Travel stop for expansion tool to limit stress on a surrounding tubular

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053947-B2
Application number	US-201414496792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	May 13, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

An expandable anchor/seal is pushed up a ramp until making contact with the surrounding tubular as or after the anchor/seal contacts the same tubular. The setting sleeve is made from high yield steel that has a weakened leading end to reduce the force required to push the leading end and the anchor/seal and an outer surface treatment at a leading end that engages or penetrates the wall of the surrounding tubular. Preferably a plurality of fingers are formed with axially oriented slots starting from a leading end allowing fingers to flex as they ride up the ramp on the mandrel for setting the anchor/seal and locking that set with the setting sleeve exterior surface configuration that can abut or penetrate the surrounding tubular.

First claim

We claim:

1. A travel stop assembly for a subterranean tool for limiting stress in an engaged surface, comprising:
a mandrel further comprising at least one ramp;
at least one movable component assembly selectively forced along said ramp and into contact with the engaged surface, said movable component assembly comprising an anchor/seal assembly and a setting sleeve;
said setting sleeve comprising a plurality of collet fingers supported from a solid annularly shaped base ring, said collet fingers abutting said anchor/seal assembly, said plurality of collet fingers being less resistant to radial expansion than said annularly shaped base ring;
an inclined planar and smooth surface on a side of said annularly shaped base ring facing said mandrel and oriented substantially parallel to said ramp, said inclined planar and smooth surface selectively contacting said ramp after a predetermined relative axial movement of said plurality of collet fingers along said ramp, wherein said predetermined relative axial movement of said plurality of collet fingers along said ramp brings said inclined planar and smooth surface of said base ring and said ramp into contact to raise the force required for further relative axial movement between said ramp and said annularly shaped base ring to limit the stress placed on the engaged surface.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said inclined planar and smooth surface is disposed in at least one row and is continuous for 360 degrees or discontinuous in circumferentially spaced segments.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein:
said inclined planar and smooth surface is in segments in multiple rows with segments in one row aligned with gaps in an adjacent row.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of said inclined planar and smooth surface and said ramp comprising an insert, a coating or a lubricious material.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said ramp further comprises at least one of a projection or depression and said inclined planar and smooth surface comprising at least one of the other of a projection and a depression for selective interaction to increase force required for further relative axial movement therebetween.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
one of said inclined planar and smooth surface and said ramp have a snap ring and the other of said inclined planar and smooth surface and said ramp has a groove such that on a predetermined relative axial movement said snap ring enters said groove to stop further relative axial movement therebetween.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said collet fingers further comprise wickers to selectively contact the engaged surface.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein:
said anchor/seal assembly pushed along said ramp by said collets.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
said anchor/seal assembly further comprising a plurality of hardened inserts.

10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein:
said anchor/seal assembly further comprising a plurality of axially spaced ribs with at least one seal between a pair of said ribs.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
one of said ramp and said inclined planar and smooth surface comprising a sensor to convey to a remote location in real time information that said ramp and said inclined surface have engaged to the extent that further relative axial movement therebetween has stopped.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said relative axial movement of said movable component assembly relative to said ramp is in only one direction.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said ramp and said inclined planar and smooth surface when selectively contacting after said relative axial movement raise the force required for further relative axial movement therebetween without precluding such further relative axial movement.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Williams Jeffrey C
• Ronck Benjamin T
• Hu Ziping

Classifications

• E21B23/06

  for setting packers · CPC title

• E21B33/1293

  with means for anchoring against downward and upward movement (E21B33/1291, E21B33/1295 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/129

  with mechanical slips for hooking into the casing (E21B33/122, E21B33/124 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/1291 Primary

  anchor set by wedge or cam in combination with frictional effect, using so-called drag-blocks (E21B33/1295 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B23/01

  for anchoring the tools or the like (E21B23/02 - E21B23/06 take precedence; anchoring of drives in the borehole E21B4/18) · CPC title