Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Other

Camco International, Inc.

Weatherford U.s., Inc.

Steve R Delgado

David Michael Haugen

Mark W Schnitker

Shane P Hart

Guy LaMont McClung, Iii

Frederick Thomas Tilton

Joseph D Mills

Thurman B Carter

Mark Christopher Glaser

William A Blizzard, Jr

John Douglas Roberts

Charles W Pleasants

Doug Durst

Ken W Winterrowd

Paul J Johantges

Mark Ryan

Robert J Kotch

Frank Hall

Randy P Hutchings

Ken Dale Rodgers

Mike Johnson

An apparatus for drilling one or more holes at an angle to a wellbore. The apparatus includes a tubular housing defining one or more openings. Each opening is configured to provide an exit through which a drilling assembly drills to form a hole at an angle to the wellbore. The apparatus further includes one or more deflectors. Each deflector defines a surface for guiding the drilling assembly through an opening, and each deflector is positioned inside the tubular housing such that the surface is facing the opening. The apparatus further includes an anchor having a bottom portion attached to a top portion of the tubular housing and having a top portion configured to be removably fixed to a conveyance tubular.

Retrievable pre-milled window with deflector

The present invention generally provides an apparatus and method for forming a pilot hole in a formation. In one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus may comprise a starter mill connected to a bearing mill by a body joint. The apparatus may further comprise a lead bearing connected to a starter mill by a lead joint. Preferably, an outer diameter of the bearing mill is about the same as an inner diameter of a wellbore. As the lead bearing travels along the concave, the apparatus will bend between the bearing mill and the lead bearing. The bend urges the starter mill into contact with the wellbore wall. In another aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a pilot hole in a wellbore includes running a tool into the wellbore, the tool comprising a starter mill disposed between a first bearing and a second bearing. While running the tool along a concave of a whipstock, the tool bends between the first and second bearing and urges the starter mill to form the pilot hole.

Apparatus and method for forming a pilot hole in a formation

Deflector - Arm Protector provides protection to athletes participating in sports such as but not limited to baseball or softball. This arm protector wraps around the entire arm from the hand to the shoulder and is secured by velcro straps. This concept can be adapted to protect any vulnerable portion of the human body. It is comprised of padded material covered by a flexible plastic insert with varying geometric profiles fitted within a sleeve of elastic cloth type material of varying shapes depended on the required protective coverage for the arm. The impact force on the athlete's arm is greatly reduced due to the design profile (insert/pad assembly) load distribution, thus making it less painful when hit by the pitched baseball or softball.

Deflector-arm protector

Wellbore operations (e.g. for milling and/or drilling) are disclosed which require a reduced number of tool trips into a wellbore to create a cut-out pocket, opening, or window in a tubular such as casing in the wellbore; and, in some aspects, to continue into a formation adjacent a main wellbore forming a lateral wellbore in communication with the main wellbore. Preferably one trip is required to complete a window or a window and the lateral wellbore. In one aspect a full gauge tool body is used so that the completed lateral wellbore is of a substantially uniform diameter along its entire length, which, in one aspect is suitable for the passage therethrough of full gauge tools, pipe, devices, and apparatuses. In one aspect a cutting system has cutting apparatus initially covered with a wearable away material which is worn away by contacting a tubular to be milled, exposing the cutting apparatus for milling and/or for drilling formation adjacent the wellbore. In certain aspects the lateral wellbore is: about one foot long; two feet long or less; five feet long or less; between five feet and fifty feet long; one hundred feet long or less; between about one hundred and about two hundred feet long; or two hundred or more feet long. In one aspect mill-drill tools are disclosed that both mill tubulars and drill formation.

Wellbore milling and drilling

A tool for wellbore sidetracking operations has been invented, the tool, in one aspect, having a body, a milling section on the body for milling an opening in a tubular in a first wellbore in a formation, the milling section having milling material thereon, and a drilling section on the body for drilling a second wellbore beyond the window into the formation. A method has been invented for forming an opening in a tubular in a first wellbore in a formation and for drilling a second wellbore from the opening in a single trip procedure, the method positioning a mill drill tool in the tubular at a location at which an opening is desired in the tubular and from which a second wellbore is desired to be drilled, the mill drill tool having drilling apparatus for drilling the second wellbore and milling apparatus for milling an opening through the tubular, milling the opening in the tubular with the milling apparatus thereby exposing the formation for drilling, and drilling with the drilling apparatus a second wellbore beyond the opening in the tubular into the formation.

Wellbore milling-- drilling

New systems and methods have been invented for explosively forming openings, ledges, windows, holes, and lateral bores through tubulars such as casing, which openings may, in cerain aspects, extend beyond the casing into a formation through which a wellbore extends. In certain aspects openings (e.g. ledges, initial, or completed windows) in wellbore tubulars (e.g. tubing or casing) are made using metal oxidizing systems, water jet systems, or mills with abrasive and/or erosive streams flowing therethrough and/or therefrom.

Tubular window formation

A wellbore sidetracking method has been invented which includes, in certain embodiments, milling out a casing section from a cased, cemented wellbore; placing a deflection device, e.g. a whipstock, so that, upon pivoting of the upper concave portion of the whipstock at least a top portion thereof extends up into and abuts casing above the milled out section and, in certain aspects, a portion of the whipstock also extends down into and abuts casing below the milled out section; introducing a mill into the wellbore to mill out a part of the casing above the milled out section which would interfere with the introduction of a drill bit; removing the mill; introducing a drilling system into the wellbore to be deflected into the milled out area; and drilling a new sidetracked bore with the drilling system from the milled out area. In one aspect a mill is provided which mills out the part of the casing above the milled out area without contacting the formation or with only minimal contact thereof.

Wellbore sidetracking methods

A fluid pressure compensator for a lubrication system in a rotary drill bit includes a diaphragm (44) with an enlarged thickness central portion (62) having a generally hemispherically shaped deformation (72) at its center to form a minimal thickness thereat progressively increasing to the enlarged thickness. A self sealing puncture (74) is provided at the center of the diaphragm (44) to relieve excess pressure differentials in the lubrication system internally of the drill bit and excess pressure differentials in the drilling fluid externally of the drill bit. The diaphragm (44) has an enlarged protuberance (64) about its outer periphery which is secured in sealing relation within a groove formed by sealing surfaces (66, 68, 70) on a leg (10) of the rotary bit and associated securing cap (46). A protective cup (42) supports the diaphragm (44) in an extended position and has dimples (58) for supporting the diaphragm (46) on the bottom (40) of the lubricant reservoir (49).

Pressure compensator for drill bit lubrication system

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Steve R Delgado