Modified whipstock design integrating smart cleanout mechanisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12203369-B2
Application number	US-202318159981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2023
Priority date	Jan 26, 2023
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

A system includes a milling assembly with a mill bit and a drill string that mills a new wellbore section. The system further includes a whipstock assembly that is formed by a smart reamer that reams an obstruction in a wellbore, a whipstock that deflects the milling assembly away from the wellbore, and a bypass valve mechanism that controls a fluid flowing through the system. Within the system, the milling assembly is fluidly connected to the whipstock assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a milling assembly comprising a mill bit and a drill string configured to mill a new wellbore section; and
a whipstock assembly comprising:
a reamer configured to ream an obstruction in a wellbore, wherein the reamer comprises a mandrel connected to a reamer shoe, the mandrel being configured to rotate the reamer shoe;
a whipstock configured to deflect the milling assembly away from the wellbore; and
a bypass valve mechanism configured to control a fluid flowing through the system;

wherein the milling assembly is fluidly connected to the whipstock assembly.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the bypass valve mechanism comprises:
a gate;
an inner spring; and
a plurality of valve openings;
wherein the gate is configured to close the plurality of valve openings when a force is applied on the inner spring.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the whipstock assembly further comprises:
a whipstock anchor;
a whipstock packer; and
an anchor connection configured to connect the whipstock and the whipstock anchor.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the bypass valve mechanism and the reamer are sequentially aligned on a same vertical axis.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the milling assembly is attached to the whipstock assembly by a shear connection.

6. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the whipstock anchor is fluidly connected to the bypass valve mechanism.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the reamer shoe is rotated by the mandrel in a single direction.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the reamer shoe comprises a convex shape configured to enable ledge-riding.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the mandrel is embodied as a double helical gear or a herringbone gear.

10. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the smart reamer further comprises:
a spring;
a plurality of pins disposed within an inner casing of the reamer, the plurality of pins being configured to rotate the mandrel in response to the spring moving the mandrel axially within the inner casing of the reamer; and
an outer casing fixed to an end of the mandrel, the outer casing being configured to slide over the inner casing in response to the mandrel moving axially within the inner casing.

11. A method comprising:
running a whipstock assembly fluidly connected to a milling assembly into a wellbore to a desired depth;
reaming, by a reamer of the whipstock assembly, an obstruction in the wellbore;
compressing a spring of the reamer by a mandrel of the reamer upon a reamer shoe of the reamer encountering the obstruction in the wellbore, thereby rotating the mandrel and the reamer shoe to ream through the obstruction in the wellbore;
controlling, by a bypass valve mechanism of the whipstock assembly, a fluid traveling through the whipstock assembly;
deflecting, by a whipstock of the whipstock assembly, the milling assembly away from the wellbore; and
milling, by a mill bit of the milling assembly, a new wellbore section away from the wellbore.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising expanding the spring of the reamer as a result of the whipstock assembly and milling assembly being raised in the wellbore, thereby moving the mandrel downhole in the reamer and rotating the mandrel and the reamer shoe.

13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising transporting the fluid from a surface of the wellbore to the bypass valve mechanism by a drill string of the milling assembly.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising controlling a pressure in the bypass valve mechanism by a variable pressure control nozzle.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising lowering a gate to close a plurality of valve openings of the bypass valve mechanism when a pressure measurement of the fluid is below a specified requirement.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising creating a pressure reaction on a piston of a whipstock anchor and a whipstock packer of the whipstock assembly by closing the gate of the bypass valve mechanism, thereby setting the whipstock assembly in the wellbore.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein setting the whipstock assembly further comprises anchoring the whipstock assembly in the wellbore with the whipstock anchor and expanding the whipstock packer to seal the wellbore.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising milling the new wellbore section subsequent to setting the whipstock assembly, detaching the milling assembly from the whipstock assembly, and deflecting the milling assembly from a deflection surface of the whipstock.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Mousa Ahmed A
• Wang Linlin

Classifications

• E21B29/06

  Cutting windows, e.g. directional window cutters for whipstock operations ({E21B29/005 and} E21B29/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B34/101 Primary

  with means for equalizing fluid pressure above and below the valve · CPC title

• E21B34/025

  Chokes or valves in wellheads and sub-sea wellheads for variably regulating fluid flow · CPC title

• E21B7/061 Primary

  the tool shaft advancing relative to a guide, e.g. a curved tube or a whipstock · CPC title