Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited

M-i Drilling Fluids UK Limited

M-l Drilling Fluids UK Limited

Specialized Petroleum Services Group Limited

James Edward Atkins

George Telfer

James Linklater

Edward Docherty Scott

Seweryn Wrozyna

Jonathan Peter Buckland

John Chrysostom Wolf

James Andrew Blair Henderson

Rae Andrew Youngor

A ball catcher tool for catching and retaining drop balls in a tool string includes a body having a central bore extending therethrough and a first channel that extends within the central bore. The first channel has an opening that is configured to receive at least one ball for retention in the first channel. The tool further includes a retractable ball retainer with a retainer element configured to move between an extended position and a retracted position by movement of a ball past the retainer element. The retainer element includes a front surface and a rear surface that are configured in the extended position to extend into the first channel with the front surface extending at an acute angle relative to an inside surface that forms the first channel and away from the opening of the first channel. The acute angle of the front surface can limit erosion of the retractable ball retainer due to high velocity fluid flow through the tool.

Downhole tool for selectively catching balls in a wellbore

A ball dropping tool includes an outer and inner body, side bore, ball and an actuator. The outer body has an axial bore extending between a first and second end of the outer body and forming a flow path. The inner body forms a bypass passage extending between a first and second end of the inner body. The side bore is defined by the inner body and is disposed at an angle relative to the axial bore of the outer body. The bypass passage is disposed in a portion of the flow path and is in communication with the side bore. The ball is disposed within the side bore. The actuator, disposed within the outer body, is movable between a retaining position wherein the ball is retained within the side bore and a release position wherein the ball is released from the side bore and into the bypass passage.

Drill strings and related ball dropping tools

A tool includes an internal assembly configured to be positioned at least partially within a body. The tool also includes a collet configured to be positioned at least partially within the body and axially-adjacent to the internal assembly. The collet includes a plurality of fingers that are circumferentially-offset from one another. At least one of the fingers includes a protrusion that extends radially-outward and is configured to be positioned at least partially within a recess formed in an inner surface of the body to secure the collet in place with respect to the body. The tool also includes a collet pin configured to be positioned at least partially within the body, axially-adjacent to the internal assembly, and at least partially within the collet. The collet pin is configured to contact the internal assembly to secure the internal assembly in place within the body.

Securing an internal assembly within a tool

An internal assembly () for a tool () includes a retainer () that at least partially defines an axial bore (). The retainer () further defines a port () providing a path of fluid communication from an exterior of the retainer to the bore (). The internal assembly () also includes an electromagnet () coupled to the retainer (). The electromagnet () is configured to actuate between an on state and an off state and to attract magnetic debris in a fluid when in the on state. The internal assembly () also includes a sleeve () that is configured to be positioned downstream from the retainer (). The sleeve () at least partially defines the bore (). The sleeve () further defines a port () that provides a path of fluid communication from the bore () to an exterior of the sleeve (). The internal assembly () also includes a valve () configured to be positioned downstream from the port () in the sleeve ().

System and method for removing debris from a drilling fluid

Systems and methods for retaining magnetic debris from drilling fluid include an exterior sleeve with an interior space receiving an interior holder. A first end of the exterior sleeve is connectible to drill string to place the interior space in fluid communication with the drill string, and a longitudinal passage between the interior holder and exterior sleeve defines a flow path for drilling fluid from the drill string. Magnetic materials along and/or around the interior holder provide a magnetic field extending into or across the longitudinal passage such that magnetic debris is removable by the magnetic field from the flow path of drilling fluid passing through the longitudinal passage.

Systems and methods for removing and collecting magnetic debris from drilling fluid

A valve assembly () for use particularly in a deviated wellbore of an oil, gas or water well comprises a body () with an axis and first and second resiliently deformable seats () to seat a valve closure member () such as a ball, the seats being deformable to allow passage of the ball at different first and second fluid pressures acting on the seated valve closure member. The first and second seats are axially spaced from one another on a control sleeve () on opposite sides of an inner end of a selectively operable fluid outlet conduit connecting the bore with an external surface of the valve assembly, and operation of the valve assembly at pressures between the first and second pressures opens and closes the outlet while maintaining the ball between the first and second seats.

Valve assembly and method of controlling fluid flow in an oil, gas or water well

Apparatus, and methods of use, where the apparatus includes a cylindrical tool main body defining an axial centerline, the main body having a first bladed magnet section having at least one blade extending substantially perpendicular from the axial centerline at a first angle, a second bladed magnet section having at least one blade extending substantially perpendicular from the axial centerline at a second angle, and a hardfaced cylindrical section disposed between the first bladed magnet section and the second bladed magnet section, wherein the outer circumference of the hardfaced cylindrical section defines the outer circumference of the tool main body.

Open hole drilling magnet

A valve assembly for use in a wellbore of an oil, gas or water well, having a valve seat to seat a valve closure member such as a ball, and a control member that is adapted to cycle the valve assembly between first and second configurations of the valve assembly when the ball is seated on the seat. The valve assembly may be adapted to return the valve assembly to the first configuration when the valve closure member is seated on the seat, and may repeatedly, continuously and/or sequentially cycle from first to second configurations and back to first configuration to open and close an outlet port while the same valve member is seated on the seat. The valve seat may comprise first and second seat members and retain the ball in a cleft between the first and second seat members.

Downhole valve apparatus

An apparatus, comprising a body extending in an axial direction, a sleeve for the body, and locking means for locking the body and the sleeve. The body and the sleeve comprise complementary mating protrusions and recesses configured to positively interlock the body and the sleeve in the axial direction and configured to positively interlock the body and the sleeve rotationally by the locking means positively engaging the recesses in both the body and the sleeve. A method for fixing axially and rotationally a sleeve to a body, wherein the body extends in an axial direction, comprising the steps of: sliding in the axial direction the sleeve onto the body, positively interlocking the body and the sleeve in the axial direction by rotating the sleeve relative to the body, and positively interlocking the body and the sleeve rotationally by sliding in the axial direction locking means into the body and the sleeve, the locking means comprising extensions positively engaging recesses in both the body and the sleeve. Use of the apparatus or method as above for attaching external tool elements or tool components for operations done in connection with open holes, risers, marine risers, wellbores, casings, or liners.

Tool assembly apparatus and method

A clamp holds two members together. The first member includes a recess into which a fastener is located. A bore is provided to the recess to allow a tool to be used to operate the fastener. The second member is arranged to accept the fastener and so join the members. The recess and bore are sized to prevent release of the fastener through the bore. In this way, the fastener cannot easily be removed or lost when the clamp is in use and is tamperproof. The clamp is used to hold portions of a sleeve around a body of the tool, and to hold scraper blades and/or brushes to the body.

Clamp

A cleaning tool () for use in cleaning ferrous material from a wellbore has a magnetic cleaning element () mounted to a tool body () within a slot () using a releasable concealed interference fit fastener assembly () comprising a fastener member having a head (), and a shank () with a configured end () and a deformable fastener ring () adapted to fit closely over the shank, and a press-fit collar () adapted to deform the deformable fastener ring upon the configured end of the shank when assembled, and wherein the respective head and collar are each flanged to permit an interference fit with a corresponding contact surface of the tool body around said slot.

Downhole tool

Work string-mounted cleaning tool and a method of assembling such tools using a quick release for the cleaning element. Oblong pad element has a curved upper surface with slots to receive work surface segments. Opposite edge has a part-circular recess with part-circular peripheral lip around an upper edge of the recess. A retainer fastening component in the recess has a core with socket adapted to receive a driving tool. The retainer is sized to permit it to rotate when mounted within the recess. Roll pins are provided for use in locating the fastener component in predetermined rotational configurations in relation to the recess. Shear pin is provided to inhibit unintended rotation of the fastener component, and to lock the retainer for normal use of the cleaning tool. Shearing of the shear pin permits disassembly of the tool.

Work string mounted cleaning tool and assembly method

A downhole debris recovery tool including a ported sub coupled to a debris sub, a suction tube disposed in the debris sub, and an annular jet pump sub disposed in the ported sub and fluidly connected to the suction tube is disclosed. A method of removing debris from a wellbore including the steps of lowering a downhole debris removal tool into the wellbore, the downhole debris removal tool having an annular jet pump sub, a mixing tube, a diffuser, and a suction tube, flowing a fluid through a bore of the annular jet pump sub, jetting the fluid from the annular jet pump sub into the mixing tube, displacing an initially static fluid in the mixing tube through the diffuser, thereby creating a vacuum effect in the suction tube to draw a debris-laden fluid into the downhole debris removal tool, and removing the tool downhole debris removal tool from the wellbore after a predetermined time interval is also disclosed. Further, an isolation valve including a housing, an inner tube disposed coaxially with the housing, and a gate, wherein the gate is configured to selectively close an annular space between the housing and the inner tube is disclosed.

Downhole debris removal tool

A clamp () for holding two members together. The first member includes a recess into which a fastener is located. A bore is provided to the recess to allow a tool to be used to operate the fastener. The second member is arranged to accept the fastener and so join the members. The recess and bore are sized to prevent release of the fastener through the bore. In this way, the fastener cannot easily be removed or lost when the clamp is in use and is tamperproof. Embodiments of a downhole tool are described where the clamp is used to hold portions of a sleeve around a body of the tool, and to hold scraper blades and/or brushes to the body.

A downhole tool which can perform a task in a well bore, such as circulating fluid radially from the tool. The function is selectively performed by virtue of a sleeve moving within a central bore of the tool. Movement of the sleeve is effected by dropping a ball through a ball seat on the sleeve. Movement of the sleeve is controlled by an index sleeve such that the tool can be cycled back to the first operating position by dropping identical balls through the sleeve. Embodiments are described wherein the balls are deformable, the seat is deformable and the seat provides a helical channel through which the ball passes.

Growing community of inventors

Aberdeen, United Kingdom

James Edward Atkins