Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

Michael Shane Larisey

Patrick James Zimmerman

Cesar G Garcia

Scott Earl Williamson

David Ward

Scott Crowley

Luke Richey

Scott Williamson

Michael W Cast

Raymond Shaffer

Luke V Richey

Iain M Greenan

James F Wilkin

A sliding sleeve opens with a deployed ball. The sleeve has a seat disposed in the housing, and the seat has segments biased outward from one another with a C-ring or other biasing element. Initially, the seat has an expanded state in the sliding sleeve so that the seats segments expand outward against the housing's bore. When an appropriately sized ball is deployed downhole, the ball engages the expanded seat. Fluid pressure applied against the seated ball moves the seat into the inner sleeve's bore. As this occurs, the seat contracts, which increases the engagement area of the seat with the ball. Eventually, the seat reaches the shoulder in the inner sleeve so that pressure applied against the seated ball now moves the inner sleeve in the housing to open the sliding sleeve's flow port.

Sliding sleeve having contracting, segmented ball seat

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Michael Shane Larisey