Sliding sleeve having inverting ball seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9677380-B2
Application number	US-201314104016-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

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 from a proximal end to a distal end and being movable axially inside the first bore from a closed position to an opened position relative to the flow port; and
a seat disposed in the inner sleeve, the seat being conical and having an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, the inner perimeter forming a top open end of the seat, the outer perimeter forming a bottom open end of the seat, the seat having an initial state with the top open end disposed more toward the proximal end of the inner sleeve than the bottom open end,
the seat in the initial state engaging the deployed plug and moving the inner sleeve open in response to fluid pressure applied against the plug engaged in the seat,
the seat deforming from the initial state to an at least partially inverted state, with the top open end bent in toward the bottom open end, in the inner sleeve in response to the fluid pressure applied against the plug engaged in the seat.

2. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the seat in the initial state engages the plug with a first contact area, and wherein the seat in the at least partially inverted state engages the plug with a second contact area greater than the first contact area.

3. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the seat in the initial state moves the inner sleeve open in response to an initial portion of the fluid pressure applied against the plug engaged in the seat.

4. The sleeve of claim 3 , wherein the seat deforms from the initial state to the at least partially inverted state in the inner sleeve in response to a subsequent portion of the fluid pressure applied against the plug engaged in the seat.

5. The sleeve of claim 4 , wherein the initial portion of the fluid pressure is less than the subsequent portion of the fluid pressure.

6. The sleeve of claim 5 , wherein the subsequent portion of the fluid pressure comprises a fracturing operation pressure.

7. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the seat comprises a frusto-conical ring having the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter, the inner perimeter forming the top open end, the outer perimeter forming the bottom open end.

8. The sleeve of claim 7 , wherein the frusto-conical ring deformed at least partially to the inverted state has the top open end bent in toward the bottom open end.

9. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the seat comprises a plurality of tongues disposed around the second bore, the tongues each having a first end forming the top open end within the second bore, the tongues each having a second end forming the bottom open end attached to the second bore.

10. The sleeve of claim 9 , wherein the tongues deformed to the at least partially inverted state have the first ends bent in toward the second end.

11. The sleeve of claim 1 , further comprising an attachment holding the inner sleeve in the closed position and disengaging from the inner sleeve with the movement of the inner sleeve from the closed position.

12. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the seat in the at least partially inverted state wedges against the plug engaged in the seat.

13. A fluid treatment method for a wellbore, the method comprising:
deploying a plug downhole to a sliding sleeve in the wellbore;
engaging the plug with a first contact area of a conical seat disposed in an inner sleeve of the sliding sleeve, the conical seat having an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, the inner perimeter forming a top open end of the seat, the outer perimeter forming a bottom open end of the seat;
moving the inner sleeve open in the sliding sleeve by applying first fluid pressure against the deployed plug in the conical seat;
engaging the deployed plug with a second contact area of the conical seat greater than the first contact area by at least partially inverting the conical seat in the inner sleeve with the top open end bent in toward the bottom open end.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least partially inverting the conical seat in the inner sleeve comprises deforming the conical seat in response to a subsequent fluid pressure applied against the plug engaged in the seat.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first fluid pressure is less than the subsequent fluid pressure.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the subsequent portion of the fluid pressure comprises a fracturing operation pressure.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the seat comprises a frusto-conical ring having the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter, the inner perimeter forming the top open end, the outer perimeter forming the bottom open end, and/or wherein the seat comprises a plurality of tongues disposed around the second bore, the tongues each having a first end forming the top open end within the second bore, the tongues each having a second end forming the bottom open end attached to the second bore.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein engaging the deployed plug by at least partially inverting the conical seat comprises wedging the seat in the at least partially inverted state against the plug engaged in the seat.

Assignees

• Weatherford Lamb Inc
• Weatherford Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Wilkin James F

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