Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

Klx Energy Services LLC

Baker Hughes Corporation

Scott Earl Williamson

Rocky A Turley

John W McKeachnie

W John McKeachnie

Michael Richard Dedman

Michael McKeachnie

Michael R Dedman

Robert Joe Coon

Jeffrey John Lembcke

Patrick James Zimmerman

Robert Christopher Stratton

Cornelis C Valkenburg

Raymond Shaffer

Luke V Richey

Michael Shane Larisey

Kris M Sliger

Randolph C Moeller

A float collar tool for running a casing string assembly into a wellbore includes a non-fragmenting rupture disc that temporarily isolates light fluid trapped in a lower portion of the casing string from heavier fluid in the upper portion of the casing string, thereby reducing the horizontal weight of the casing string by an amount sufficient to overcome a drag force. After the casing string is landed at a final location in the wellbore, the rupture disc is burst by increasing fluid pressure in the upper portion of the casing string. The increased pressure activates a piston that then moves the burst rupture disc into a protective region of the tool so that the inside diameter of the casing string is substantially restored.

Apparatus and method for running casing in a wellbore

An apparatus for at least partially sealing an annulus of a wellbore comprises a hollow mandrel pipe adapted to attach to a tubing string, and a cylindrical cage surrounding and attached to an exterior length of the mandrel pipe, the cylindrical cage having a plurality of generally lengthwise tortuous path apertures generally parallel with one another between the two open ends of the mandrel pipe, the plurality of generally lengthwise tortuous path apertures defining a plurality of bow springs therebetween, the plurality of bow springs bowed outward from the mandrel pipe.

Wellbore flow diversion tool utilizing tortuous paths in bow spring centralizer structure

Re-treatment of a formation having a wellbore, which can be an open hole or a cased hole lined with casing, involves deploying a tubing string in the casing having tools disposed at intervals thereon. The tools position on the tubing string, and the tubing string with the tools thereon is inserted into the casing. Biasing rings of the tools passively engage with the casing. The annulus is accessed between the tubing string and the casing at the intervals between the tools. For example, sliding sleeves on the tubing string can be opened (selectively), or new plug and perforation operations can be used to create perforations in the tubing string at desired intervals between the tools. With access achieved, retreatment is pumped down the tubing string, out the access to the annulus, and at least partially sealed by the engaged rings in the intervals between the tools.

Re-fracture apparatus and method for wellbore

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

A liner flotation system comprises a liner, a first valve, and a second valve configured to form a gas filled chamber within the liner. The first valve is operable to allow fluid flow into the chamber, and the second valve operable to allow fluid flow out of the chamber. A sleeve is disposed in the chamber, and the first valve is movable into engagement with the sleeve to provide an indication of a position of the first valve. A method of securing a liner in a well comprises lowering a liner having a gas filled chamber in the well, actuating a valve to open fluid flow into the chamber, removing the gas from the chamber, and moving the valve into engagement with a sleeve coupled to the liner to provide an indication of a position of the valve.

Liner flotation system

A bridge plug can be deployed downhole and retrieved using a retrieval tool disposed on jointed or coiled tubing or on another bridge plug. Internally, the bridge plug has a sleeve that is movable on a stem of the plug's tailpiece. When in a first position, the sleeve prevents fluid communication through ports in the stem so that circulated fluid from the retrieval tool can be used to clear debris from the plug during retrieval. When the retrieval tool engages the sleeve in the plug, pulling up on the tool moves the sleeve to an intermediate position in which fluid pressure is equalized across the plug. Further pulling up on the tool locks the sleeve in a further position on the stem so that circulated fluid from the retrieval tool will pass directly to the stem's ports. Movement of the sleeve by the retrieval tool also releases the engaged slips and packing element on the bridge plug's mandrel.

Retrievable bridge plug

A sliding sleeve for frac operations or the like has a housing, a sleeve, and a shock absorber. The sleeve is movable within the housing's internal passage relative to flow ports. The shock absorber, which can have a cylindrical body, positions partially in the sleeve's internal passage and has a distal end that extends beyond the sleeve. A lip on the sleeve's end is engageable with the internal shoulder. When a ball is dropped on the sleeve's ball seat and pumped fluid forces the sleeve to an open position, the shock absorber absorbs the movement of the sleeve. To absorber the movement, the shock absorber breaks one or more shear pin connections with the sleeve, interposes its lip between the sleeve's distal end and the internal shoulder, and fractures at least a portion of its distal end from the impact with the sleeve.

Shock absorber for sliding sleeve in well

A method and apparatus for sealing a wellbore is described herein. A convertible seal includes a sealing element and a valve. The sealing element is in fluid communication with the valve and fluidly blocks a bore of the convertible seal. The sealing element prevents fluid from flowing through the bore until desired. When desired, the sealing element is removed to allow fluid to flow through the bore. Fluid flow in the bore is controlled by the valve. As a result, the convertible seal has been converted to a flow control seal.

Convertible seal

The present invention generally provides a pressure isolation plug for managing a wellbore with multiple zones. The pressure isolation plug generally includes a body with a bore extending therethrough, a first disintegratable ball sized and positioned to restrict upward fluid flow through the bore, wherein the disintegratable ball disintegrates when exposed to wellbore conditions for a first amount of time. The plug also includes a second ball sized and positioned to restrict downward fluid flow through the bore.

Wellbore tool with disintegratable components

Wellbore tool with disintegratable components and method of controlling flow

A well production apparatus includes a tubular production conduit which extends from the top of the well to a production zone interior of casing. An electric submersible pump has a production fluid flow passageway which communicates between the exterior of the conduit and the interior of the casing. A packer is in communication with the production conduit below the pump and is movable into sealing engagement with the casing to isolate the production zone. A thermal absorber is carried on the production conduit between upper and lower production conduit members whereby subsequent to positioning of the packer assembly into set position, thermal expansion or contraction of the conduit above the set packer is absorbed by the thermal absorber without transmission of thermal expansion or contraction of the conduit to the pump.

Growing community of inventors

Castle Rock, CO, United States of America

Scott Earl Williamson