Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Solgix, Inc

Other

Services Petroliers Schlumberger

Gregoire Max Jacob

Indranil Roy

Sylvain Bedouet

Michael J Bertoja

Jean-Louis Pessin

John Fleming

Michael A Dardis

Ismail El Kholy

Manuel P Marya

Andrew J Hayman

Richard Bloemenkamp

Jason Baihly

Pierre-arnaud Foucher

Alain Nguyen-Thuyet

Isaac Aviles Cadena

Sergio Bailoni

Roy Indranil

A method can include processing material via at least one severe plastic deformation process to form a degradable component where the material includes aluminum and one or more metals selected from a group of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, group 12 transition metals, and basic metals having an atomic number equal to or greater than 31.

Severe plastic deformation of degradable material

A plug assembly includes a continuous expandable sealing ring having an embedded radial gap feature. The continuous expandable sealing ring includes a first section with a prominent external surface, whereby the first section with a prominent external surface includes a radial gap underneath, and a second section with a second external surface. During the setting of the plug, the first prominent external surface comes in contact with the internal surface of the tubing string, while the radial gap underneath allows avoiding transmitting radial forces from the continuous sealing ring towards the tubing string, therefore keeping the majority of the force transmission from the expandable gripping ring towards the tubing string.

Method and apparatus for a plug including a radial and collapsible gap within the continuous expandable sealing ring

A fluid-activated shifting tool includes a fluid entry valve, a piston, a fluid pressure chamber and a relief pressure chamber. The piston can shift and provide a force relative to the toolstring using the pressure differential created between the pressure within the fluid pressure chamber compared to the pressure within the relief pressure chamber. The fluid entry valve provides a temporary fluid entry barrier between the well fluid and the fluid pressure chamber. At a selected depth within the wellbore, the fluid entry valve can be actuated, providing well fluid hydrostatic pressure inside the fluid pressure chamber. The shifting force of the piston can be used to acuate or set a plug within a tubing string of the wellbore.

Method and apparatus for fluid-activated shifting tool to actuate a plug assembly

A plug assembly includes a retractable pivoting mechanism, offering temporarily one or more seating surfaces for an untethered object. The retractable pivoting mechanism has two or three pivoting positions, allowing the passage or the seating of an untethered object depending on the flow direction. The retractable pivoting mechanism can include a single retractable pivoting ring or multiple segments forming a ring after pivoting in their closed position. Another embodiment of the retractable pivoting mechanism includes a latching feature allowing to keep the mechanism in an opened position.

Method and apparatus for a plug with a retractable pivoting mechanism for untethered object

A plug assembly, dedicated for ball-in-place operation, includes an expandable assembly, a locking ring, a cup and studs, to be deployed using a retrievable setting tool. The expandable assembly is adapted to be deformed radially over the locking ring and the cup, while the locking ring is retained longitudinally relative to a mandrel of the retrievable setting tool, thanks to the studs positioned within the cup. The locking ring has a stopping inner surface. The combination of the cup and an untethered object is adapted to contact an inner surface of the plug assembly and, using well fluid pressure, to apply forces to the plug assembly. The forces cause the longitudinal movement of the cup and untethered objects while contacting the inner surface of the plug assembly until the cup contacts the stopping inner surface of the locking ring.

Method and apparatus for providing a ball-in-place plug activated by cup and internal continuous expansion mechanism

A plug assembly includes an expandable assembly and a locking ring. The expandable assembly is adapted to be deformed radially over the locking ring. The locking ring has a stopping inner surface. The plug assembly is used with an untethered object, which has an outer surface adapted to couple with the stopping inner surface of the locking ring. The untethered object is also adapted to contact an inner surface of the plug assembly and, using well fluid pressure, to apply forces to the plug assembly. The forces cause the longitudinal movement of the untethered object while contacting the inner surface of the plug assembly until the untethered object contacts the stopping inner surface of the locking ring.

Methods and apparatus for providing a plug with a two-step expansion

A plug assembly includes an expandable assembly, a locking ring and a cup. The expandable assembly is adapted to be deformed radially over the locking ring and the cup. The locking ring has a stopping inner surface. The plug assembly is used with one or more untethered objects, the untethered objects having an outer surface adapted to couple with the cup, and the cup having an outer surface adapted to couple with the stopping inner surface of the locking ring. The combination of cup and untethered objects is also adapted to contact an inner surface of the plug assembly and, using well fluid pressure, to apply forces to the plug assembly. The forces cause the longitudinal movement of the cup and untethered objects while contacting the inner surface of the plug assembly until the cup contacts the stopping inner surface of the locking ring.

Methods and apparatus for providing a plug activated by cup and untethered object

A joint-locking plug is deployed next to tubing joint connection gap. The actuation of the joint-locking plug allows expanding a gripping portion which includes a protrusion section. The contact between the protrusion section of the gripping portion with the inner surface of the tubing string allows to end the actuation. Due to the bi-stable slips, the pumping of an actuated plug will engage the protrusion section of the gripping portion inside the joint connection gap, and provide the locking of the gripping portion of the plug. By further applying a fluid pressure, the anchoring section of the gripping portion gets engaged and further set the plug in place, allowing to perform further operation with the plug.

Method and apparatus for a joint-locking plug

A dissolvable untethered object for use inside a well fluid includes an internal cavity and a fluid entry point. The internal cavity contains a gas. The fluid entry point is closed and selectively openable so that the internal cavity can be filled with the well fluid flowing through the fluid entry point. A dissolving rate of the dissolvable untethered object is modified after contact of the well fluid inside the internal cavity with the dissolvable untethered object.

Dissolvable object with a cavity and a fluid entry point

An untethered sensing object able to sense and record well fluid and wellbore parameters. The untethered sensing object is adapted to perform, in addition, a well fluid isolation with a plugging element previously placed inside the wellbore.

Sensing and recording module within an untethered object acting as a pressure differential isolation of well fluid

A plug assembly includes an expandable assembly and a locking ring. The expandable assembly is adapted to be deformed radially over the locking ring. The plug assembly is used with an untethered object, which is adapted to contact an inside surface of the plug assembly and, using well fluid pressure, to apply forces to the plug assembly. The forces cause further radial deformation of the expandable assembly, and penetration of an internal surface of the tubing string at least at one point with a gripping portion of the expandable assembly.

Method and apparatus for providing a plug with a deformable expandable continuous ring creating a fluid barrier

A retrievable setting tool includes a collapsible expansion punch formed by sections. Each section includes an external surface that forms a portion of an expansion face of the collapsible expansion punch. Some sections are capable of sliding relative to other sections. As such, the overall shape of the expansion face may be continuous or discontinuous. The retrievable setting tool could be inside a wellbore to set an expandable member, such as a plug assembly, a patch, a liner hanger, or a packer.

Collapsible and retrievable setting apparatus and method of use

A method can include polymerizing a blend of materials where the materials include polymeric material and a degradable alloy material; and forming a degradable component from the polymerized blend of materials. Such a method can include exposing the degradable component to water where the degradable alloy material reacts with the water to at least in part degrade the component.

Degradable elastomeric material

An untethered sensing object able to sense and record well fluid and wellbore parameters. The untethered sensing object is adapted to transmit recorded data towards a communication module of a toolstring, whereas the toolstring is conveyed from surface and reaches a proximity distance with the untethered sensing object inside the well fluid of a wellbore. The untethered sensing object includes at least one sensor, an acquisition module, a recording module and a transmitting module.

Data transmission of downhole recorded measurements by untethered object to a toolstring inside a well

A technique that is usable with a well includes deploying a segmented ring assembly in the well; and disposing the segmented ring assembly between a first element fixed in place in the well and a second unfixed element. The technique includes using the second element to compress the assembly to produce radially and tangentially acting forces on segments of the assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Gregoire Max Jacob