Liner hanger slip retention system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12091930-B2
Application number	US-202117759450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 28, 2020
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A technique facilitates deploying and setting a liner hanger assembly while securely retaining liner hanger slips during running-in-hole. The liner hanger assembly may comprise a variety of components such as a mandrel, a cone, a plurality of slips, a retention ring, and an actuator. The slips may each be configured with an upper retention end and a lower retention end having a plurality of angles which interlock with corresponding angles of the cone and the retention ring. Additionally, a portion of the actuator may be sized to slide over an axial end of the retention ring to prevent inadvertent decoupling of the slips after installing the slips along the exterior of the cone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use in a well, comprising:
a liner hanger comprising:
a mandrel;
a cone mounted about the mandrel, the cone comprising a plurality of tapered slots, each slot including a first portion and a second portion, the second portion including a first slot angled surface and a second slot angled surface such that a first end of the second portion is circumferentially narrower than a second end of the second portion;
a plurality of tapered slips, each tapered slip axially slidably in a corresponding tapered slot of the plurality of tapered slots, wherein each tapered slip comprises:
a plurality of slip retention fingers disposed at a first end of the tapered slip, each slip retention finger having first angled surfaces oriented at a plurality of differing angles;
a hammerhead disposed at a second end of the tapered slip, each hammerhead being further disposed in the first portion of each tapered slot; and
a first slip tapered surface interfaced with the first slot angled surface; and

a second slip tapered surface interfaced with the second slot angled surface;
a retention ring comprising a circular body and a plurality of ring retention fingers which extend from the circular body and the slip retention fingers, the plurality of ring retention fingers each tapering from a circumferentially wider upper end to a circumferentially narrower lower end, each ring retention finger comprising second angled surfaces, the second angled surfaces being arranged to engage the first angled surfaces of the retention fingers to prevent release of the plurality of tapered slips from the retention ring during deployment of the liner hanger; and
an actuator mounted about the mandrel to selectively shift the plurality of tapered slips between a radially contracted position and a radially expanded position, wherein the first slip angled surface slides against the first slot angled surface and the second slip angled surface slides against the second slot angled surface as each tapered slip moves from the radially contracted position to the radially expanded position.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein each tapered slip is wider, in a circumferential direction, at the first end than at the second end.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein each hammerhead comprises sloped surfaces arranged to slidably capture the hammerhead in the first portion of the corresponding tapered slot.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the ring retention fingers of the retention ring have differing axial lengths.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a hydraulically actuated cylinder which overlaps a retention ring in a manner preventing decoupling of the plurality of tapered slips.

6. The system as recited in claim 5 , wherein the hydraulically actuated cylinder comprises a face which moves against the tapered slips and forces the tapered slips in an axial direction to move the plurality of tapered slips from the radially contracted position to the radially expanded position.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cone is configured to enable installation of the plurality of tapered slips from an exterior of the cone.

8. A system, comprising:
a retention ring for retaining a plurality of slips along a liner hanger, the plurality of slips being selectively set via a hydraulic cylinder mounted about a mandrel, the retention ring comprising:
a circular body sized to fit over the mandrel;
a plurality of fingers extending from the circular body, the plurality of fingers each taper from a circumferentially wider upper end to a circumferentially narrower lower end, the plurality of fingers having spaces there between and at different cooperating angles arranged to enable insertion and retention of the plurality of slips; and
a cylinder engagement region sized to receive an overlapping portion of the hydraulic cylinder to prevent decoupling of the plurality of slips after assembly of the liner hanger, the overlapping portion being received on an opposite end of the circular body relative to the plurality of fingers.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the cylinder engagement region has a reduced diameter relative to the remainder of the retention ring.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein different fingers of the plurality of fingers have different axial lengths.

11. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein some of the different cooperating angles are formed by circumferential sides of each finger and extend from a smaller radially inward portion of the finger to a larger radially outward portion of the finger.

12. A method, comprising:
providing a cone with a plurality of slots, each slot for receiving a corresponding slip of a plurality of slips;
trapping an upper end of each slip in an upper portion of the corresponding slot;
retaining a lower end of each slip via a retention ring comprising a circular body and a plurality of fingers extending from the circular body, the plurality of fingers each tapering from a circumferentially wider upper end to a circumferentially narrower lower end; and
further securing the slips against release by blocking disassembly via a hydraulic cylinder used for setting the slips.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein trapping comprises forming the upper end as a flared hammerhead which may be trapped under corresponding sloped surfaces of the cone.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein retaining comprises forming the lower end of each slip with a plurality of slip fingers which may be inserted into spaces between the fingers of the retention ring.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein retaining comprises using cooperating angled surfaces of the slip fingers and the fingers of the retention ring to prevent each slip from releasing from the cone in a radially outward direction.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein securing comprises using the hydraulic cylinder to block the slips against undue movement in an axial direction, thus ensuring the slips remain held in place by the cooperating angled surfaces.

17. A method, comprising:
positioning a cone of a liner hanger over a mandrel;
installing a plurality of slips along the cone by trapping an upper end of each slip in an upper portion of a corresponding slot formed in the cone;
securing a lower end of each slip with a retention ring comprising a circular body and a plurality of fingers extending from the circular body, the plurality of fingers each tapering from a circumferentially wider upper end to a circumferentially narrower lower end, and the plurality of fingers being positioned to prevent release of each slip; and
overlapping a portion of the retention ring with a cylinder to ensure the slips remain secured against release by limiting axial movement of the slips with respect to the cone.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , further comprising forming the fingers of the retention ring via at least one of waterjet cutting and laser cutting.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 , further comprising forming the slips and the cone via at least one of waterjet cutting and laser cutting.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Moreno Carlos
• Underbrink Michael
• Klauber Kameron Lee
• Hernandez Martin
• Rounding James

Classifications

• E21B43/10 Primary

  Setting of casings, screens, liners {or the like} in wells · 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

• E21B33/129 Primary

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