Tubing string with latch system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9169699-B2
Application number	US-201213494669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2012
Priority date	Jun 12, 2012
Publication date	Oct 27, 2015
Grant date	Oct 27, 2015

Abstract

A technique facilitates a variety of well services. A tubing string is provided with a latch assembly having a lower latch assembly portion, an upper latch assembly portion, and a latch mandrel. The latch mandrel comprises a weakened region disposed in a housing of the latch assembly. Additionally, a release mechanism may be employed to facilitate release of the upper latch assembly portion from the lower latch assembly portion upon separating the latch mandrel at the weakened region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use in performing a well service, comprising:
a landing string having a latch assembly, the latch assembly comprising:
a lower latch assembly portion;
an upper latch assembly portion selectively engageable with the lower latch assembly portion; and
a latch mandrel received in the upper latch assembly, the latch mandrel having a weakened region located within a housing of the upper latch assembly, the weakened region creating a breakpoint which breaks upon application of a predetermined tensile load applied by pulling up on the landing string and the latch mandrel.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the upper latch assembly portion comprises a release mechanism to selectively release the upper latch portion from the lower latch portion.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the release mechanism is actuated by lifting the latch mandrel after breaking of the latch mandrel at the weakened region.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the latch assembly comprises a plurality of wet mate connectors for coupling control lines.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the latch assembly comprises a plurality of hydraulic wet mate connectors and electrical wet mate connectors.

6. The system as recited in claim 4 , further comprising an alignment system to align the plurality of wet mate connectors during engagement of the upper latch assembly portion with the lower latch assembly portion.

7. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the release mechanism comprises a piston which cooperates with a lock ring to selectively lock and release the upper latch assembly portion and the lower latch assembly portion.

8. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein breaking the latch mandrel at the weakened region creates an upper latch mandrel section and a lower latch mandrel section, further wherein the release mechanism retains and removes the lower latch mandrel section when the upper latch mandrel section and the upper latch assembly portion are lifted away from the lower latch assembly portion.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the landing string is a subsea landing string.

10. A system, comprising:
a latch assembly for releasably coupling of a tubing string, the latch assembly comprising:
a lower latch assembly portion;
an upper latch assembly portion releasably engageable with the lower latch assembly portion;
a latch mandrel having a weakened region; and
a release mechanism, wherein sufficient tension on the latch mandrel applied by pulling upward on the tubing string causes separation of the latch mandrel at the weakened region to form separate mandrel sections such that continued upward pulling of the latch mandrel releases the upper latch assembly portion from the lower latch assembly portion while retaining the separate mandrel sections with the upper latch assembly portion.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the weakened region is located within a housing of the upper latch assembly portion.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the weakened region comprises a circumferential groove formed in the latch mandrel.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the weakened region comprises a notch formed in the latch mandrel.

14. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the lower latch assembly portion is connected to a lower section of a subsea landing string.

15. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the latch assembly comprises a central flow passage.

16. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the latch assembly comprises a plurality of wet connects which are engaged and disengaged when the upper latch assembly portion is engaged with or disengaged from, respectively, the lower latch assembly portion.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the plurality of wet connects comprises hydraulic wet connects and electrical wet connects.

18. A method for facilitating well services, comprising:
using a latch assembly coupled in a subsea landing string, the latch assembly comprising a lower latch assembly portion, an upper latch assembly portion, a latch mandrel having a weakened region, and a housing surrounding the weakened region; and
utilizing a release mechanism to release the upper latch assembly portion from the lower latch assembly portion and to retain separated sections of the latch mandrel with the upper latch assembly portion, wherein the utilizing comprises:
parting the latch mandrel at the weakened region into an upper latch mandrel section and a lower latch mandrel section in response to pulling up on the landing string and the latch mandrel; and
after parting the latch mandrel at the weakened region disengaging the release mechanism from the lower latch assembly portion in response to upward pulling on the landing string and the upper latch mandrel section.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 , further comprising coupling control lines through the latch assembly via wet connects.

Assignees

• Rytlewski Gary
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Rytlewski Gary

Classifications

• E21B33/038

  Connectors used on well heads, e.g. for connecting blow-out preventer and riser · 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

• E21B17/06 Primary

  Releasing-joints, e.g. safety joints · CPC title

• E21B43/013

  Connecting a production flow line to an underwater well head · CPC title