Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Baker Hughes Corporation

Nicholas S Conner

Frank J Maenza

Gary L Anderson

James C Doane

Jason M Harper

Guijun Deng

Alexander Kendall

Christopher J Limb

Robert J Taylor

Adrian R Castro

A packer system includes a gauge ring, an expanding ring arranged adjacent to the gauge ring, a back-up ring, a packer element arranged adjacent to the back-up ring, and a support ring arranged between the back-up ring and the expanding ring. The support ring promotes radial outward expansion of the expanding ring.

Packer assembly including a support ring

An articulated debris barrier folds on itself to extend radially to span a surrounding annular gap when the tool associated with it is set. The debris barrier can be used with a packer or bridge plug. The set position of the packer or plug is locked and another lock holds the extended position of the debris barrier. The debris barrier lock can be a snap ring that extends into a groove brought into alignment with it during the setting. Alternatively the lock for the debris barrier can be a body lock ring. In either case, release and retrieval of the packer or plug involves undermining of the locking feature for the debris barrier so that the debris barrier can extend while retracting from the borehole wall so that the barrier and the associated packer or plug can be removed together.

Releasably locked debris barrier for a subterranean tool

A packing element containment system includes a support member extending from a first end to a second end. One of the first and second ends includes a support ring engagement section. A support ring is carried by the support ring engagement section of the support member. The support ring is configured and disposed to shift relative to the support member converting an axial movement of one of the support ring and the support member to a radial expansion of the support ring to provide one of a support to an anti-extrusion ring and containment for a packing element.

Expandable support ring for packing element containment system

A mandrel and a packer outer assembly are formed to create spring compartments on opposed sides of a sealing element. The outer assembly is shear pinned to the mandrel to minimize spring travel during setting. Once set in the normal way the presence of the springs transfers load and sustained loads through the connected tubular string in either direction. A load coming from downhole and acting in an uphole direction first compresses the spring located uphole from the sealing assembly so that the loading goes behind the sealing assembly and into the upper spring and ultimately to the upper slips. The reverse happens when the force is coming from uphole of the sealing assembly and acting in a downhole direction. The springs can be a coil, a stack of Belleville washers, fluid pushed through an orifice, a resilient material or a contained compressible fluid, to name some examples.

Subterranean packer sealing system load diverter

A pressure actuated module associated with a subterranean tool is set with pressure in the well annulus supplemented by added pressure. The addition of pressure to the hydrostatic opens access to a setting piston that is referenced to a low pressure chamber. The piston strokes to a travel stop reducing the volume of the atmospheric chamber while setting the tool. After the tool is set the annulus is communicated to the low pressure reference chamber for the actuating piston to remove a residual net force on the setting piston after the set. One way to do this is to sequentially break multiple rupture discs at different pressures. Another is to have a degradable member in the atmospheric chamber. A piston is fixed in place during setting, and shifts with the application of additional pressure allowing pressure to pass through a port between the annulus and the atmospheric chamber.

Residual pressure differential removal mechanism for a setting device for a subterranean tool

A gage ring assembly to provide support to an anti-extrusion containment ring in a packer device including a compression ring and a plurality of interlocking arcuate segments which form a substantially unbroken support wall when in a set condition. A first set of segments each have a wedge-shaped body that is wider at a proximal axial end than it is at its distal axial end. A second set of segments preferably each have a wedge-shaped body wider at its distal axial end than it is at its proximal axial end.

Expandable gage ring

A packer device includes a central packer mandrel and a radially surrounding expansion mandrel. At least one slip mandrel carrying wickers surrounds the expansion mandrel and is secured in place upon the expansion mandrel by an annular retaining ring. The slip mandrel is secured to the retaining ring by screw connectors that pass through the slip mandrel and into retainer segments. The retaining ring is clamped between the slip mandrel and segments. Additionally, the packer device carries a fluid seal that is made up of a thermoplastic material with elastomeric energizing elements.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Nicholas S Conner