U.S. patent application number 13/189125 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-24 for affixation and release assembly for a mill and method.
This patent application is currently assigned to BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED. The applicant listed for this patent is James Edward Goodson. Invention is credited to James Edward Goodson.
Application Number | 20130020084 13/189125 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47554976 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130020084 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Goodson; James Edward |
January 24, 2013 |
AFFIXATION AND RELEASE ASSEMBLY FOR A MILL AND METHOD
Abstract
A downhole affixation and release assembly including a first
component; a second component, and an interconnection device for at
least temporarily securing the first component to the second
component. The interconnection device operatively arranged to at
least partially degrade upon exposure to a fluid. Also included is
a method of affixing and releasing two components.
Inventors: |
Goodson; James Edward;
(Porter, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Goodson; James Edward |
Porter |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
47554976 |
Appl. No.: |
13/189125 |
Filed: |
July 22, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/298 ;
166/117.6; 166/241.6; 166/55 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 7/061 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/298 ;
166/241.6; 166/117.6; 166/55 |
International
Class: |
E21B 43/11 20060101
E21B043/11; E21B 23/03 20060101 E21B023/03; E21B 29/00 20060101
E21B029/00; E21B 17/10 20060101 E21B017/10 |
Claims
1. A downhole affixation and release assembly, comprising: a first
component; a second component, and an interconnection device for at
least temporarily securing the first component to the second
component, the interconnection device operatively arranged to at
least partially degrade upon exposure to a fluid.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first member is a mill and
the second member is a whipstock.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection device
includes a lug secured to the second component.
4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the lug comprises a high
strength controlled electrolytic metallic material and the fluid
comprises brine, acid, aqueous fluid, or combinations including at
least one of the foregoing.
5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection device
includes a release member operatively arranged to release the first
component from the second component.
6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the release member releases the
first component from the second component by degrading upon
exposure to the fluid.
7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the release member is a shear
screw.
8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the shear screw is operatively
arranged to shear after the second component has landed in an
annulus and a set down weight has been exerted on the shear screw
via the first component.
9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the release member is
degradable upon exposure to the downhole fluid.
10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection device is
at least partially manufactured from a metal, a composite, a
polymer, or combinations including at least one of the
foregoing.
11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the downhole fluid is water,
acid, brine, or combinations including at least one of the
foregoing.
12. A cutting assembly comprising: a mill operatively arranged to
cut through a wall; a whipstock for directing the mill into the
wall, the whipstock including an interconnection device for
securing the mill to the whipstock during run-in, the
interconnection device operatively arranged to at least partially
degrade upon exposure to a downhole fluid.
13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the interconnection device
comprises a lug secured to the whipstock.
14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the lug comprises a high
strength controlled electrolytic metallic material and the fluid
comprises brine, acid, aqueous fluid, or combinations including at
least one of the foregoing.
15. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the interconnection device
comprises a release member extending between the whipstock and the
mill.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the release member is a shear
screw operatively arranged to break in response to a set down
weight applied to the release member via the mill.
17. A method of affixing and releasing two components comprising:
affixing a first component to a second component with an
interconnection device; running the first and second components
downhole; and degrading the interconnection device by exposing the
interconnection device to a fluid.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising exerting a load on
the interconnection device via the first component to release the
first and second components.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first component is a mill
and the second component is a whipstock.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the interconnection device
comprises a lug affixed thereto, the lug being completely
degradable by exposure to the fluid.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] In the drilling and completions industry it is common to run
a whipstock and a mill in the same run by hanging the whipstock
from the end of the mill string. Once the whipstock has landed at a
selected position and orientation within the borehole, the
whipstock is anchored in place and will bear weight. Because the
whipstock is necessarily thinner at the uphole end thereof, it has
commonly been a practice in the industry to use a relatively large
lug at the uphole end of the whipstock to support a set down weight
from the mill string that is used to separate the mill from the
whipstock, such as by shearing a screw. This arrangement presents a
heavy piece of material that must be removed from the path of the
mill. Milling the lug often damages the mill due to interrupted
cuts, but is nevertheless often performed because of a lack of
alternatives. Accordingly, improvements in affixation and release
arrangements, particularly for mills, are well received by the
industry.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0002] A downhole affixation and release assembly includes a first
component; a second component, and an interconnection device for at
least temporarily securing the first component to the second
component, the interconnection device operatively arranged to at
least partially degrade upon exposure to a fluid.
[0003] A cutting assembly includes a mill operatively arranged to
cut through a wall; a whipstock for directing the mill into the
wall, the whipstock including an interconnection device for
securing the mill to the whipstock during run-in, the
interconnection device operatively arranged to at least partially
degrade upon exposure to a downhole fluid.
[0004] A method of affixing and releasing two components includes,
affixing a first component to a second component with an
interconnection device; running the first and second components
downhole; and degrading the interconnection device by exposing the
interconnection device to a fluid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The following descriptions should not be considered limiting
in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like
elements are numbered alike:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an affixation and release
assembly for a mill;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the assembly of FIG. 1
illustrating the mill separated from a whipstock;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrating removal of a lug via a flow of fluid; and
[0009] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the assembly of FIG. 1
illustrating both a lug and a release member being degraded by a
flow of fluid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the
disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of
exemplification and not limitation with reference to the
Figures.
[0011] Referring now to FIG. 1, an affixation and release assembly
10 is shown, with a mill 12 secured to a whipstock 14 via an
interconnection device 15. Throughout the Figures, the mill 12 is
shown resembling a tapered starting mill, although it is to be
appreciated that other mill types, such as a window mill, could be
similarly used. As the end of the whipstock 14 to which the mill 12
is secured is relatively thin, the interconnection device 15
includes a lug 16 affixed to the whipstock 14. The interconnection
device 15 also includes a release member 18 extending through the
lug 16 in order to secure the whipstock 14 to the mill 12. The
releasable member 18 takes the form, for example, of a shear screw,
hydraulically actuatable piston or other slidable component,
degradable member, etc. The lug 16 is substantially larger than the
end of the whipstock 14 and supports the whipstock 14 in order to
prevent undue distortion of, or damage to, the whipstock 14 when
releasing the mill 12 from the whipstock 14, due to forces exerted
on the whipstock 14 while positioning the whipstock 14, etc.
However, the lug 16 creates an obstacle to the mill 12 that results
in an interrupted cutting operation of the mill 12, as the lug 16
is formed essentially on only one side of the mill 12. The lug 16
can be welded to the whipstock 14, secured to the whipstock 14 via
the release member 18, etc. The mill 12 and the whipstock 14 are
installed in an annulus 20 formed by a wall 22, which wall could be
formed for or by a casing, a borehole, a tubular, cement, a
combination of the foregoing, etc.
[0012] FIGS. 1-3 show one example of how the assembly 10 can be
utilized to release the mill 12. The assembly 10 is shown run in
the annulus 20 in FIG. 1, with the mill 12 secured to the whipstock
14 via the release member 18 and the lug 16, as described above.
The whipstock 14 is set in position and properly oriented, for
example, by use of an anchor assembly or the like (not shown)
further downhole in the annulus 20. The whipstock 14 can have a
known form, e.g., being a tapered for directing the mill 12 into
the wall 22 in order to cut a window or opening in the wall 22. The
whipstock 14 could take any other form for, e.g., directing or
guiding the mill 12. The mill 12 could similarly take any known
form corresponding to the whipstock 14 in order to achieve a window
or opening in the wall 22.
[0013] After the whipstock 14 and the mill 12 are in place, e.g.,
by use of an anchor assembly for the whipstock 14, an event is
triggered to release the release member 18. For example, if the
release member 18 takes the form of a shear screw, applying a set
down weight to the mill 12 will shear the release member 18,
thereby freeing the mill 12 from the whipstock 14, as shown in FIG.
2. After release of the member 18, the lug 16 presents a
significant obstacle to operation of the mill 12. The lug 16 is
made from a degradable material in order to remove the lug 16 from
the path of the mill 12 without having to mill the lug 16.
"Degradable" is intended to mean that the lug is disintegratable,
dissolvable, weakenable, corrodible, or otherwise removable. It is
to be understood that any use herein of the term "degrade", or any
of its forms, incorporates the stated meaning. In one embodiment,
for example, the lug 16 is degraded by exposure to a downhole
fluid, such as water, oil, acid, etc. For example, after release of
the member 18, as shown in FIG. 3, a flow of fluid 24, is pumped
through the annulus 20 or otherwise delivered to the lug 16 in
order to degrade the lug. In another embodiment, the mill is hollow
or includes a passage therethrough and the flow of fluid is pumped
down the mill string to the release member 18 or out an opening
proximate to the interconnection device 15. Advantageously,
degrading the lug prevents the need for the mill 12 to remove the
lug 16 (or the lug is weakened or reduced in size, resulting in
easier removal), thereby avoiding potentially significant wear on
the mill 12 and extending the life of the mill. Additionally, since
removal of the lug does not have to be accounted for, the mill 12
can be more specifically designed to enhance the speed and
efficiency with which the mill 12 cuts through the wall 22.
[0014] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the release member 18
could also be made from a degradable material, such that the
release member 18 is also degradable, thereby removing another
obstacle, although a relatively minor one, from the path of the
mill 12. In some embodiments including a degradable release member,
the release member 18 is not sheared, but instead, the mill 12 is
released from the whipstock 14 by degrading the release member 18
due to exposure to the flow of fluid 24. In other embodiments, the
degrading process may weaken the release member before it is
sheared or broken by a set down weight. It is to be understood that
the same fluid or different fluids could be used to degrade the
various components. Thus, the release member 18 could be formed by
a rivet, a bolt, a pin, a rod, a plate, or any other element
extending between the whipstock 14 and the mill 12, and could
either be either integrally formed with the lug 16 (e.g., an
extruded rivet) or formed as a separate component. It is to be
appreciated that the lug 16 and the release member 18 could be
utilized to temporarily connect together other components in a
similar way, with the interconnection device 15 (i.e., the lug 16
and/or the release member 18) degrading for enabling relative
movement between the components that was previously prevented by
the presence of the interconnection device or a portion
thereof.
[0015] The interconnection device 15 can be formed from materials
that are degradable by exposure to a variety of fluids capable of
being pumped, present, or delivered downhole such as water, acid,
oil, etc. The degradable material could be a metal, a composite, a
polymer, etc., or any other material that is suitably degradable
and that can withstand the loads necessary to initially hang the
whipstock 14 from the mill 12 during run-in, prevent distortion of
the whipstock 14 during loading, etc. However, as described above,
it may be possible to avoid very high set down loading by simply
degrading the release member 18 after the whipstock is locked by
the downhole anchor assembly, and thus, the interconnection device
15 may comprise just a release member in some embodiments. In one
embodiment, the interconnection device 15, (i.e., the lug 16 and/or
the release member 18) is manufactured from a high strength
controlled electrolytic metallic material and is degradable by
brine, acid, or aqueous fluid.
[0016] That is, materials appropriate for the purpose of degradable
interconnection devices as described herein are lightweight,
high-strength metallic materials. Examples of suitable materials,
e.g., high strength controlled electrolytic metallic materials, and
their methods of manufacture are given in United States Patent
Publication No. 2011/0135953 (Xu, et al.), which Patent Publication
is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. These
lightweight, high-strength and selectably and controllably
degradable materials include fully-dense, sintered powder compacts
formed from coated powder materials that include various
lightweight particle cores and core materials having various single
layer and multilayer nanoscale coatings. These powder compacts are
made from coated metallic powders that include various
electrochemically-active (e.g., having relatively higher standard
oxidation potentials) lightweight, high-strength particle cores and
core materials, such as electrochemically active metals, that are
dispersed within a cellular nanomatrix formed from the various
nanoscale metallic coating layers of metallic coating materials,
and are particularly useful in borehole applications. Suitable core
materials include electrochemically active metals having a standard
oxidation potential greater than or equal to that of Zn, including
as Mg, Al, Mn or Zn or alloys or combinations thereof For example,
tertiary Mg--Al--X alloys may include, by weight, up to about 85%
Mg, up to about 15% Al and up to about 5% X, where X is another
material. The core material may also include a rare earth element
such as Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd or Er, or a combination of rare earth
elements. In other embodiments, the materials could include other
metals having a standard oxidation potential less than that of Zn.
Also, suitable non-metallic materials include ceramics, glasses
(e.g., hollow glass microspheres), carbon, or a combination thereof
In one embodiment, the material has a substantially uniform average
thickness between dispersed particles of about 50 nm to about 5000
nm. In one embodiment, the coating layers are formed from Al, Ni, W
or Al.sub.2O.sub.3, or combinations thereof In one embodiment, the
coating is a multi-layer coating, for example, comprising a first
Al layer, a Al.sub.2O.sub.3 layer, and a second Al layer. In some
embodiments, the coating may have a thickness of about 25 nm to
about 2500 nm.
[0017] These powder compacts provide a unique and advantageous
combination of mechanical strength properties, such as compression
and shear strength, low density and selectable and controllable
corrosion properties, particularly rapid and controlled dissolution
in various borehole fluids. The fluids may include any number of
ionic fluids or highly polar fluids, such as those that contain
various chlorides. Examples include fluids comprising potassium
chloride (KCl), hydrochloric acid (HCl), calcium chloride
(CaCl.sub.2), calcium bromide (CaBr.sub.2) or zinc bromide
(ZnBr.sub.2). For example, the particle core and coating layers of
these powders may be selected to provide sintered powder compacts
suitable for use as high strength engineered materials having a
compressive strength and shear strength comparable to various other
engineered materials, including carbon, stainless and alloy steels,
but which also have a low density comparable to various polymers,
elastomers, low-density porous ceramics and composite
materials.
[0018] While the invention has been described with reference to an
exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the
scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made
to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the
invention without departing from the essential scope thereof
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include
all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in
the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed
exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms
may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a
generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of
limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so
limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not
denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second,
etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore,
the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of
quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the
referenced item.
* * * * *