Wellbore fluid communication tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11352853-B2
Application number	US-201716079893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2017
Priority date	Aug 3, 2017
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A system and method directed to performing a single trip cementing operation at spaced out locations within a hydrocarbon zone during the construction of a wellbore using a wellbore fluid communication tool. In an embodiment, the tool is deployed on a tubular string above the hydrocarbon zone and comprises a housing including at least one radial port, a seal assembly, an outer sleeve assembly having a door assembly operable to translate across the seal assembly while closed, an inner mandrel and a seat assembly. The tool facilitates the placement of cement within a wellbore annulus from an uphole position in lieu of at the bottom of the wellbore thereby minimizing the pressure required to perform cementing job. At the same time, the ability for the door assembly to translate across the seal assembly while closed ensures the seal is not damaged from repetitive opening and closing of the door assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wellbore fluid communication tool, the tool comprising:
a housing having a central passage therethrough along a longitudinal axis, the housing including at least one radial port;
a seal assembly disposed along the central passage and adjacent to the radial port, the seal assembly including a first housing port seal disposed on an upstream side of the radial port;
an outer sleeve assembly disposed radially within the housing along the central passage, the sleeve assembly having first and second doors abutting one another to define a door gap in a closed configuration, the door gap initially positioned upstream of the first housing port of the seal assembly;
an inner mandrel disposed radially within the outer sleeve assembly and having a radial orifice initially positioned upstream of the first housing port; and
a first seat assembly disposed within the outer sleeve assembly and initially coupled to the inner mandrel and the first and second doors of the outer sleeve assembly to move axially downstream together in response to a first object landing in the first seat assembly;
wherein the first door is operable to be disengaged from the first seat assembly, the second door and the inner mandrel in response to the door gap moving axially past the first housing port seal in the closed configuration such that the second door separates from the first door to define an open configuration of the door gap to selectively facilitate fluid communication between the central passage and a location external to the housing.

2. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate housing ring releasably secured to the housing and spaced apart from a shoulder defined on the outer sleeve, wherein the intermediate housing ring is positioned to support the first door upstream of the second door in the housing when the shoulder engages the intermediate housing ring and the door gap is in the open configuration.

3. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 2 , wherein the housing further comprises a first releasable locking mechanism disposed to lock the housing and outer sleeve to one another and a second releasable locking mechanism disposed to lock the intermediate housing ring to the housing, wherein releasing the second releasable locking mechanism permits the first door to be approximated with the second door to move the door gap to the closed configuration, and the door gap to be moved downstream of the radial port in the closed configuration.

4. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 1 , wherein the seal assembly further comprises a second housing port seal, which is disposed on downstream side of the radial port.

5. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 1 , wherein the outer sleeve assembly further includes a first sleeve collar and a second sleeve collar, which are positioned below the first door and the second door.

6. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 5 , wherein the second sleeve collar is affixed to the housing.

7. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 5 , wherein the first sleeve collar is slidably disposed about the inner mandrel below the second door and above the second sleeve collar.

8. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 1 , wherein the outer sleeve assembly further comprises a plurality of lugs that are operable to selectively engage a plurality of grooves and a lower mandrel shoulder of the inner mandrel.

9. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 1 , further comprising a second seat assembly disposed within the inner mandrel near the lower mandrel shoulder.

10. A wellbore fluid communication tool, the tool comprising:
a housing having a central passage therethrough extending between a first end and a second end and defined along a longitudinal axis, the housing including at least one radial port;
a seal assembly disposed along the housing along the central passage, the seal assembly including a first housing port seal between the radial port and the first end of the housing;
an outer sleeve assembly disposed radially within the housing along the central passage, the sleeve assembly having first and second doors abutting one another to define a door gap in a first closed configuration, the door gap positioned between the seal assembly and the first end of the housing when the first and second doors are in the first closed configuration;
an inner mandrel having a radial orifice, the inner mandrel disposed radially within the outer sleeve assembly so that the radial orifice is adjacent the door gap, the inner mandrel having a plurality of grooves defined therealong;
a first releasable locking mechanism securing the outer sleeve assembly to the housing in the first locked position;
a first releasable attachment mechanism extending from the outer sleeve assembly to engage a groove of the inner mandrel to secure the inner mandrel to the outer sleeve assembly in the first position; and
a first seat assembly disposed within the outer sleeve assembly and coupled to the inner mandrel to move axially together with the outer sleeve assembly and the inner mandrel in response to a first object landing in the first seat assembly,
the outer sleeve assembly and the inner mandrel axially slidable within the housing with the door gap in the first closed configuration to a second position where the door gap is positioned between the seal assembly and the second end of the housing when the first releasable locking mechanism is released; and
the first releasable attachment mechanism operable to release the groove of the inner mandrel withe the outer sleeve assembly at the second position to permit the first and second door to separate to define an open configuration of the door gap.

11. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 10 , wherein the outer sleeve assembly includes a shoulder and the wellbore fluid communication tool further comprises an intermediate housing ring secured to the housing by a second releasable locking mechanism, the housing ring spaced apart from the outer sleeve shoulder when the tool is in the first position.

12. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 10 , wherein the first releasable locking mechanism is a shear pin.

13. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 10 , wherein the seal assembly includes a second housing port seal between the radial port and the first end of the housing.

14. The wellbore fluid communication tool of claim 10 , wherein the outer sleeve assembly further includes a first sleeve collar and a second sleeve collar which are positioned below the first door and the second door.

15. A method for conducting cementing operations in a wellbore, the method comprising:
positioning a cementing tool in a wellbore at a first location spaced apart from a second location that is downstream of the first location;
conducting cementing operations at the second location;
following the cementing operations at the second location, applying a first pressure to the cementing tool to collectively translate substantially abutting first and second doors together such that a door gap defined between the first and second doors is translated in a closed configuration across a seal of the cementing tool;
applying a second pressure to the cementing tool to (i) align an orifice in an inner mandrel of the cementing tool disposed radially within the first and second doors with a port in a housing of the cementing tool disposed radially outside the first and second doors and (ii) subsequent to collectively translating the first and second doors in a closed configuration across t

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Maddux Stephen Ross
• Kohn Gary

Classifications

• E21B34/14

  operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B33/14 Primary

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• E21B34/142 Primary

  unsupported or free-falling elements, e.g. balls, plugs, darts or pistons · CPC title

• E21B33/13

  Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like · CPC title