Well bladder system

Abstract

A well bladder is used to seal wellbores from intrusion. The well bladder is inserted, threaded, or otherwise arranged into the wellbore or an opening into the wellbore, and then expanded against the wellbore to seal against intrusion. The well bladder includes one or more layers, one or more axial sections, and one or more azimuthal sections. For example, the well bladder may be constructed from polyurethane, reinforcement, fabric, rubber, plastic, a composite material, or other flexible material. In a further example, the well bladder may include layers, mesh, fibers, stitching, or other suitable construction. In some embodiments, the well bladder may include a port configured to allow pressurization of the inner volume, a sensor configured to sense one or more properties of the well bladder, or both. A system may be configured to monitor the well bladder over time to ensure that the well bladder maintains the seal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A well bladder for sealing a wellbore from intrusion, the well bladder comprising:
 a sidewall having a radial thickness configured to provide structural rigidity, the sidewall comprising:
 an inner surface that interfaces to an inner volume; and 
 an outer surface that interfaces to a surface of the wellbore and configured to seal against the surface of the wellbore to prevent intrusion into the wellbore. 
   
     
     
         2 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a pressurized fluid in the inner volume, the pressurized fluid having a pressure greater than each of an atmospheric pressure and an intrusion pressure, wherein the pressurized fluid is configured to apply an outward pressure on the inner surface. 
     
     
         3 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a hardened foam in the inner volume, wherein the hardened foam is configured to apply an outward pressure on the inner surface. 
     
     
         4 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises one or more layers. 
     
     
         5 . The well bladder of  claim 4 , wherein the sidewall comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer comprises the inner surface and the outer layer comprises the outer surface. 
     
     
         6 . The well bladder of  claim 5 , wherein the outer layer comprises an aramid fiber material. 
     
     
         7 . The well bladder of  claim 5 , wherein the inner layer comprises at least one material selected from the group:
 a plastic material;   a polyurethane material; and   a rubber material.   
     
     
         8 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a reinforcement configured to provide rigidity to the sidewall. 
     
     
         9 . The well bladder of  claim 8 , wherein the reinforcement comprises a fiber reinforcement. 
     
     
         10 . The well bladder of  claim 9 , wherein the fiber reinforcement comprises one or more fibers comprising a tensile strength sufficient to strengthen the sidewall. 
     
     
         11 . The well bladder of  claim 10 , wherein the fiber reinforcement is configured to not shear off or leak into a pre-existing fracture of the wellbore. 
     
     
         12 . The well bladder of  claim 8 , wherein the reinforcement comprises a mesh reinforcement. 
     
     
         13 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a reinforcement configured to provide additional rigidity to the sidewall. 
     
     
         14 . The well bladder of  claim 13 , wherein the reinforcement comprises a fiber reinforcement. 
     
     
         15 . The well bladder of  claim 14 , wherein the fiber reinforcement comprises one or more fibers comprising a tensile strength sufficient to strengthen the well bladder. 
     
     
         16 . The well bladder of  claim 15 , wherein the fiber reinforcement is configured to not shear off or leak into a pre-existing fracture of the wellbore. 
     
     
         17 . The well bladder of  claim 13 , wherein the reinforcement comprises a mesh reinforcement. 
     
     
         18 . The well bladder of  claim 1  wherein the sidewall comprises one or more axial sections. 
     
     
         19 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises one or more azimuthal sections. 
     
     
         20 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more internal walls, wherein the inner surface defines the inner volume, wherein the inner volume is partitioned into two or more chambers by the one or more internal walls, and wherein the two or more chambers are configured to be pressurized independently from one another. 
     
     
         21 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , configured to be contracted in size. 
     
     
         22 . The well bladder of  claim 21 , wherein the sidewall comprises a pleat configured to allow the well bladder to be contracted in size. 
     
     
         23 . The well bladder of  claim 21 , wherein the sidewall comprises a fold configured to allow the well bladder to be contracted in size. 
     
     
         24 . The well bladder of  claim 21 , wherein the sidewall comprises a twist configured to allow the well bladder to be contracted in size. 
     
     
         25 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a port configured to be coupled to an auxiliary system for pressurizing the inner volume. 
     
     
         26 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , having a length of between 100 and 5000 feet. 
     
     
         27 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the outer surface comprises an outer diameter in a compressed state of less than 2 inches. 
     
     
         28 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the outer surface comprises an outer diameter in an expanded state of between 1.5 and 4 inches. 
     
     
         29 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a fabric material. 
     
     
         30 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising an aramid fiber material. 
     
     
         31 . The well bladder of  claim 30 , wherein the sidewall comprises the aramid fiber material. 
     
     
         32 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a plastic material. 
     
     
         33 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a rubber material. 
     
     
         34 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall comprises a thermosetting polymer material. 
     
     
         35 . The well bladder of  claim 34 , wherein the thermosetting polymer material comprises a polyurethane material. 
     
     
         36 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a weighted section having a density greater than an average density of the well bladder. 
     
     
         37 . The well bladder of  claim 1 , further comprising a wrap configured to:
 restrain the well bladder to cause the well bladder to contract in size during installation; and   release the well bladder at a predetermined stress to cause the well bladder to expand in the well bore when a pressurized medium is provided to the inner volume.   
     
     
         38 . A method for deploying a well bladder for sealing a wellbore from intrusion, wherein the well bladder comprises:
 a sidewall having a radial thickness configured to provide structural rigidity, the sidewall comprising:
 an inner surface that interfaces to an inner volume; and 
 an outer surface, the method comprising: 
   arranging the well bladder in the wellbore to axially align with fractures of the wellbore; and   providing a pressurized medium to the inner volume of the well bladder, wherein the pressurized medium causes a radially outward force to act on the sidewall, and wherein the radially outward force causes the sidewall to seal against the wellbore.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein providing the pressurized medium further comprises generating a control signal, using control circuitry, that causes an auxiliary system to provide the pressurized medium to the inner volume. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising monitoring, using a sensor, at least one property of the well bladder over time. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the at least one property comprises a pressure of the inner volume. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising adjusting the at least one property of the well bladder using an auxiliary system based at least in part on the monitoring. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the pressurized medium comprises a pressurized gas, the method further comprising compressing a gas to create the pressurized gas. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the pressurized medium comprises a hardened foam. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the pressurized medium comprises a pressurized liquid, the method further comprising pumping a liquid to create the pressurized liquid. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder comprises a port coupled to the inner volume and to a valve, wherein providing the pressurized medium further comprises opening the valve. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising closing the valve when at least one property of the well bladder exceeds a threshold value. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises threading the well bladder through an opening in the wellbore. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially folded, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises unfolding the well bladder within the wellbore. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is pleated, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises unfolding the pleats of the well bladder within the wellbore. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially twisted, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises untwisting the well bladder within the wellbore. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially arranged on a spool outside of the wellbore, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises unspooling the well bladder into the wellbore. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially laid-out outside of the wellbore, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises feeding the well bladder into the wellbore. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially rolled outside of the wellbore, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises unrolling the well bladder into the wellbore. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder further comprises a wrap configured to restrain the well bladder to maintain the well bladder contracted in size, and wherein providing the pressurized medium to the inner volume of the well bladder causes the wrap to rupture. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the well bladder is initially coiled outside of the wellbore, and wherein arranging the well bladder in the wellbore comprises uncoiling the well bladder into the wellbore.