Sliding sleeve having deformable ball seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488035-B2
Application number	US-201314104367-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A sliding sleeve opens with a deployed ball. The sleeve has a seat disposed in the housing, and the seat has segments biased outward from one another with a C-ring or other biasing element. Initially, the seat has an expanded state in the sliding sleeve so that the seats segments expand outward against the housing's bore. When an appropriately sized ball is deployed downhole, the ball engages the expanded seat. Fluid pressure applied against the seated ball moves the seat into the inner sleeve's bore. As this occurs, the seat contracts, which increases the engagement area of the seat with the ball. Eventually, the seat reaches the shoulder in the inner sleeve so that pressure applied against the seated ball now moves the inner sleeve in the housing to open the sliding sleeve's flow port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sliding sleeve opening with a deployed plug, the sleeve comprising:
a housing defining a first bore and defining a flow port communicating the first bore outside the housing;
an inner sleeve defining a second bore and being movable axially from a closed position to an opened position inside the first bore relative to the flow port, the second bore having a shoulder disposed therein;
a movable ring disposed in a first axial position in the second bore; and
a deformable ring disposed in the second bore between the shoulder and the movable ring,
the movable ring engaging the deployed plug and moving the inner sleeve open with the deployed plug in response to initial fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug,
the movable ring moving axially in the inner sleeve with the deployed plug toward a second axial position adjacent the shoulder in response to subsequent fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug,
the deformable ring deforming in response to the movement of the movable ring toward the shoulder and engaging the deployed plug when deformed.

2. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the movable ring engages the deployed plug with a first contact area, and wherein the deformable ring engaging the deployed plug increases the engagement with the deployed plug to a second contact area greater than the first contact area.

3. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the deformable ring comprises a material selected from the group consisting of an elastomer, a hard durometer rubber, a thermoplastic, an organic polymer thermoplastic, a polyetheretherketone, a thermoplastic amorphous polymer, a polyamide-imide, an elastically deformable material, a plastically deformable material, a soft metal, cast iron, and a combination thereof.

4. The sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising an attachment holding the inner sleeve in the closed position in the first bore and being disengageable to permit movement of the inner sleeve from the closed position.

5. The sleeve of claim 4 , wherein the movable ring comprises the attachment.

6. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein an insert disposed in the second bore of the inner sleeve comprises at least a portion of the shoulder.

7. The sleeve of claim 1 , comprising means for temporarily affixing the movable ring in the first axial position in the second bore.

8. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid pressure is less than the second fluid pressure.

9. The sleeve of claim 8 , wherein the second fluid pressure comprises a fracturing operation pressure.

10. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the deformable ring in the deformed condition wedges against sides of the plug engaged in the seat.

11. A sliding sleeve opening with a deployed plug, the sleeve comprising
a housing defining a first bore and defining a flow port communicating the first bore outside the housing;
an inner sleeve defining a second bore and being movable inside the first bore from a closed position to an opened position relative to the flow port, the second bore having a shoulder disposed therein; and
a seat disposed in the second bore of the inner sleeve, the seat having a movable ring and having a deformable ring disposed between the movable ring and the shoulder, the seat comprising:
means for engaging the deployed plug with the movable ring,
means for opening the inner sleeve with the movable ring in response to first fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug; and
means for deforming the deformable ring against the shoulder with the movable ring in response to second fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug.

12. The sleeve of claim 11 , wherein the first fluid pressure is less than the second fluid pressure.

13. The sleeve of claim 12 , wherein the second fluid pressure comprises a fracturing operation pressure.

14. The sleeve of claim 11 , further comprising means for temporarily holding the inner sleeve in the closed position.

15. The sleeve of claim 11 , further comprising means for temporarily holding the movable ring affixed in the second bore.

16. A fluid treatment method for a wellbore, the method comprising:
deploying a plug downhole to a sliding sleeve in the wellbore;
engaging the plug against a movable ring of a seat disposed in an inner sleeve of the sliding sleeve;
applying first fluid pressure against the plug engaged in the movable ring;
moving the inner sleeve open in the sliding sleeve with the application of the first fluid pressure against the plug engaged in the movable ring;
applying second fluid pressure against the plug engaged in the movable ring; and
deforming a deformable ring of the seat with the movable ring by moving the movable ring toward the deformable ring with the application of the second fluid pressure.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first fluid pressure is less than the second fluid pressure.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the second fluid pressure comprises a fracturing operation pressure.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising temporarily holding the inner sleeve in the closed position.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising temporarily holding the movable ring affixed in the second bore.

Assignees

• Weatherford Lamb Inc
• Weatherford Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Crowley Scott
• Ward David
• Garcia Cesar G
• Greenan Iain M

Classifications

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• Y10T137/7781

  With separate connected fluid reactor surface · CPC title

• F16K15/00

  Check valves (valves specially adapted for inflatable balls A63B41/00) · CPC title

• F16K11/00

  Multiple-way valves, e.g. mixing valves; Pipe fittings incorporating such valves · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title