Section mill and method for abandoning a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846150-B2
Application number	US-202217672908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2022
Priority date	Mar 15, 2010
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A mill for use in a wellbore includes a tubular housing having a bore therethrough, a plurality of pockets formed in a wall thereof, and a blade disposed in each pocket. Each blade includes a body having a first side opposite a second side, wherein the first side faces in a direction of rotation of the mill. The blade also includes a blade portion disposed on the first side of the body, wherein the blade portion has a first cutting face stepped relative to a second cutting face. Each blade is movable between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein a portion of the first side and the second side protrude from the housing in the extended position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bottom hole assembly for milling a plurality of tubulars disposed inside one another in a wellbore, the bottom hole assembly comprising:
a plurality of arms;
a plurality of arm stops including at least first and second sets of the arm stops; and
a plurality of mills disposed on the bottom hole assembly for use in the wellbore, each of the mills being configured with the arms and the arm stops and comprising:
a tubular housing including a longitudinal axis;
a plurality of the arm stops coupled to the tubular housing; and
a plurality of the arms coupled to the tubular housing,
each of the arms including a body portion and a blade portion, the blade portion extending from an outer surface of the body portion,
each of the arms being movable laterally and longitudinally along an eccentric extension path between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the tubular housing while an arm length is maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the extended position defined by abutment of each of the arms against a corresponding one of the arm stops and being adjustable to vary a lateral blade sweep dimension of the mill,

wherein at least one of the mills is configured with the first set of the arms stops and has the lateral blade sweep dimension adjusted to mill at least one of the tubulars; and
wherein at least another one of the mills is configured with the second set of the arms stops and has the lateral blade sweep dimension adjusted to mill at least another one of the tubulars.

2. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein each arm stop of the respective mill is modifiable to adjust the lateral blade sweep dimension of the respective mill.

3. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein each arm stop of the respective mill is replaceable to adjust the lateral blade sweep dimension of the respective mill.

4. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein each blade portion includes cutters arranged to form a radial cutting face and a longitudinal cutting face.

5. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein each blade portion includes an outer surface comprising a material selected from a group consisting of hard material and super-hard material.

6. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each arm includes an actuation profile formed in a side thereof; and
the tubular housing includes a corresponding guide mating with each actuation profile.

7. The bottom hole assembly of claim 6 , wherein the mating between each actuation profile and corresponding guide is configured to mechanically lock each arm in the extended position.

8. The bottom hole assembly of claim 1 , wherein the arms includes at least first and second sets of the arms being different from one another; wherein at least one of the mills is configured with the arms of the first set; and wherein at least another one of the mills is configured with the arms of the second set.

9. The bottom hole assembly of claim 8 , wherein each arm of the respective mill is interchangeable between the first and second sets of the arms to adjust a cutting face.

10. A method of milling a plurality of tubulars disposed inside one another in a wellbore, the method comprising:
providing a bottomhole assembly for deployment into the wellbore through the tubulars, the bottomhole assembly including a plurality of mills, each of the mills comprising:
a tubular housing including a longitudinal axis; and
a plurality of arms coupled to the tubular housing, each arm including an arm length, a body portion, and a blade portion extending from an outer surface of the body portion;

configuring a first of the mills with first arms stops to provide the arms with a first lateral blade sweep dimension to mill a first of the tubulars;
configuring a second of the mills with a second arms stops to provide the arms with a second lateral blade sweep dimension to mill a second of the tubulars;
deploying the bottomhole assembly into the wellbore through the tubulars and milling respective ones of the tubulars with respective ones of the mills by:
extending each arm laterally and longitudinally along an eccentric extension path relative to the tubular housing from a retracted position towards an extended position while the arm length is maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
cutting through the respective tubular using first cutters of the blade portion of each arm;
engaging each arm with a corresponding one of the respective arm stops at the extended position; and
milling the respective tubular using second cutters of the blade portion of each arm.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein configuring the first and second of the mills prior to deploying the bottom hole assembly into the wellbore comprises modifying each arm stop of the respective mill, thereby altering the respective lateral blade sweep dimension of the respective mill when each arm is at the extended position.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein configuring the first and second of the mills prior to deploying the bottom hole assembly into the wellbore comprises selecting each arm stop of the respective mill according to the respective lateral blade sweep dimension of the respective mill when each arm is at the extended position.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising after cutting through the respective tubular with the first cutters, engaging an inner surface of the respective tubular with a bearing material located on an outer surface of each arm.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the bearing material is in the form of a pad.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the bearing material is selected from the group consisting of hard material and super-hard material.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising maintaining the bearing material in contact with the inner surface of the respective tubular while milling the respective tubular using the second cutters.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising mechanically locking each arm in the extended position while milling the respective tubular using the second cutters.

18. A system for milling a plurality of tubulars disposed inside one another in a wellbore, the system comprising:
a plurality of arms;
a plurality of arm stops including at least first and second sets of the arm stops; and
a plurality of mills, each of the mills being configured with the arms and the arms stops and comprising:
a tubular housing including a longitudinal axis;
a plurality of the arm stops coupled to the tubular housing; and
a plurality of the arms coupled to the tubular housing,
each of the arms including a body portion and a blade portion, the blade portion extending from an outer surface of the body portion,
each of the arms being movable laterally and longitudinally along an eccentric extension path between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the tubular housing while an arm length is maintained substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, the extended position defined by abutment of each of the arms against a corresponding one of the arm stops, the extended position being adjustable by a selection of each corresponding one of the arm stops from the first and second sets of the arm stops;

wherein engagement of a given one of the arms of the plurality of arms with the arm stop of the first set of the arm stops provides a first lateral blade sweep dimension configured to mill one of the tubulars; and
wherein engagement of a given one of the arms of the plurality of arms with th

Assignees

• Weatherford Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Segura Richard J
• Bailey Thomas F
• Brunnert David J
• Bansal Ram K
• Antoine Andrew

Classifications

• E21B29/005 Primary

  with a radially-expansible cutter rotating inside the pipe, e.g. for cutting an annular window · CPC title

• E21B29/002

  Cutting, e.g. milling, a pipe with a cutter rotating along the circumference of the pipe · CPC title