Improvements In Or Relating To Well Abandonment and Slot Recovery

Abstract

A method for removing one or more control lines (15) in a well (1), the control lines (15) running in an annulus behind a tubular (7) in the wellbore, during a well abandonment procedure comprising the steps: perforating the tubular (7) at a location adjacent the one or more control lines (15); displacing a self-supporting settable composition (21) through the perforations (20) into the annulus (18) to secure the one or more control lines (15) in place; cutting the tubular (7) and the one or more control lines (15) at the location of the self-supporting settable composition (21); washing away the self-supporting settable composition (21); and removing at least a portion of the one or more control lines from the wellbore. Embodiments are described for control lines (15) run in an annulus (18) between production tubing (7) and casing, pulling the production tubing (7) with the control lines (15), and milling the production tubing and control lines in a rigless method for well abandonment.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of removing one or more control lines in a well, the control lines running in an annulus behind a tubular in the wellbore, during a well abandonment procedure comprising the steps:
 (a) perforating the tubular at a location adjacent the one or more control lines;   (b) displacing a self-supporting settable composition through the perforations into the annulus to secure the one or more control lines in place;   (c) cutting the tubular and the one or more control lines at the location of the self-supporting settable composition;   (d) washing away the self-supporting settable composition; and   (e) removing at least a portion of the one or more control lines from the wellbore.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the annulus is between a tubular and the wellbore wall at a formation. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the annulus is between two tubulars. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3  wherein the one or more control lines are arranged in the annulus between the production tubing and casing. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the self-supporting settable composition is a resin. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the self-supporting settable composition is a gel. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises the step of deploying an injection tool to displace a pre-determined amount of self-supporting settable composition through the perforations into the annulus. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method includes displacing the self-supporting settable composition into the annulus as a foam. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8  wherein the self-supporting settable composition is a fluid. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises at step (a) running a perforating tool through the tubular to the location. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises perforating the tubular using explosive charges. 
     
     
         12 . The method according  claim 10  wherein the perforating tool is a tubing punch. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises at step (c) providing a tubing cutter to cut a circumferential slot through a wall of the tubular to sever the tubular and the one or more control lines. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13  wherein the method comprises at step (e) pulling the cut section of tubular with the severed one or more control lines attached from the well. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises at step (c) deploying a milling tool to mill away a longitudinal section of the tubular and the corresponding portion of the one or more control lines. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the method comprises milling away the tubular and the one or more control lines up to the top of the self-supporting settable composition. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the method comprises deploying a cement plug to set in the production tubing and annulus. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the method comprises repeating the steps at a shallower depth in the wellbore. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the steps are performed on separate trips into the well. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein two or more steps are performed on the same trip into the well.