Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Sidney K Smith, Jr

John Lindley Baugh

Andy Tom

Martin Paul Coronado

George Givens

Rodney D Bennett

Van Nhat Ho

James Fraser

Fatih M Kara

Abbie Palmieri

David A Arce

Daniel C Ewing

Matthew J Krueger

Yusheng Yuan

James M Fraser, Iii

Leopoldo S Gomez

William J Cauley

Danny J Holder

Matthew J Kruger

Timothy Wootan

Paul Zutz

Jim Goodson

Jarandon J Adams

Jamie L Imhoff

Mario Moreno

Eric Halfman

James D Cox

William B Preece

Olav Revheim

Donald G Parmer, Jr

A liner string has a hanger/packer near its upper end for connection and sealing to a surrounding tubular. A polished bore assembly is located above the packer and is pushed down after the liner hanger is set to slide over a metal to metal seal on the packer body. A surface string is then tied into the polished bore with another metal to metal seal against the polished bore. The liner string has just metal to metal seals going up to the surface for well pressure containment. Elastomer seals to the polished bore are eliminated. Placement of the polished bore above the packer body allows for a larger diameter polished bore so as to minimize restriction to future production flow. The liner top packer seal is also metal to metal as offered by Baker Hughes Incorporated under the ZX trademark.

Metal to metal polished bore receptacle seal for liner hanger/seal assemblies

A liner hanger and packer are set at different times in a single trip without intervention. The running tool has a ball seat that accepts a ball for pressuring up which results in movement of a mandrel with a magnet mounted to it past a valve triggered by the magnetic field. Potential energy is released to set the liner hanger. Further mandrel movement then releases the running tool once the liner is supported by the hanger. After a cement job that starts with confirmation of release of the running tool, the same magnet is moved past another valve adjacent the liner top packer. Another valve is triggered open to release potential energy and move parts that set the packer. The running tool is removed from the liner and brought to the surface.

One trip interventionless liner hanger and packer setting apparatus and method

A telescoping joint is used to space out ends of a string and distribute the string weight between the tie-down locations. The joint can be compressed to reduce its length but has a locking mechanism that prevents extension under tensile loading. The seals in the joint provide a longer service life due to minimization of relative movement in the expansion joint components. The locking mechanism is preferably a ratchet system that uses a body lock ring that is enabled after breaking a shear pin.

Expansion joint with one way movement feature

A wiper plug launching tool and a method of wiping a tubular after cementing, the wiper plug launching tool including a wiper plug; a retainer in operable communication with the wiper plug; and an interlock system operatively arranged for releasing the retainer only upon release of the interlock system.

Launching tool with interlock system for downhole cement plug and method

Disclosed herein is a method of sealing a liner top packer to a tubular. The method includes, positioning the liner top packer within a tubular and moving a sleeve of the liner top packer in a first axial direction thereby radially deforming a first deformable metal member and a second deformable metal member. The method further includes sealably engaging the radially deformed first deformable metal member with a tubular and sealably engaging the radially deformed second deformable metal member with the first deformable metal member and a body of the liner top packer.

Liner top packer seal assembly and method

A launching tool with interlock system for a downhole cement plug includes a mandrel having one or more windows therein; an interlock system disposed at the mandrel, the interlock system having a release member; one or more dogs extending from the release member through the one or more windows; a collet disposed at the mandrel and restrained by a restrainer, the restrainer releasable only after release of the interlock system and method.

A tool allows in a single trip advancing the liner while more hole is made until the liner is properly positioned. Slips are actuated into the inside of the liner to grasp it as a swage is released to move to support the liner to the surrounding tubular. With the liner supported in the hole, the running tool can be picked up to test the release feature and then set down again for cementing. The tool is then picked up higher to release a flapper and re-pressurized to set a seal adjacent the support previously engaged by swage operation. The flapper has a rupture disc blown and the tool is removed. The tool has an emergency release.

One trip liner running, cementing and setting tool using expansion

A wiper plug release tool uses a first pump down plug that lands in the tool to pressurize an internal chamber to slide a sleeve that undermines a set of dogs to allow the lower wiper plug to be decoupled from support. The shifting of this sleeve cams a second set of dogs into an internal passage in the tool to act as a landing location for a second pump down plug. Landing the second pump down plug on the now extended dogs allows a net pressure to be applied to an upper piston which shifts a sleeve to release the support for the second wiper plug. The upper piston remains in pressure balance unless the second pump down plug can be landed on the dogs that only extended because the sleeve that released the lower wiper plug had shifted.

Launching tool for releasing cement plugs downhole

A tool for dropping one or more balls and then one or more darts features a closable ball drop opening that works automatically after the ball release to minimize damage to the subsequently released dart. A retainer keeps the darts from coming back up above the dart launcher in the event of a pressure surge in the well. The dart launcher features a dedicated movable barrel for each dart that can be locked in a fully misaligned and fully aligned position with the casing or tubular. A handle is retained to the dart housing and can be manipulated to defeat the lock and rotate a given barrel. The darts may be inspected in their respective barrels before launch and the launch order is variable.

Cementing head

Disclosed herein is a method of sealing a tieback to a tubular. The method includes, positioning a metal deformable member of the tieback within a tubular and contacting the tubular with a sleeve of the tieback. Moving the sleeve in a first axial direction thereby contacting and radially deforming a first portion of the deformable member by axially compressing the deformable member and sealably engaging the tubular with the radially deformed first portion.

Tieback seal system and method

Tools for expanding downhole tubulars into each other or in open hole are disclosed. One embodiment uses a movable cone biased by Bellville washers to move longitudinally against such bias and allow collets to move radially in or out to a predetermined maximum diameter. A release system allows collet retraction to avoid hang up on removal. In an alternate embodiment, more suitable for open hole applications, pressurized gas pushes a movable cone longitudinally against the collets. A stationary cone is on the opposite side of the collets from the movable cone. The collet rides out or in between the cones and raises the gas pressure when forced in. A pressure actuated release allows the lower cone to shift downwardly to allow the collets to retract for removal.

Tubular expansion apparatus and method

A swaging tool is configured to drive the swage up a ramp until a series of dogs engages the inside wall of an outer tubular member. At that point the swage will be at the necessary position on the ramp to adequately expand the inner tubular for a proper supporting relation to the outer tubular. If the inside diameter of the outer tubular is at the high end of the tolerance allowed by API specifications, the diameter of the swage is increased to compensate. Similarly, if the inside diameter of the outer tubular is at the low end of the tolerance range of API specifications, then the dogs make contact with the inside wall sooner and the resulting diameter of the swage is necessarily smaller.

Calibration assembly for an interactive swage

A wiper plug for downhole use is disclosed. It features an inflatable structure that allows it to ride inside tubulars that change or gradually vary in inside diameter. In a preferred embodiment the bladder is actuated by fluid displaced by a biased piston. The piston is capable of moving in opposite directions to allow original insertion into a launcher and subsequent bladder expansion. In another embodiment, the piston can be fluid driven in opposed directions by a pump and an on board control system which can regulate, on a real time basis, the contact pressure of the bladder to a predetermined level or range, as the bladder encounters varying interior wall diameters of the tubular string or associated equipment.

Fluid filled drill pipe plug

A composite landing collar is disclosed which is preferably adhesive bonded to the liner string using a high temperature epoxy. The spacing during bonding is maintained within dimensional limits using spacers. The body features a bi-directional material, with an appropriate ratio in the warp and fills directions, for about a quarter of the wall thickness. A unidirectional material with the fibers axially aligned aids in reduction of thermal stresses in the thick wall during curing, as well as reducing shear stress concentration along the adhesive bonding interface.

Growing community of inventors

Conroe, TX, United States of America

Sidney K Smith, Jr