Cement plug system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12338706-B2
Application number	US-202418679652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2024
Priority date	Jun 30, 2023
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A cement plug system includes a first plug configured to catch a first obstruction member and actuatable from a locked configuration to an unlocked configuration in response to an axial force transmitted to the first plug by the first obstruction member, and a second plug adjacent to the first plug and configured to catch a second obstruction member, the second plug having a pass-through configuration in which the first obstruction member passes through the second plug, and a catching configuration in which the second plug catches the second obstruction member, the first obstruction member is at least as large as the second obstruction member. The second plug actuates from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration in response to the first plug shifting from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration, and the first plug in the unlocked configuration separates from the second plug.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cement plug system, comprising:
a first plug comprising a first seat configured to catch a first obstruction member, the first plug having a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, the first plug being actuatable from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration in response to an axial force transmitted to the first plug by the first obstruction member; and
a second plug positioned axially adjacent to the first plug and defining a second seat configured to catch a second obstruction member, the second plug having a pass-through configuration in which the second plug permits the first obstruction member to pass therethrough to the first plug, and a catching configuration in which the second seat is configured to catch the second obstruction member, the first obstruction member having a radial dimension that is at least as large as a radial dimension of the second obstruction member,
wherein the second plug is configured to actuate from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration in response to the first plug shifting from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration, and wherein the first plug in the unlocked configuration is configured to separate from the second plug.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second seat comprises a collet or a c-ring having an internal diameter that decreases when the second plug actuates from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first plug comprises a first plug body and a first sleeve positioned therein, wherein the first sleeve comprises the first seat, and wherein the first plug actuating from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration comprises the first sleeve shifting axially away from the second plug.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first sleeve is configured to shift in response to a force applied to the first obstruction member that is caught in the first seat.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first sleeve shifting decouples the first plug body from the second plug, and wherein the second plug is superposed with respect to the first plug.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the second plug comprises:
a second plug body and a second sleeve positioned therein, the second sleeve comprising the second seat; and
a shifting sleeve positioned in the second plug body and engaged with the first sleeve and the second plug body when the first plug is in the locked configuration, wherein the shifting sleeve is configured to shift toward the second sleeve to actuate the first second plug from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the shifting sleeve is shifted by application of a pressure differential.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second plug defines a pressurized chamber axially between the second plug body and the shifting sleeve, and wherein the shifting sleeve shifting when the second plug actuates from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration comprises the shifting sleeve reducing a volume of the pressurized chamber.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second plug comprises a locking mechanism that permits the shifting sleeve to shift toward the second seat and prevents the shifting sleeve from shifting away from the second seat.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein an axial end of the shifting sleeve engages the second seat, and wherein the shifting sleeve shifting when the first second plug actuates from the pass-through configuration to the catching configuration comprises the axial end of the shifting sleeve wedging between the second plug body and the second seat, thereby pressing the second seat radially inwards.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first plug comprises a latching member that is connected to the first plug body and the second plug body, wherein the first sleeve prevents the latching member from disconnecting from the second plug body when the first plug is in the locked configuration, and wherein the first sleeve permits the latching member to disconnect from the second plug body when the first plug is in the unlocked configuration.

12. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first plug comprises one or more shearable members that prevent the first plug from actuating until a predetermined axial force is applied to the first sleeve.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third plug positioned axially adjacent to the second plug, the third plug being configured to actuate from a pass-through configuration to a catching configuration, wherein the third plug in the pass-through configuration permits the first and second obstruction members to pass therethrough, and wherein the third plug in the catching configuration is configured to catch a third obstruction member having at most a same radial dimension as the first obstruction member.

14. A method for operating a cement plug system in a well, the method comprising:
deploying, into the well, a first obstruction member to a first seat of a first plug through a second seat of a second plug, the second plug being in a pass-through configuration, and the first plug being in a locked configuration;
increasing a pressure in the well, wherein increasing the pressure in the well causes the first plug to actuate into an unlocked configuration, which releases a shifting sleeve to press a second seat of the second plug radially inwards such that the second plug is actuated to a catching configuration; and
deploying, into the well, a second obstruction member that is not larger in radial dimension than the first obstruction member, wherein the second seat of the second plug in the catching configuration catches the second obstruction member.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising increasing the pressure in the well after deploying the second obstruction member, which causes the second plug to decouple from a plug hanger or from a superposed plug.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein a pressure differential between the well and a pressurized chamber formed between a second plug body of the second plug and the shifting sleeve causes the shifting sleeve to press the second seat radially inwards.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising pumping cement into the well through the second plug after deploying the first obstruction member to the first plug, wherein pumping the cement causes the first plug to move downhole away from the second plug.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first plug to actuating into the unlocked configuration comprises releasing a first sleeve of the first plug to move axially relative to a first plug body of the first plug and releasing the shifting sleeve from the first sleeve.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second obstruction member is deployed through a third plug in a pass-through configuration, the method further comprising increasing a pressure in the well after deploying the second obstruction member, which causes the second plug to decouple from the third plug, and causes the third plug to actuate to a catching configuration.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising deploying a third obstruction member into a third seat of the third plug in the catching configuration and increasing a pressure in the well, which causes the third plug to release from a plug hanger.

21. A cement plug system, comprising:
a first plug comprising a first seat configured to catch a first obstruction member; and

Assignees

• Innovex Downhole Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Olguin Fernando
• Cuffe Chris

Classifications

• E21B33/165 Primary

  Cementing plugs specially adapted for being released down-hole (cementing heads E21B33/05) · CPC title

• E21B33/134

  Bridging plugs · CPC title

• E21B33/1208 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means (E21B33/1277 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/16 Primary

  using plugs for isolating cement charge; Plugs therefor {(stage cementing E21B33/146; spacer compositions C09K8/424)} · CPC title