Halliburton Company

Otis Engineering Corporation

Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Other

Shell Western E&p Inc.

Pat M White

John C Gano

James R Longbottom

John R Setterberg, Jr

Michael L Connell

James C Tucker

Colby M Ross

Don C Cox

Henry Louis Restarick

Robert W Crow

William R Welch

Charles W Pleasants

James D Hendrickson

Karluf Hagen

Robert D Harrison, Jr

Ronald J Fischer

Paul L Browne

Michael Dennis Bullock

David Durward Szarka

Tommie Austin Freeman

Mark A Schnatzmeyer

Eugene E Baker

Harold Wayne Nivens

Frank Giusti, Jr

Odie R Davis

Nolan M Workman

Lewis D Proctor

David H Mills

Paul David Holbrook

Richard Charles Jacquier

James D Ogden

A deflection apparatus is provided. In one described embodiment, the apparatus includes a torque resistant retrievable whipstock sealingly attached to a packer. The whipstock may be separated from the packer by applying an axial force to a first housing and thereby releasing a sleeve sealingly disposed between the first housing and a second housing for displacement relative to the second housing. The first housing and sleeve may then be removed from within the second housing, leaving a relatively large diameter seal bore attached above the packer.

Torque resistant retrievable whipstock

In a parent wellbore casing, full bore access to the portion of the casing beneath a lateral bore liner portion therein is provided using a specially designed tubular retrievable anchor assembly hydraulically set within the casing above the liner portion and having a depending mill guide portion. A milling pipe with a first rotary mill is extended through the anchor assembly, with the mill being laterally deflected by the guide to mill a partial opening through the bottom side wall of the liner portion. The milling pipe is then withdrawn from the casing, the first mill replaced with a second rotary mill, and a specially designed tubular retrieval collet coaxially secured to the milling pipe. The milling pipe is then extended downwardly through the anchor assembly, the second mill used to enlarge the initial liner opening, and the collet snapped into the anchor assembly. The anchor assembly is then retrieved by pulling up on the milling pipe to release the anchor assembly which is removed from the casing. A full bore mill, having an elongated nose portion guidingly receivable in the partial liner hole, is then lowered into the casing and used to bore out the liner portion within the casing to provide full bore access to the parent casing portion beneath the previous location of the lateral bore liner portion therein.

Retrievable milling guide anchor apparatus and associated methods

The apparatus and method for injecting coiled tubing downhole includes a connector member disposed on the end of the coiled tubing and supporting a downhole tool. A packer member is releasably connected to the connector member. The packer member includes a pack-off element and slips for releasably engaging the outer pipe string through which the coiled tubing is being injected. Seals are provided on the packer member for engaging the outer circumferential surface of the coiled tubing. A fluid passageway extends through the connector member for communicating the packer member with the coiled tubing. Fluid pressure is applied through the flow bore of the coiled tubing. The fluid pressure is applied through the fluid passageway to actuate an actuator member in the packer member to set the pack-off element and slips. Thus, upon actuating the packer member, the annulus formed by the coiled tubing and outer pipe string is closed. Fluid is then applied from the surface into the annulus to support and stiffen the coiled tubing as the injector applies additional force to further inject the coiled tubing downhole. Upon the setting of the packer member, the packer member is also released from the connector member so that the connector member and downhole tool disposed on the end of the coiled tubing may be further injected downhole. The connector member includes a dual check valve in the fluid passageway which allows fluid passage to actuate the packer member and closes the fluid passage after the connector member is disconnected from the packer member. The connector member may also include a valve member which allows circulation down the flow bore of the coiled tubing. The packer member includes a valve for the passage of well fluids between the packer member and coiled tubing.

Coiled tubing apparatus

A retrievable mill guide and anchor assembly is provided for use in forming a side wall window in a vertical subterranean well casing for subsequent connection to the casing of a lateral bore liner member extending through the casing window. The mill guide extends upwardly from the top end or the anchor. With the assembly in its run-in orientation, a milling pipe with a first mill bit on its lower end is releasably locked within the upper mill guide end, and pressurized fluid within the milling pipe is used to hydraulically set the anchor in the casing. After the anchor is set, the first mill bit is rotated, lowered and deflected by the mill guide to engage and form an initial opening in the casing side wall. The milling pipe is then removed from the casing, the first mill bit is replaced with a second mill bit, and a specially designed retrieval collet is installed on the milling pipe. The milling pipe is then lowered into the casing, and the second mill bit is used in conjunction with the mill guide to enlarge the casing side wall opening to the final desired window size. The retrieval collet is then latched into the upper mill guide end and pulled up to sequentially release the anchor and pull the mill guide and anchor assembly out of the casing with the milling pipe.

Mill guide and anchor assembly for subterranean well casings

Improved methods and systems for creating a multilateral well and improved multilateral well structures. In one aspect of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: (1) setting a diverter at a prescribed position and a prescribed orientation in a main well flow conductor located within a main wellbore, (2) boring through a sidewall of the main well flow conductor and into a material surrounding the main well flow conductor, the boring creating a window having a particular shape in the sidewall, the orientation of the diverter determining a lateral position of the window in the main well flow conductor, a lateral wellbore thereby being formed in the material and extending from the main wellbore, (3) lining the lateral wellbore with a liner, the liner having an interface end, the interface end adapted to contact a periphery of the window in the sidewall and (4) cementing the liner in place within the lateral wellbore, the step of cementing creating a pressure-bearing seal between the periphery of the window and the interface end of the liner. The method allows multiple lateral wellbores to be joined to the main wellbore and provides for connectivity among main and lateral wellbores, pressure-bearing sealing of joints to allow selective isolation of one or more wellbores or portions thereof and subsequent wellbore access for rework or other purposes.

Methods and systems for subterranean multilateral well drilling and

The apparatus and method for injecting coiled tubing downhole includes a connector member disposed on the end of the coiled tubing and supporting a downhole tool. The connector member includes a dual check valve in the fluid passageway which allows fluid passage to actuate the packer member and closes the fluid passage after the connector member is disconnected from the packer member. The connector member may also include a valve member which allows circulation down the flow bore of the coiled tubing. The packer member includes a valve for the passage of well fluids between the packer member and coiled tubing.

A concentric wet connector system useful for connecting, disconnecting and reconnecting small diameter fluid lines (40, 42, 44) and electrical lines (46) downhole in oil and gas wells, the system comprising first and second slidably engageable well tubulars (32, 38) coaxially disposed around a longitudinal bore, each well tubular having a circumferentially extending wall section containing at least one auxiliary conduit leading to a connector port 64 paired and communicating with a connector port 66 of the other tubular. The connector ports in each well tubular are preferably spaced apart both circumferentially and longitudinally. The connector ports of each respective pair are preferably disposed at substantially the same well depth whenever the two well tubulars are fully engaged, and communication between the connector ports of each pair is preferably established by means of an annular flow channel 74 (for fluid lines) or an annular recess with an electrically conductive band 104 (for electrical control wires) to avoid the need for specific rotational alignment between the well tubulars. Use of the system for connecting fluid lines and/or electrical control wires to well tools and monitoring equipment suspended below a production packer and annular safety valve in a well bore is also disclosed. The tubulars are also locatable by shear collar (150) in a position short of full engagement (FIG. 8) in which ports (64, 140) on the inner tubular (32) are both open to annular channel (74) to permit flushing of these ports.

Concentric wet connector system

A packer set safety valve assembly for controlling annular and tubing flows within a subterranean wellbore is disclosed. The packer set safety valve assembly controls the annular and tubing flows through dual flow paths. The assembly includes a means, that is remotely actuatable, to secure the assembly within the wellbore, a means, also remotely actuatable, the allows selective control of fluid flow in the dual flow paths, and a means, remotely actuatable as well, to unsecure the assembly from within the wellbore. The packer set safety valve assembly is a 'fail closed' design which prevents flows through the dual flow paths when the fluid flow control means is not actuated to allow flow.

Packer set safety valve for controlling dual fluid flows

A torque-resistant hydraulically settable packer is coaxially positionable within a subterranean well flow conductor and has a tubular body that carries a circumferentially spaced series of radially outwardly movable slip anchors having, on outer side surfaces thereof, gripping teeth with lengths that are sloped relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular and to a plane perpendicular. Inner side surfaces of the slip anchors are engaged by circumferentially spaced flat outer side surface areas formed on the facing frustroconical ends of an opposed pair of annular setting wedge members coaxially carried by the tubular body and being axially drivable to radially outwardly shift the slip anchors to their setting positions. As the slip anchors are being set, an annular resilient seal structure is simultaneously compressed in an axial direction against a setting force limiting member telescopingly received in one of the setting wedge members, and radially deformed outwardly into sealing engagement with the interior side surface of the well flow conductor. After the slip anchors are set, the seal structure is further compressed in an axial direction by hydraulically shifting the tubular body relative to the slip anchors. If this subsequent axial compression force exerted on the seal structure is above a predetermined maximum level the setting force member is wedgingly driven into its associated setting wedge member to limit the total axial compression force imposed on the seal structure.

Torque-resistant, seal setting force-limited, hydraulically settable

A liner hanger and a method of hanging a liner. The liner hanger comprises: (1) a slip having a gripping surface thereon and adapted to slide axially with respect to the liner between a retracted position and a deployed position, (2) a slip housing located radially outwardly of the slip and covering the slip when the slip is in the retracted position, (3) a slip carrier slidably mounted to the liner and adapted to move axially with respect to the liner and (4) a slip arm extending from the slip carrier and coupling the slip carrier and a slip having a gripping surface thereon and adapted to slide axially with respect to the liner between a retracted position and a deployed position, the slip carrier capable of transmitting a deploying force to the slip via the slip arm to move the slip from the retracted position to the deployed position, the slip arm partially collapsing when the deploying force exceeds a predetermined limit, a nose extension of the slip carrier moving toward and directly engaging the slip as the slip arm partially collapses allowing further transmission of the deploying force exceeding the predetermined limit from the slip carrier to the slip via the nose extension to centralize the liner hanger(s). In a related embodiment of the present invention, spaced-apart first and second liner hangers may cooperate to allow the liner to be employed as a drill guide.

Centralizing liner hanger method and system for subterranean

An annular safety system for an oil well. The annular safety system is in the form of a hanger mechanism. The hanger mechanism is particularly effective in an oil well equipped for gas lift operation where gas is injected into an annular space between the well casing and the production tubing in order to aerate produced oil migrating up the wellbore through the production tubing. The hanger mechanism includes a casing nipple which is run into the well with the casing and a stationary threaded tubing holder which is run into the well with tubing. The hanger mechanism includes a device which, upon running the stationary threaded tubing holder into the well through the casing nipple, secures the stationary threaded tubing holder in a particular position relative to the casing nipple and prevents upward and downward movement of the stationary threaded tubing holder relative to the casing nipple. The hanger mechanism also includes a device allowing the hanger mechanism to selectively, independently seal each of the annular space between the well casing and the production tubing to prevent flow of injected gas and produced oil from the wellbore. Further, the hanger mechanism includes a release mechanism which may be selectively activated to allow the stationary threaded tubing holder and other downhole equipment to be upwardly retrieved from the well.

Annular safety system for oil well

Growing community of inventors

Carrollton, TX, United States of America

Pat M White