Hughes Tool Company LLC

Sidney K Smith, Jr

John Lindley Baugh

A slip gripping mechanism is shown for supporting a string of cylindrical conduit within the interior bore of a circumscribing well conduit. A cone retaining ring engages a plurality of floating cone segments which define spaced longitudinal slots on the outside of the cylindrical conduit. Vertically shiftable slips are carried in the slots by side edges which engage mating profiles formed in the slots. The slots form guideways for the slips for shifting the slips upwardly and outwardly between a set position engaging the circumscribing conduit and an unset position. Each slip has an arcuate lower surface and a selected width to thickness ratio to allow controlled flexing of the slip in the direction of the circumscribing conduit as the slip moves to the set position.

Slip gripping mechanism with floating cone segments

A combination landing unit and seal assembly is shown for engaging and sealing within the internal bore of the liner within a well. A special latch mechanism carried on the seal assembly includes an externally threaded latch collet which can be stabbed into the setting sleeve threads which are normally provided in the interior of the liner for use with the running tool which installs the liner in the well bore. An integral seal assembly is carried in the assembly in an upward extension of the landing unit and floats within a tubular extension of the landing unit. A plug can be installed in the landing unit to allow the seal assembly to be retrieved to the well surface without killing the well.

Combination landing unit and seal assembly

An adjustable collet is shown which includes a collet body having an internal bore and integral collet arms. An adjustment ring is received within the bore of the collet body and has a depending portion which engages the collet arms. By adjusting the position of the ring within the collet body bore and varying the longitudinal position of the depending portion relative to the collet arms, the effective collet arm length can be varied.

Adjustable collet

A latch and retrieving assembly is shown for use with a well tool having an axial bore which includes an external landing shoulder and an annular latch recess which is spaced below the landing shoulder. The assembly includes a mandrel which is inserted in to the bore of the well tool. The mandrel has a lower abutment and a collet member carried about the mandrel above the abutment. The collet member includes a carrier ring which is seatable on the shoulder and a plurality of fingers which depend from the carrier ring and which terminate in radially enlarged tips which are disposed in registration with the recess when the carrier ring is seated on the landing shoulder. The tips cooperate with the lower abutment to latch into and to be released from the recess respectively in response to downward movement of the mandrel. A special profile formed on the mandrel lower abutment provides latching engagement and subsequent release of the assembly upon downward movement of the mandrel relative to the collet.

Latch and retrieving assembly

A locking production seal assembly is shown for sealing a well tubing string within the bore of a surrounding well conduit which has been provided with an internal recess. The seal assembly includes a sliding mandrel which is made up in the well tubing string and an outer sleeve which is carried about the mandrel. The outer sleeve has an external seal for sealing with the interior of the surrounding conduit and an internal seal for sealing with the sliding mandrel. A setting sleeve carried between the mandrel and outer sleeve carries a set of setting dogs for engaging the surrounding conduit and a set of locking dogs for locking the setting sleeve to the surrounding sleeve once the assembly is set. The load carrying setting dogs are separated from the mandrel exterior by the setting sleeve to prevent damage to the mandrel exterior.

Locking production seal assembly

A retrievable production seal assembly is shown for engaging and sealing within the internal bore of the liner within a well. A special latch mechanism carried on the seal assembly includes an externally threaded latch collet which can be stabbed into the setting sleeve threads which are normally provided in the interior of the liner for use with the running tool which installs the liner in the well bore. The seal assembly can be released by right hand rotation of the tubing string leading to the well surface, or be setting down weight on the tubing string, followed by a straight pull on the tubing string.

Growing community of inventors

Huntsville, TX, United States of America

Sidney K Smith, Jr