Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Joseph D Mills

David Michael Haugen

Frederick Thomas Tilton

Steve R Delgado

Guy LaMont McClung, Iii

Thurman B Carter

William A Blizzard, Jr

John Douglas Roberts

Charles W Pleasants

Mark W Schnitker

Paul J Johantges

Randy P Hutchings

Wellbore operations (e.g. for milling and/or drilling) are disclosed which require a reduced number of tool trips into a wellbore to create a cut-out pocket, opening, or window in a tubular such as casing in the wellbore; and, in some aspects, to continue into a formation adjacent a main wellbore forming a lateral wellbore in communication with the main wellbore. Preferably one trip is required to complete a window or a window and the lateral wellbore. In one aspect a full gauge tool body is used so that the completed lateral wellbore is of a substantially uniform diameter along its entire length, which, in one aspect is suitable for the passage therethrough of full gauge tools, pipe, devices, and apparatuses. In one aspect a cutting system has cutting apparatus initially covered with a wearable away material which is worn away by contacting a tubular to be milled, exposing the cutting apparatus for milling and/or for drilling formation adjacent the wellbore. In certain aspects the lateral wellbore is: about one foot long; two feet long or less; five feet long or less; between five feet and fifty feet long; one hundred feet long or less; between about one hundred and about two hundred feet long; or two hundred or more feet long. In one aspect mill-drill tools are disclosed that both mill tubulars and drill formation.

Wellbore milling and drilling

A tool for wellbore sidetracking operations has been invented, the tool, in one aspect, having a body, a milling section on the body for milling an opening in a tubular in a first wellbore in a formation, the milling section having milling material thereon, and a drilling section on the body for drilling a second wellbore beyond the window into the formation. A method has been invented for forming an opening in a tubular in a first wellbore in a formation and for drilling a second wellbore from the opening in a single trip procedure, the method positioning a mill drill tool in the tubular at a location at which an opening is desired in the tubular and from which a second wellbore is desired to be drilled, the mill drill tool having drilling apparatus for drilling the second wellbore and milling apparatus for milling an opening through the tubular, milling the opening in the tubular with the milling apparatus thereby exposing the formation for drilling, and drilling with the drilling apparatus a second wellbore beyond the opening in the tubular into the formation.

Wellbore milling-- drilling

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Joseph D Mills