Positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well, and positioning and orientating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480372-B2
Application number	US-202318854685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2023
Priority date	Apr 14, 2022
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well, which has an orientating coupling shaft; a hydraulic cylinder having a guiding sleeve; a setting unit having an anchoring mechanism and a sealing mechanism; a setting actuation unit, having a sealing cylinder, a piston, and a force transmitting cylinder, wherein an upper end of the force transmitting cylinder is fixedly connected to the piston, a sealing chamber in communication with the central flow channel is formed within the sealing cylinder, and the piston is configured to drive the force transmitting cylinder to move downwards when a pressure of the drilling fluid reaches a first pressure; and a releasing unit having a pressure-bearing cylinder, an elastic claw, and a ball seat. The elastic claw is separated from the slot by lifting up the releasing unit when the pressure of the drilling fluid reaches a second pressure, thus completing a releasing procedure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well, comprising:
an orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), with a central flow channel ( 11 ) provided therein for flow of drilling fluid; a hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ), arranged at a downstream end of the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), with a guiding sleeve ( 3 ) fixedly connected to an upper end of the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ); a setting unit, arranged on the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ), and comprising an anchoring mechanism ( 4 ) and a sealing mechanism ( 5 ) arranged at a lower end of the anchoring mechanism ( 4 ); a setting actuation unit ( 6 ), comprising a sealing cylinder ( 62 ) arranged around the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), a piston ( 63 ) arranged inside the sealing cylinder ( 62 ), and a force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ) arranged around the guiding sleeve ( 3 ), wherein an upper end of the force transmitting cylinder extends upwards to be fixedly connected to the piston ( 63 ), a sealing chamber ( 65 ) in communication with the central flow channel ( 11 ) is formed within the sealing cylinder ( 62 ), and the piston ( 63 ) is configured to drive the force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ) to move downwards when a pressure of the drilling fluid reaches a first pressure, in order to drive the anchoring mechanism ( 4 ) to be anchored securely to an inner wall of a wellbore, and drive the sealing mechanism ( 5 ) to form a seal with the inner wall of the wellbore; and a releasing unit ( 7 ), connected to a lower end of the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), and comprising a pressure-bearing cylinder ( 71 ) fixedly connected to the lower end of the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), an elastic claw ( 72 ) arranged around the pressure-bearing cylinder ( 71 ), and a ball seat ( 73 ) fixedly connected to a lower end of the pressure-bearing cylinder ( 71 ), wherein an inner wall of the guiding sleeve ( 3 ) is provided with a slot ( 31 ) which engages with the elastic claw ( 72 ) by snap fitting in an initial state, and the ball seat ( 73 ) is configured to receive a ball ( 9 ) dropped from a wellhead to build up pressure, so that the elastic claw ( 72 ) is separated from the slot ( 31 ) by lifting up the releasing unit ( 7 ) when the pressure of the drilling fluid reaches a second pressure, thus completing a releasing procedure, wherein the first pressure is less than the second pressure.

2 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 1 , characterized in that the anchoring mechanism ( 4 ) comprises:
a slip ( 41 ) arranged on an outer surface of the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ); and a first cone ( 42 ) and a second cone ( 43 ) arranged symmetrically on both axial ends of the slip ( 41 ), wherein the slip ( 41 ) engages with the first cone ( 42 ) and the second cone ( 43 ) through tapered surfaces, and is configured to retract in the initial state, and to expand radially outwards when the first cone ( 42 ) and the second cone ( 43 ) are close to each other in an axial direction due to axial forces, so as to be anchored securely to the inner wall of the wellbore.

3 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 2 , characterized in that the anchoring mechanism ( 4 ) further comprises a slip nest ( 44 ) provided on an outer side of the first cone ( 42 ) and the second cone ( 43 ), wherein the slip ( 41 ) is connected to the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ) through an elastic member ( 45 ), and configured to retract to be located inside the slip nest ( 44 ) in the initial state, while extend outwards from the slip nest ( 44 ) when the first cone ( 42 ) and the second cone ( 43 ) are subjected to the axial forces.

4 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 2 , characterized in that an anchor jaw ( 411 ) is arranged on a surface of the slip ( 41 ) facing away from the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ), and configured as having four-pronged teeth each with an outer edge inclined toward a center of the slip ( 41 ).

5 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 2 , characterized in that a first retaining ring ( 46 ) is provided at an upper end of the first cone ( 42 ), and a second retaining ring ( 47 ) is provided at a lower end of the second cone ( 43 ), for preventing the first cone ( 42 ) and the second cone ( 43 ) from retreating, respectively.

6 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 5 , characterized in that the sealing mechanism ( 5 ) comprises:
a rubber cylinder ( 51 ) arranged on the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ); and a first rubber cylinder gasket ( 52 ) and a second rubber cylinder gasket ( 53 ) arranged at upper and lower ends of the rubber cylinder ( 51 ), respectively, wherein the first rubber cylinder gasket ( 52 ) and the second rubber cylinder gasket ( 53 ) are configured to, when axially close to each other due to axial forces, press the rubber cylinder ( 51 ) to expand outwardly along a radial direction until tightly abutting against the inner wall of the wellbore, thereby forming a seal.

7 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 6 , characterized in that a force-bearing step is formed at an upper end of the first rubber cylinder gasket ( 52 ), for engagement with a lower end of the slip nest ( 44 ) to transmit axial force.

8 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 6 , characterized in that a lower joint ( 8 ) is fixedly connected to a lower end of the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ), and a cushioning member ( 54 ) is provided between the second rubber cylinder gasket ( 53 ) and the lower joint ( 8 ) along the axial direction, for cushioning compression on the rubber cylinder ( 51 ).

9 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 6 , characterized in that an upper end of the sealing cylinder ( 62 ) is fixedly connected to the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ) through a sealing joint ( 61 ), and the sealing chamber ( 65 ) is formed between the sealing joint ( 61 ) and the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ), wherein a pressure transmitting hole ( 12 ) for communicating with the sealing chamber ( 65 ) is formed on a wall of the orientating coupling shaft ( 1 ).

10 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 9 , characterized in that an annular projection ( 631 ) extending outwards in the radial direction is arranged on an upper outer wall of the piston ( 63 ), and a piston sleeve ( 66 ) is arranged around the piston ( 63 ), a lower end of the piston sleeve ( 66 ) extending downwardly to be fixedly connected to the force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ), and an upper end thereof abutting against a lower end surface of the annular projection ( 631 ),
wherein in the initial state, the piston sleeve ( 66 ) is fixedly connected to the sealing cylinder ( 62 ) through a first shear pin ( 67 ), and the force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ) is fixedly connected to the guiding sleeve ( 3 ) through a second shear pin ( 68 ), and when the pressure of the drilling fluid in the sealing chamber ( 65 ) reaches the first pressure, the first shear pin ( 67 ) and the second shear pin ( 68 ) are simultaneously sheared off, so that the piston ( 63 ) drives the force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ) to move downwards.

11 . The positioning and orientating apparatus for branch well according to claim 10 , characterized in that the setting actuation unit ( 6 ) further comprises a motion sleeve ( 69 ) arranged on the hydraulic cylinder ( 2 ) and between the force transmitting cylinder ( 64 ) and the first cone ( 42 ), for transmitting the axial f

Assignees

• China Petroleum & Chem Corp
• Sinopec Oilfield Service Corp
• Sinopec Shengli Petroleum Eng Co Ltd
• Drilling Tech Research Institute Of Sinopec Shengli Petroleum Engineering Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tang Honglin
• Liu Han
• Zhang Hui
• Wu Zhonghua
• Yang Chunxu
• Chen Yong
• Zhao Zongfeng
• Zhao Chuanwei
• Zhang Rui
• Zhang Junjie

Classifications

• E21B47/024

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B7/061

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

• E21B47/09 Primary

  Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes · CPC title

• Y02E10/10

  Geothermal energy · CPC title

• E21B23/01 Primary

  for anchoring the tools or the like (E21B23/02 - E21B23/06 take precedence; anchoring of drives in the borehole E21B4/18) · CPC title