Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090038796 | Expandable leak path preventer in fluid activated downhole tools - Expandable seal members or inserts are included as part of fluid activated downhole tools such as packers and liner hangers. The expandable seal inserts comprise one or more expandable materials that expand and seal against the chamber carrying the actuator of the downhole tool. Fluid flowing in the downhole tool to actuate and, thus, set the downhole tool, also causes the expandable seal inserts to expand. In so doing, the expandable seal inserts provide seals, some redundant to dynamic seals and static seals already present in the downhole tool, to assist in preventing leaks in the downhole tool that may otherwise cause the downhole tool to fail. | 02-12-2009 |
20090044946 | Ball seat having fluid activated ball support - Apparatuses for closing a well conduit comprise a housing having a longitudinal bore and a seat disposed within the bore. A chamber is disposed within the housing and includes a plug element support member, such as ram or piston, operatively associated within the chamber. The plug element support member has a retracted position and an extended position. A passageway is in fluid communication with the bore and the chamber. A plug element such as a ball or drop plug, is adapted to be disposed into the bore and landed on the seat to restrict fluid flow through the bore and the well conduit. Landing the plug element causes and allowing fluid pressure to build causes the plug element support member to move from the retracted position to the extended position to provide support to the plug element landed on the seat. | 02-19-2009 |
20090044948 | Ball seat having ball support member - Apparatuses for restricting fluid flow through a well conduit comprise a housing having a longitudinal bore and a seat disposed within the bore. The seat has a first position when the apparatus is in the run-in position and a second position when the apparatus is in the set position. A plug element support member has a retracted position when the apparatus is in the run-in position and an extended position when the apparatus is in the set position. A plug element adapted to be disposed into the bore and landed on the seat to restrict fluid flow through the bore and the well conduit is used to move the plug element support member from the retracted position to the extended position, thereby providing support to the plug member landed on the seat. | 02-19-2009 |
20090044949 | Deformable ball seat - Apparatuses for restricting fluid flow through a well conduit comprise a housing having a longitudinal bore and a collapsible seat disposed within the bore. The seat has a first position defining a first seat inner diameter when the apparatus is in the run-in position and a second position defining a second seat inner diameter when the apparatus is in the set position. The first seat inner diameter is greater than the second seat inner diameter. A plug element is adapted to be disposed into the bore and landed on the seat to move the seat from the first position to the second position. While in the second position, the seat restricts fluid flow through the bore and provides additional support to the plug member landed on the seat. | 02-19-2009 |
20090044955 | Reusable ball seat having ball support member - Apparatuses for restricting fluid flow through a well conduit comprise a housing having a longitudinal bore and a reusable seat disposed within the bore. The seat comprises a slidable element, a fixed element, a plug element support member, a seat inner diameter, and a return member to urge the slidable element toward the run-in position. The plug element support member has a retracted position when the seat is in the run-in position and an extended position when the seat is in the set position. A plug element adapted to be disposed into the bore and landed on the seat to restrict fluid flow through the bore and the well conduit is used to move the plug element support member from the retracted position to the extended position, thereby providing support to the plug element landed on the seat. | 02-19-2009 |
20090126947 | SWELLABLE MATERIAL AND METHOD - A swellable material seal includes a quantity of swellable material disposed in a geometric configuration; and a plurality of openings in the material to enhance wettability thereof by a swelling fluid and method. | 05-21-2009 |
20090159289 | Ball seat having segmented arcuate ball support member - Apparatuses for restricting fluid flow through a well conduit comprise a housing having a longitudinal bore and a seat disposed within the bore. The seat has a first position when the apparatus is in the run-in position and a second position when the apparatus is in the set position. The seat comprises an arcuate member comprising a plurality of slits defining a plurality of segment members having a gap there-between. Each of the gaps are variable such that movement of segment members inwardly causes the gaps to be narrowed or closed off completely when a plug element is disposed into the bore and landed on the arcuate member to move the arcuate member from the first position to the second position, causing restriction of fluid flow through the bore and the well conduit. | 06-25-2009 |
20090229832 | Pressure Compensator for Hydrostatically-Actuated Packers - Devices and methods for operating a tool within a wellbore. A downhole tool includes a tool operation portion having a moveable tool member and a setting portion having a setting piston and setting chamber. A fluid pressure compensation reservoir is in fluid communication with the setting chamber and containing a pressurized fluid which offsets external hydrostatic pressure. | 09-17-2009 |
20100243276 | DOWNHOLE SWELLABLE SEALING SYSTEM AND METHOD - Disclosed herein is a downhole tubular sealing system. The system includes, a tubular runnable in a downhole wellbore, a swellable seal disposed at the tubular that is sealable with the downhole wellbore when swelled, and at least one releasable member in operable communication with the tubular and the swellable seal. The at least one releasable member configured to longitudinally fix the swellable seal to the tubular when nonreleased and to longitudinally disengage the swellable seal from the tubular when released. | 09-30-2010 |
20110030976 | TUBULAR ACTUATOR, SYSTEM AND METHOD - A tubular actuating system includes, a tubular, a plurality of same plugs runnable within the tubular, a sleeve disposed at the tubular, and at least one slide that is movably disposed at the sleeve between at least a first position and a second position, the at least one slide is configured to be seatingly engagable with a first of the plurality of same plugs when in the first position and seatingly engagable with a second of the plurality of same plugs when in the second position. | 02-10-2011 |
20110100647 | Tubular Actuator, System and Method - A tubular actuating system includes a tubular, a plurality of same plugs runnable within the tubular, an actuator disposed within the tubular, and a seatable member disposed at the actuator configured to be respositionable relative to the actuator between an unseated position and a seated position upon passage of at least one of the plurality of same plugs. | 05-05-2011 |
20110101628 | SWELLABLE MATERIAL AND METHOD - A swellable material seal includes a quantity of swellable material disposed in a geometric configuration; and a plurality of openings in the material to enhance wettability thereof by a swelling fluid. | 05-05-2011 |
20120266994 | TUBULAR ACTUATING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A tubular actuating system includes a plurality of series of actuators disposed within a tubular with at least one of the series having a plurality of actuators. Each of the plurality of actuators in the at least one of the series is alterable from a first position allowing passage of plugs below a selected size to a second position allowing actuation by plugs of selected sizes. The plurality of actuators of the series are distributed within the tubular such that the more upstream of any two of the plurality of actuators is actuatingly engagable with a larger one of the plugs than the more downstream of the two of the plurality of actuators when in the second position, and the plurality of series is distributed such that for any two of the series the more upstream of the two series requires a larger plug to alter the actuators therewithin. | 10-25-2012 |
20120312557 | SLEEVED BALL SEAT - Apparatuses for restricting fluid flow through a conduit comprise a seat sleeve disposed in a housing, the housing being disposed in a tubular member. The seat sleeve comprises a seat and one or more ports in fluid communication with a seat sleeve bore. One or more seat bypass fluid flow channels are disposed in the housing and are initially placed in fluid communication with at least one of the seat sleeve ports. Landing a plug element on the seat blocks fluid flow through the seat, but fluid flow is permitted to flow through the seat bypass fluid flow channels, through the seat sleeve ports, and into the seat sleeve bore. Movement of the seat sleeve downward closes the seat sleeve ports. Thus, a plug element can restrict fluid flowing through an area of the apparatus that is larger than the plug element. | 12-13-2012 |
20130043041 | SELECTIVELY DEGRADABLE PASSAGE RESTRICTION - An actuation system and method, the system including a tubular defining a passage, and an assembly disposed with the tubular, the assembly including a restriction operatively arranged to receive a restrictor for enabling actuation of the assembly, the restriction including a degradable material with a protective layer thereon, the degradable material degrading upon exposure to a fluid in the passage and the protective layer isolating the degradable material from the fluid. | 02-21-2013 |
20130161017 | Hydrostatically Powered Fracturing Sliding Sleeve - A series of sliding sleeves is actuated by a single ball that lands on a first ball seat and shifts the ball seat. The shifting of the ball seat also allows tubing pressure to communicate to a formerly atmospheric chamber on one side of a piston integrated into the back side of the sliding sleeve. The other side of the piston remains at atmospheric pressure so that the shifting of the ball seat not only releases the ball to go to the next ball seat but also puts a net force on the sliding sleeve to shift it against a travel stop to open a port to allow fracturing, even if there is cement in the annulus around the opened port. | 06-27-2013 |
20130175040 | Dual Inline Sliding Sleeve Valve - A sliding sleeve device features a first sleeve that can be shifted with a dropped object on a seat and applied pressure to open a housing port. A second sleeve is in line with the first sleeve and be shifted to straddle the housing ports that we exposed when the opening sleeve was shifted initially. Snap rings or other locking devices can be used to hold the closing sleeve in the shifted position with the housing ports closed. The closing sleeve can also be shifted with a shifting tool that is run for example on coiled tubing. The opening sleeve can also optionally be shifted with a tool in an uphole direction to open the housing ports. | 07-11-2013 |
20130186635 | Hydraulic Shock Absorber for Sliding Sleeves - A sliding sleeve has an associated shock absorber to limit shock loading to the shifting apparatus when the end of travel is reached. An adjacent sleeve defined an annular cavity in a manner that does not reduce the drift dimension of the shifting sleeve. The cavity has a fluid in it and the movement of the shifted sleeve causes the movement of the shock absorber sleeve to reduce the fluid volume in the annular cavity. The volume reduction forces fluid through a restriction to regulate the speed of the sliding sleeve as a travel stop is reached. The fluid can be a gas, an incompressible fluid or grease. The restriction can be temporarily covered such as with a rupture disc. Room to compensate for thermal expansion can be provided in the annular space. | 07-25-2013 |
20130277044 | Frac Plug Body - A frac plug mandrel assembly has an inner core that permits flow that is surrounded by a thin wall tube that distributes compressive loading, such as that applied by the set sealing element to the core. The core is a cylindrically shaped insert for inside the tube and allows flow until a ball or plug is landed on a seat to close off the flow through the core. The core can have a star pattern with a series of radially extending segments from a solid hub or a cylindrical shape of a honeycomb or other porous structure that has the requisite strength to resist collapse from compressive loading of the set sealing element while still allowing sufficient flow area for fluid displacement. | 10-24-2013 |
20140014339 | DISINTEGRABLE DEFORMATION TOOL - A deformation system, including a deformable member and a tool operatively arranged to deform the member due to actuation of the tool from a first set of dimensions at which the deformable member is positionable with respect to a structure to a second set of dimensions at which the deformable member engages with the structure. The tool at least partially comprises a disintegrable material responsive to a selected fluid. A method of operating a deformation system is also included. | 01-16-2014 |
20140014340 | DOWNHOLE SLEEVE SYSTEM AND METHOD - A downhole tool includes a tubular including a port. A first ball mechanism including a first shuttle axially movable within the tubular from a first position covering the port to a second position exposing the port. A first ball seat movable with the first shuttle and a second ball mechanism including a second shuttle axially movable within the tubular from a first position exposing the port to a second position covering the port. A second ball seat movable with the second shuttle, wherein an opening of the first ball seat is smaller than an opening of the second ball seat. Also includes a method of opening and closing a port in a downhole tubular and a method of completing downhole operations in a non-sequential order using a sleeve system having a plurality of downhole tools. | 01-16-2014 |
20140048251 | Removable Fracturing Plug of Particulate Material Housed in a Sheath Set by Expansion of a Passage through the Sheath - The removable plug features a solid material that is housed in a porous container that has its shape changed to transition from the run in shape to the set shape. A swage is moved through a passage in the container to enlarge the passage and move the container to a borehole wall. The passage is then closed such as with a flapper valve or by moving in a mandrel into the expanded passage and lodging the mandrel in the expanded passage. Various release techniques are described. | 02-20-2014 |
20140048252 | Removable Fracturing Plug of Particulate Material Housed in a Sheath Set by Relative End Movement of the Sheath - The removable plug features a solid material that is housed in a porous container that has its shape changed to transition from the run in shape to the set shape. A running string and setting tool that creates relative movement deliver the plug and pull on its lower end while holding the top stationary against a backing plate. The container is pulled into itself as the radial dimension grows for the set. There can be a mandrel that remains in position and can lock to the backing plate or alternatively there can be no mandrel or a removable mandrel. The porous container can be removed in a variety of ways to let the solid material escape to be removed with fluid circulating in the wellbore. Alternatively the mandrel can be undermined to let the solid material escape for recovery. | 02-20-2014 |
20140262251 | Method for Inducing and Further Propagating Formation Fractures - Fractures are induced from lobe shaped inflatable members disposed at different axial locations along a string with frac ports in the circumferential gaps between the lobes. The lobes are inflated by landing a ball on a seat on a sleeve that is initially shifted enough to expose a fill port on each lobe. The lobes are inflated to a pressure that initiates fractures in the formation as the lobes extend. Further raising the pressure induces the sleeve to move a second time to open frac ports. The annulus can be cemented and fracturing can penetrate the cement to further propagate the initiated fractures from lobe inflation. The process is repeated at different levels until the zone of interest is completed. Sensors can relay information by telemetry techniques as to the onset of fractures or other well conditions. The sleeve for the frac ports can be moved in a variety of ways without intervention tools. | 09-18-2014 |
20140345877 | SELECTIVELY DEGRADABLE PASSAGE RESTRICTION - An actuation system and method, the system including a tubular having a passage, and an assembly disposed with the tubular. The assembly includes a degradable restriction, the restriction only partially blocking the passage prior to being degraded. The assembly is configured to receive and prevent further movement of a restrictor through the tubular prior to the restriction being degraded. The assembly is further configured to release the restrictor when the restriction is degraded. | 11-27-2014 |