Multilateral junction system and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9303490-B2
Application number	US-201314021078-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2013
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A multilateral junction system includes a multilateral junction device including a first bore leg; a second bore leg; a joint section having a first opening connected to the first bore leg and a second opening connected to the second bore leg. A main body extending from the joint section and including a third opening; and, a tube connected to the third opening. The tube configured to enable an upper completion to be run into a borehole together with the multilateral junction device. Also included is a method of improving multilateral operations in a borehole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multilateral junction system comprising:
a multilateral junction device including:
a first bore leg;
a second bore leg;
a joint section having a first opening connected to the first bore leg and a second opening connected to the second bore leg;
a main body extending from the joint section and including a third opening;
a tubular inner window sleeve positioned within the main body, the window sleeve extending from the third opening to the joint section, the window sleeve including a radially directed window, the window including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion enabling fluidic communication between the first and third openings and between the second and third openings, the second portion having a different outer peripheral edge than the first portion, the second portion including an orientation edge surface configured to cooperate with an exterior orientation feature of a downhole tool; and,
a tube connected to the third opening, the tube configured to enable an upper completion to be run into a borehole together with the multilateral junction device.

2. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the tube is threaded and configured for attachment to production tubing.

3. The multilateral junction system of claim 2 further comprising the production tubing threadably connected to the tube.

4. The multilateral junction system of claim 3 further comprising a production packer configured to secure at least one of the multilateral junction device and the production tubing to an outer tubular.

5. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the tube is substantially axially aligned with one of the first opening and the second opening.

6. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the tube has a substantially same inner diameter as the first bore leg.

7. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the tube is integral with an end face of the main body.

8. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the tube includes an interior orientation profile configured to engage with downhole tools having cooperating exterior orientation profiles.

9. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 wherein the orientation edge surface includes a helical edge surface.

10. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 further comprising first and second longitudinally spaced through-tubing seal bores within the joint section configured to receive a seal assembly of a downhole tool inserted through the multilateral junction device.

11. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 further comprising a seal bore diverter receiving the first leg there through and diverting the second leg at a non-zero angle from the first leg.

12. The multilateral junction system of claim 1 further comprising a longitudinal opening in the window sleeve, the longitudinal opening extending between the second portion of the window and the joint section, the longitudinal opening configured to accept a key of the tool.

13. A method of improving multilateral operations in a borehole, the method comprising:
attaching production tubing to the multilateral junction device of claim 1 ; and,
running the production tubing and the multilateral junction device together within the borehole, wherein the production tubing extends to an uphole location.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising installing the multilateral junction device at a location where a lateral bore diverts from a main bore.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein attaching the production tubing to a multilateral junction device includes threading the production tubing onto the tube of the multilateral junction device prior to running the production tubing and multilateral junction device within the borehole.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising running a downhole tool within the production tubing and multilateral junction device and engaging orienting reference features of the downhole tool with orienting reference features within the multilateral junction device.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising securing at least one of the production tubing and the multilateral junction device to an outer tubular via an expandable packer.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the multilateral junction device is a first multilateral junction device, and further comprising attaching a second multilateral junction device to the first multilateral junction device.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising attaching a length of production tubing between the first and second multilateral junction devices.

Assignees

• Pendleton Bryan P
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Pendleton Bryan P

Classifications

• E21B41/0035 Primary

  Apparatus or methods for multilateral well technology, e.g. for the completion of or workover on wells with one or more lateral branches · CPC title