Release tool for downhole operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846176-B2
Application number	US-202016918309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	Jul 3, 2019
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A downhole tool for connecting and releasing portions of a tool string includes a housing; an electronics assembly; an activation mechanism; a valve assembly and a set of retainer dogs to connect and release a neck of another tool. The downhole tool may also include one or more measurement sensors for measuring a parameter and transferring one or more measured parameter values to the surface of the well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for connecting and releasing a downhole tool located within a wellbore comprising:
a housing having an axial bore;
an electronics assembly configured to communicate with the surface of the wellbore;
an activation mechanism configured to receive an electrical current from the electronics assembly;
a valve assembly in operative communication with the activation mechanism and having a first piston configured to open a port in the housing to wellbore fluid;
a second piston slidably engaged with the housing and held in an initial downward state by a spring;
plural retainer dogs each having an engagement recess disposed on an inner radial surface thereon configured for clamping a neck of a tool when the retainer dogs are in a first position; and
wherein said second piston further comprises a cavity configured to retain said retainer dogs in the first position and to allow the retainer dogs to move radially outward to a second position when the second piston is acted upon by the wellbore fluid.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housing is comprised of an upper section and a lower section connected by a main sub.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the activation mechanism is located within the main sub.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the valve assembly is located within the main sub.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve assembly further comprises a burst disk.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein valve assembly is further configured to activate a switch to communicate a state of the valve to the electronics assembly.

7. An apparatus for connecting and releasing a downhole tool located within a wellbore comprising: a housing having an axial bore;
a burst disk located within the housing and configured to open a passageway to wellbore fluid upon breakage at a predetermined pressure;
a piston located within the housing and held in an initial downward state by a spring;
plural retainer dogs having an engagement recess disposed on an inner radial surface thereon configured for clamping a neck of a tool when the retainer dogs are in a first position; and
wherein said piston further comprises a cavity configured to retain said retainer dogs in the first position and to allow the retainer dogs to move radially outward to a second position when the piston is acted upon by wellbore fluid.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the housing is comprised of an upper section and a lower section connected by a main sub.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the burst disk is disposed within the main sub.

10. A wireline release tool and measurement system, the system comprising:
a wireline for lowering a tool string into a wellbore;
a housing attached to the wireline and comprising an upper section, a lower section, and an axial bore;
a main sub connecting the upper section and lower section of the housing;
an electronics assembly configured to communicate with the surface of the wellbore via the wireline;
a release assembly comprising plural retainer dogs each having an engagement recess disposed on an inner radial surface thereon configured to clamp a neck of a tool when the retainer dogs are in a first position and to release the neck when the dogs move radially outward to a second position, such that the housing and the tool are separated from each other and the housing may be pulled out of the wellbore using the wireline; and
a measurement sensor disposed within the main sub and-configured to measure a parameter and communicate a measured value to the electronics assembly.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the release assembly further comprises a valve assembly located in the main sub configured to open a passageway to wellbore fluid.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the release assembly further comprises a piston having a cavity configured to retain said plural retainer dogs in a clamped state until said piston is acted upon by wellbore fluid.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the measurement sensor is a temperature sensor for measuring wellbore temperature.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the measurement sensor is a pressure transducer for measuring wellbore pressure.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the measurement sensor is a tension transducer for measuring tension of the tool string.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the tension measurement further comprises a pressure compensation chamber to compensate for the pressure driven compression of the tension transducer.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the pressure compensation chamber is further comprised of more than one sealing surface with varying cross-sectional area to pressure balance the transducer relative to the wellbore exterior pressure.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the pressure compensation chamber is disposed within a second sub separate from the main sub.

19. The system of claim 10 , wherein the electronics assembly comprises:
a housing;
a processor that is electrically connected to both the release assembly and the at least one measurement sensor; and
wherein the processor is configured to receive a signal from the surface of the wellbore to initiate the release assembly and transmit a measured parameter measured by the measurement sensor to the wellbore surface via the wireline.

Assignees

• Geodynamics Inc

Inventors

• Phelps Phil
• Hardesty John T
• Roessler Dennis E
• Saltarelli Terrell

Classifications

• E21B47/07 Primary

  Temperature · CPC title

• E21B34/063

  Valve or closure with destructible element, e.g. frangible disc (E21B34/103 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B34/14

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

• E21B47/12

  Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling · CPC title

• E21B23/0421 Primary

  using multiple hydraulically interconnected pistons · CPC title