of other examples are possible. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited at all to the details of the system, apparatus and method described herein and/or depicted in the drawings. In one aspect, this disclosure describes systems, methods and apparatus for advancing a tubular workstring in a wellbore. One example use of the systems, methods and apparatus is to assist in milling frac plugs, or general cleaning or other intervention in long horizontal laterals. The methods and equipment disclosed here can in one example be described as systems, methods and apparatus for inducing axial vibration at the surface into a coiled tubing string for the purpose of aiding in advancing the coiled tubing string in a well. In other examples, the sy