Packer plug with retractable latch, downhole system, and method of retracting packer plug from packer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016168947-A1
Application number	US-201414571417-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2014
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A packer plug includes a retractable latch having at least one radially compressible finger having threads on an exterior surface, and a housing operatively arranged to move the at least one radially compressible finger inwardly during longitudinal movement of the housing in an uphole direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A packer plug comprising:
a retractable latch having at least one radially compressible finger having threads on an exterior surface; and, a housing operatively arranged to move the at least one radially compressible finger inwardly during longitudinal movement of the housing in an uphole direction.

2 . The packer plug of claim 1 , wherein the at least one radially compressible finger includes a face radially interior to the exterior surface, and the housing including at least one protrusion having a ramp, the ramp arranged to cam the face radially inwardly during longitudinal movement of the housing in the uphole direction.

3 . The packer plug of claim 2 , wherein the face has an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the retractable latch, and the ramp has an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the housing.

4 . The packer plug of claim 3 , wherein the angle of the face is substantially same as angle of ramp.

5 . The packer plug of claim 2 , wherein the face is formed on a tab of the at least one radially compressible finger and the ramp is formed within a slot in the at least one protrusion of the housing.

6 . The packer plug of claim 5 , wherein opposing sides of each of the at least one radially compressible finger includes the tab, and opposing sides of each of the at least one protrusion includes the slot.

7 . The packer plug of claim 1 , wherein the housing is disposed radially inward of the latch.

8 . The packer plug of claim 1 , wherein the threads include a trailing flank having a substantially 90 degree angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the retractable latch.

9 . The packer plug of claim 8 , wherein the lead-in flank angle of the threads on the at least one radially compressible finger is oblique.

10 . The packer plug of claim 8 , wherein the threads are chamfered at a crest of each thread.

11 . The packer plug of claim 1 , wherein the housing is a lug housing with at least one window sized to accept lugs therethrough.

12 . A downhole system comprising:
the packer plug of claim 1 , the threads of the at least one radially compressible finger include a trailing flank having a substantially 90 degree angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the retractable latch; and, a packer having a square thread formed on an interior surface of the packer; wherein the trailing flank is engaged with the square thread when the packer plug is received within the packer, and the trailing flank is moved radially inwardly away from the square thread during longitudinal movement of the housing in the uphole direction to retract the packer plug from the packer.

13 . A packer plug comprising:
a retractable latch having at least one radially compressible finger having threads on an exterior surface, and a face radially interior to the exterior surface; a housing having at least one protrusion having a ramp; wherein longitudinal movement of the housing relative to the retractable latch in an uphole direction moves the at least one radially compressible finger inwardly via camming engagement between the face and the ramp.

14 . The packer plug of claim 13 , wherein an exterior surface on the at least one radially compressible finger includes threads, the threads including a trailing flank having a substantially 90 degree angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the latch.

15 . The packer plug of claim 13 , wherein the housing includes at least one window, the at least one radially compressible finger at least partially disposed in the at least one window, wherein longitudinal movement of the housing relative to the retractable latch in an uphole direction moves the at least one radially compressible finger radially toward the at least one window.

16 . The packer plug of claim 13 , wherein the face is formed on a tab of the at least one radially compressible finger and the ramp is formed within a slot in the at least one protrusion of the housing.

17 . A method of retracting a packer plug from a packer, the packer plug having exterior threads on radially compressible fingers of a retractable latch, the exterior threads meshed with interior threads of the packer, the method comprising:
applying force in an uphole direction on a mandrel of the packer plug; moving a housing of the packer plug with the mandrel in the uphole direction with respect to the latch of the packer plug; camming the fingers radially inward via engagement of the fingers with the housing until at least a major diameter of the exterior threads is less than a minor diameter of the square threads; and, retracting the packer plug including the retractable latch longitudinally from the packer.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the exterior threads on the radially compressible fingers of the retractable latch include a trailing flank having a substantially 90 degree angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the retractable latch.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein camming the fingers radially inward via engagement of the fingers with the housing includes sliding an angled face of the fingers against an angled ramp of the lug housing.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the housing restrains the fingers radially inward during retraction of the packer plug from the packer.

Assignees

• Hayter Steven R
• Farrar Benjamin J
• Cochran Toby Lee
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Hayter Steven R
• Farrar Benjamin J
• Cochran Toby Lee

Classifications

• E21B33/134 Primary

  Bridging plugs · CPC title

• E21B23/02

  for locking the tools or the like in landing nipples or in recesses between adjacent sections of tubing (E21B23/03 - E21B23/06 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/1293 Primary

  with means for anchoring against downward and upward movement (E21B33/1291, E21B33/1295 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B23/00

  Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells (setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10) · CPC title