Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes Incorproated

Alan B Emerson

Henry J Jordan, Jr

Brian S Kennedy

Patrick James Zimmerman

Robert J McNair

Bennett M Richard

Mark Kendall Adam

Matthew J Jabs

Mathew J Jabs

James C Burtner

A patch for placement in a wellbore and associated methods includes a longitudinal member and an anchor that is radially expanded to engage the wall of the borehole to secure the patch against axial and radial movement. The anchor is set using a running tool that radially expands the anchor and the longitudinal body. The anchor may include one or more elements that can be securely engaged within the wellbore. The longitudinal member and/or the anchor may include a sealing element to provide a seal between the wellbore inside and the earth formation surrounding the wellbore.

Open hole expandable patch and method of use

Drilling a well to total depth without tripping the bit out of the hole despite encountering a troublesome zone is made possible by using a memory based composite material delivered with the drill pipe or advanced over it, as needed. The material can be activated as a troublesome zone is encountered and assumes as former configuration that places it in sealing relation to the troublesome zone in the bore hole while spacing it from the drill pipe so as to allow resumption of drilling with the troublesome zone isolated.

One trip well drilling to total depth

A method of attaching a tubular to an existing tubular in a well without reducing the inside diameter of the well is described. A shoe is attached to the lower end of the existing lowermost casing or tubular, generally prior to the casing being cemented or otherwise secured in the wellbore. The shoe has a diameter larger than the inside diameter of the casing or tubular to which it is attached. Subsequently, a liner is run in until its top end is in the enlarged diameter region of the shoe. A hanger can be optionally used. The liner is expanded into the enlarged diameter so that the net result is that the inside diameter in the wellbore is not reduced by the addition of the liner.

Monobore shoe

A method for completing multi-lateral wells and maintaining selective re-entry into laterals is presented. In accordance with the present invention, a first lateral well is drilled from a primary well bore and a string of external casing packers and a packer bore receptacle are run therein. Once the orientation of the packer bore receptacle is determined, an orientation anchor of a retrievable whipstock assembly is mounted thereto. Thereafter, a second lateral well may be drilled. Once the second lateral well is drilled, the whipstock assembly may be retrieved and replaced with a scoophead diverter assembly which also includes an orientation anchor for mating with the packer bore receptacle. At this time, a string of external casing packers may be run into the second lateral well through the scoophead diverter assembly. Finally, a selective reentry tool is run into the scoophead assembly. The selective re-entry tool includes a diversion flapper for selecting either the first or second lateral well bore. Selective re-entry is desirable for the purpose of performing well intervention techniques. The re-entry tool may be actuated by a device located on a coil tubing work string which may be operated from the surface.

Method for completing multi-lateral wells and maintaining selective

A novel scoophead/diverter assembly is presented which is installed at the juncture between a primary wellbore and a lateral branch and which allows the production tubing of each to be oriented and anchored. This scoophead/diverter assembly further provides dual seal bores for tying back to the surface with either a dual packer completion or a single tubing string completion utilizing a selective re-entry tool. The scoophead/diverter assembly comprises a scoophead, a diverter sub, two struts as connecting members between the scoophead and diverter sub and a joint of tubing communicating from the scoophead, thru the diverter sub, and to the primary wellbore. The scoophead has a large and small bore. The large bore is a receptacle for a tie back sleeve run on top of the lateral wellbore string, and the small bore is a seal bore to tie the primary wellbore back to surface. Below the scoophead, a joint of tubing is threaded to the small bore. The tubing passes through an angled smooth bore in the diverter sub which causes the tubing joint to deflect from the offset of the small bore of the scoophead back to the centerline of the scoophead, and thus the centerline of the borehole with which it is concentric. In accordance with an important feature of the scoophead, the profile in the top of the scoophead is configured so that it directs the production tubing for the lateral wellbore into the large bore of the scoophead and also orients a parallel seal assembly when tying back to the surface with a dual packer completion or a single tubing completion. The orientation is accomplished by combining a sloped profile with a slotted inclined surface around the small bore and a compound angled surface above the slot.

Scoophead/diverter assembly for completing lateral wellbores

A novel lateral connector receptacle or LCR is provided which functions to (1) provide means for running a lower completion into a well; (2) provide means for orienting a retrievable whipstock assembly and/or scoophead diverter; and (3) provides means for attaching an upper completion to a lower completion. The LCR includes an upper section having a latch thread and smooth seal bore which respectively threadably attaches to, and mates with seals from, an orientation anchor. A middle section of the LCR includes an orientation lug for mating with the orientation anchor and providing a fixed reference point to the retrievable whip stock and/or scoophead/diverter assembly; and a lower section includes an inner mating (e.g., profiled) surface for attachment to an appropriate run-in tool. Preferably, the LCR includes three cylindrical, threadably mated subs (which respectively include the (1) latch thread and seal bore; (2) the orientation anchor lug and (3) the profiled connecting surfaces) and a fourth bottom sub. The LCR combines all of the aforementioned features providing a novel tool which allows for the ability to stack infinite laterals in a single well.

Lateral connector receptacle

In a wellbore having at least one lateral or branch wellbore extending therefrom, a selective re-entry tool is presented for running on a completion string to enable an operator to select the branch desired so as to enter such desired branch with a coil tubing workstring (or the like) and perform an appropriate operation (e.g., stimulation, fracture, cleanout, shifting, etc.). In a preferred embodiment, the selective re-entry tool includes an outer stationary sub and an inner longitudinally shiftable mandrel or sleeve. Preferably, this sleeve is connected to a rectangular box which is spaced from an exit sub having a pair of exit openings. A flapper is pivotally connected at the intersection between the exit opening to the box by a pair of rails or pivot pins. Laterally extending ears on opposed sides of the flapper are received in a respective pair of elongated ramped guide slots formed on opposed lateral surfaces of the box. During operation, a known shifting tool will shift the inner sleeve upwardly or downwardly causing the box to similarly move (with respect to the outer sub). Longitudinal movement of the box will cause the ears on the flapper to move along the guide slots whereby the flapper will pivot between a first position which guides a coiled tubing through one of the exit openings to a second position which guides the coiled tubing through the other exit opening.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Alan B Emerson