Collet with ball actuated expandable seal and/or pressure enhanced radially expandable spline
阅读说明:本技术 具有球致动的可扩张密封和/或压力增强的可径向扩张花键的夹头 (Collet with ball actuated expandable seal and/or pressure enhanced radially expandable spline ) 是由 肖恩·P·坎贝尔 于 2017-11-21 设计创作,主要内容包括:一种滑阀,具有阀体、接收在阀体的纵向孔中的滑套、以及接收在滑套的纵向孔中的夹头。该阀体在其侧壁的井口部分上具有一个或多个流体端口。该滑套可在关闭一个或多个流体端口的井口关闭位置与打开一个或多个流体端口的井下打开位置之间移动。该夹头包括围绕夹头的井口端的金属部分以及具有相对于夹头的纵向轴线成锐角从井口向井下径向向内倾斜的球座表面的球座。当夹头被接纳在滑套中时,金属部分在径向向外的压力下可径向向外扩张,以在夹头与滑套之间的界面处形成金属间密封。(A spool valve has a valve body, a sliding sleeve received in a longitudinal bore of the valve body, and a collet received in a longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve. The valve body has one or more fluid ports on a wellhead portion of a sidewall thereof. The sliding sleeve is movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports. The collet includes a metal portion surrounding a wellhead end of the collet and a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inward from the wellhead downhole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet. When the collet is received in the sliding sleeve, the metal portion can expand radially outward under a radially outward pressure to form a metal-to-metal seal at an interface between the collet and the sliding sleeve.)
1. A collet for use in conjunction with a spool valve, the spool valve comprising a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports located on an uphole portion of a sidewall thereof, and a sliding sleeve received in the longitudinal bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sliding sleeve comprising a longitudinal bore for receiving the collet, the collet comprising:
a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from uphole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet; and
a radially expandable portion proximate to and extending circumferentially around the ball seat; and is
Wherein when the collet is received in the sliding sleeve, the radially expandable portion is capable of expanding radially outward at least 0.09% under a pressure of at least 150psi on a ball located in the ball seat, thereby forming a seal at an interface between the collet and a longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve.
2. The collet of claim 1, wherein the radially expandable portion is capable of expanding radially outward by at least 0.2% when the fluid pressure is applied to the ball.
3. The collet of claim 2, wherein the radially expandable portion is radially outwardly expandable by at least 0.2% relative to an outer diameter of the collet upon application of a fluid pressure of about 1500psi or greater to the ball.
4. The chuck of claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination is between about 25 ° and about 70 °.
5. The chuck of claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination is about 35 °.
6. The chuck of claim 3, wherein the angle of inclination is between about 50 ° and about 60 °.
7. The collet of claim 1, wherein the ball seat and the radially expandable portion of the collet together are located near a wellhead end of the collet.
8. The chuck of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the angle of inclination is about 55 °.
9. A collet as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the radially expandable portion of the collet in the region of the ball seat is constructed of a material having a modulus of elasticity of approximately 29,000,000 psi.
10. A collet as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the radially expandable portion of the collet in at least the region of the ball seat is made of or comprises metal.
11. The collet of any of claims 1-10, wherein the radially expandable portion of the collet in the region of the ball seat comprises American Petroleum Institute (API) N80 grade steel.
12. The collet of any of claims 1-10, wherein the radially expandable portion of the collet in the region of the ball seat is made of API P110 grade steel.
13. The chuck of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising:
a cylindrical wellhead section;
a cylindrical downhole portion; and
at least one flexibly resilient spline on an outer periphery of the collet, each spline coupled at two longitudinally opposite ends thereof to a wellhead portion and a downhole portion, respectively; and is
Wherein the at least one spline includes a collet profile on an outer surface thereof that matches a sleeve profile on an inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
14. The collet of claim 12, wherein when the splines matingly engage with the sleeve profile and when the pressure is applied to the ball with the ball seated in the ball seat, the at least one flexibly resilient spline flexes radially outward such that its collet profile further and to a greater extent matingly engages with the sleeve profile on an inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
15. A spool valve, comprising:
a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports on an uphole portion of a sidewall of the valve body;
a sliding sleeve received in the longitudinal bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sliding sleeve including a longitudinal bore; and
a collet for receipt into the bore of the sliding sleeve;
wherein the chuck comprises:
a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from uphole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet; and
a radially expandable portion proximate to and extending circumferentially around the ball seat; and is
Wherein when the collet is received in the sliding sleeve, the radially expandable portion is capable of expanding radially outward at least 0.09% under a pressure of at least 150psi on a ball located in the ball seat, thereby forming a seal at an interface between the collet and a longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve.
16. The spool valve of claim 15, wherein said radially expandable portion of said collet is capable of expanding radially outward by at least 0.2% when said pressure of at least 150psi is applied.
17. The spool valve of claim 16, wherein the radially expandable portion of the collet is radially outwardly expandable by at least 0.2% relative to an outer diameter of the collet when a pressure of about 1500psi or greater is applied.
18. The spool valve of claim 15, wherein the angle of inclination of the ball seat of the collet is between about 15 ° and about 70 °.
19. The spool valve of claim 15, wherein the angle of inclination of the ball seat is approximately 35 °.
20. The spool valve of claim 15, wherein the tilt angle is between about 50 ° and about 60 °.
21. A slide valve as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the ball seat is located near an uphole end of the collet.
22. A spool valve according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the angle of inclination is approximately 55 °.
23. A sliding valve according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein at least the radially expandable portion of the collet is made of or comprises metal.
24. A spool valve according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein said radially expandable portion of said collet comprises API N80 grade steel.
25. A spool valve according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein said radially expandable portion of said collet comprises an API P110 grade steel.
26. The spool valve of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein the collet further comprises:
a cylindrical wellhead section;
a cylindrical downhole portion; and
a plurality of flexible resilient splines coupled at two longitudinally opposite ends thereof to the uphole portion and the downhole portion, respectively; and is
Wherein the at least one spline includes a collet profile on an outer surface thereof that matches a sleeve profile on an inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
27. The spool valve of claim 26, wherein when said splines are in mating engagement with said sleeve profile and when said pressure is applied to said ball with said ball seated in said ball seat, said at least one flex spline flexes radially outward such that its collet profile further and to a greater extent is in mating engagement with said sleeve profile on an inner surface of said sliding sleeve.
28. A collet for use in conjunction with a spool valve, the spool valve comprising a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports located on an uphole portion of a sidewall thereof, and a metal sliding sleeve received in the bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sliding sleeve comprising a casing profile on an inner surface thereof and a longitudinal bore for receiving the collet, the collet comprising:
a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from uphole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet;
a cylindrical wellhead section;
a cylindrical downhole portion; and
a plurality of flexible resilient splines coupled at two longitudinally opposite ends thereof to the uphole portion and the downhole portion, respectively; and is
Wherein each of the splines comprises a collet profile on its outer surface that matches the sleeve profile; and is
Wherein the flex spline is adapted to flex radially outwardly when the spline is in mating engagement with the casing profile and a ball is seated in the ball seat, and when fluid pressure is applied to the ball with the ball seated in the ball seat, so that its collet profile further and to a greater extent is in mating engagement with the casing profile on the inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
29. A method for actuating a sliding sleeve having a longitudinal bore, comprising:
providing a collet receivable in the bore of the sliding sleeve, the collet including a radially outwardly expandable metal portion disposed about a wellhead end of the collet, and a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from the wellhead at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet;
flowing the collet downhole in a wellbore and lockingly engaging in the bore of the sliding sleeve;
flowing a ball downhole and seating the ball on the ball seat;
applying a first fluid pressure from a wellhead to press the ball against the ball seat and expand a portion of the collet in the region of the ball seat radially outward to form a seal at an interface between the collet and the sliding sleeve in the region of the ball seat; and is
A second fluid pressure is applied from the wellhead to shear the shear pin and allow the sliding sleeve to slide downhole and expose the port.
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to downhole tools for fracturing operations, and more particularly to a flowable collet for actuating a spool valve to open a selected port in a production string.
Background
Downhole tools have been widely used in the oil and gas industry. Many downhole tools include pressure actuated valves. For example, prior art ball actuated slide valves include a tubular valve housing having an aperture and receiving a sliding sleeve therein. The sliding sleeve includes a ball seat at an uphole end thereof and is initially configured in an uphole closed position blocking one or more fluid ports on a sidewall of the valve housing. To actuate the slide valve, it is necessary to drop and seat the ball on the ball seat of the slide sleeve. Fluid pressure is then applied to the ball to actuate the sliding sleeve downhole to an open position to open a fluid port in the valve housing.
One or more ball actuated spool valves may be used during a fracturing process to fracture a subterranean formation. However, one problem with cascading multiple ball actuated spool valves for fracturing is that the bore of the downhole spool valve must be smaller than the bore of the uphole spool valve to allow smaller sized balls to pass through the uphole spool valves to the target downhole spool valve. In other words, the bore of the spool valve cascade must decrease in order from uphole to downhole to ensure successful operation, which results in a decrease in flow at the downhole end.
United states patent 4,043,392 to Gazda teaches a well system for selectively locking a downhole tool along a flow conduit in a wellbore, and a tool string for use in the flow conduit, the tool string including a locking mandrel, a casing displacement device, and a well safety valve. The selective locking system has a seating and locking recess profile including upward and downward facing stop shoulders. One form of lockout system is disposed in a sliding sleeve valve that includes a cam release shoulder to release the selector and the lockout key when the sliding sleeve valve is moved between the spaced apart longitudinal positions. Another form of locking system may be disposed along the setting sub and requires disabling the drilling tool locked therein to release the selector and locking tool. The casing shifting device has means for opening and closing a sliding sleeve valve comprising a key with an upward and downward stop shoulder and a recess profile compatible with the landing and locking recess profiles of a casing valve or landing nipple. The cannula displacement device may also be used as a locking mandrel. The selectivity is provided by variations in the seating and locking profiles and the profiles of the keys.
In US 4,043,392, the profiles of the spring biased keys are mutually exclusive. The profile of the key will only engage with a sliding sleeve having a matching internal profile.
U.S. patent 4,436,152 to Fisher et al teaches an improved shifting tool that is attachable in a well tool string and that can be used to engage and position a sliding sleeve in a well flow conduit in a sliding sleeve device. The selectively shaped shifting tool key provides a better fit and a larger contact area between the key and the sliding sleeve. When the engaged sliding sleeve cannot be moved upward and the shifting tool cannot be automatically disengaged, the shifting tool can be removed from the sliding sleeve device by applying an emergency disengagement means to the shifting tool sufficient to shear the keys and cam both ends of all keys inward to achieve complete disengagement.
U.S. patent 5,305,833 to coriins teaches a shifting tool for a sliding sleeve valve used in oil and gas wells having a locating pawl for selectively locating and engaging a shoulder in the valve. The primary key engages and selectively displaces the sliding sleeve to an equilibrium position and prevents premature displacement to a fully open position. The shifting tool also includes means for selectively overriding the anti-shifting function after balancing. The auxiliary key guides the main key in the displacement direction and engages the sleeve and moves the sleeve to the fully open chucking position. The shifting tool may also be selectively disengaged from the casing valve to withdraw the shifting tool from the well. Additionally, a method for selectively and sequentially moving a sleeve of a sleeve valve from a closed position to an equilibrium position and then from the equilibrium position to a fully open position is disclosed.
In particular, US 5,305,833 teaches two independent spring biased keys, wherein a first of the two keys may fit in the profile of the second key. But the second key cannot fit within the outline of the first key.
U.S. patent 5,309,988 to summer (Shy) et al teaches a subterranean well flow control system that includes a series of movable casing-type flow control devices mounted in a well flow conduit at a plurality of fluid-containing fracture zones, and a shifting tool movable in the conduit and operable to selectively move the casing portions of any selected number of flow control devices in either direction between their open and closed positions without removing the tool from the conduit. Sets of radially retractable anchor and indexing keys are provided in the sidewall opening of the tool body and are configured to lockingly engage sets of inner side surface grooves on the body and movable sleeve portions, respectively, of any one of the flow control devices. The key sets are biased radially outwardly toward the extended position by springs, and an electro-mechanical drive system disposed within the tool body is operable to radially retract the key sets and axially drive the shift key sets toward or away from the anchor key sets. This allows the tool to be moved in either axial direction into or through either of the flow control devices, locked to the device, operated to move its sleeve portion fully or partially in either direction, and then disengaged from the flow control device and moved to any other one of the flow control devices to displace its sleeve portion. The interengaging V-shaped threads on the body and the sleeve portion of each flow control device help releasably retain the sleeve portion in the partially displaced position.
US 5,309,988 also teaches two mutually exclusive key profiles.
United states patent 5,730,224 to Williamson et al teaches a subterranean formation for controlling tools into and out of a horizontal wellbore extending from the wellbore. The subterranean structure includes a liner positioned in the wellbore adjacent to the opening of the horizontal wellbore and having an access window therethrough to allow tools to access the horizontal well through the opening. The bushing also has a sliding in and out control coaxially coupled thereto. The subterranean structure further includes a shifting device engageable with the sliding access control device to slide the sliding access control device between an open position to allow tools to pass through the window and opening and into the horizontal wellbore and a closed position to prevent tools from passing through the window and opening into the horizontal wellbore. The patent also teaches a method of controlling access of tools to and from a horizontal wellbore extending from the wellbore. The preferred method comprises the steps of: 1) positioning a liner in the wellbore proximate an opening of the lateral wellbore, the liner having an access window therethrough to allow access to the lateral wellbore by a tool through the opening, the liner further having a sliding access control device coaxially coupled thereto; 2) engaging the slide in and out control with the displacement device to slide the slide in and out control relative to the bushing; and 3) sliding the sliding access control device between an open position to allow the tool to pass through the window and opening and into the horizontal wellbore and a closed position to prevent the tool from passing through the window and opening and into the horizontal wellbore.
US 5,730,224 teaches two key profiles, one of which is the opposite of the other.
Us patents 7,325,617 and 7,552,779 to Murray teach a system that allows for sequential processing of segments of a region. Each section can be accessed with a sliding sleeve having a specific internal profile. A pumping plug having a specific profile that enables it to latch onto a specific sleeve may be used. When in the latched state, pressure on the plug allows sequential opening of the sleeves while isolating the area below that which has been affected. The pump plug has a passage that is initially blocked by material that eventually disappears under expected well conditions. Thus, when all portions of the area have been processed, the flow path is re-established by the respective latch plugs. The plug may also be blown off the sliding sleeve after it has been manipulated and may have a key which prevents the plug from rotating along its axis when it is later required to mill the plug.
Us patent 9,611,727 to Campbell et al teaches an apparatus and method for fracturing a well in a hydrocarbon containing formation. The apparatus includes a valve subassembly assembled with a casing segment to form a well casing for the well. The valve subassembly includes a sliding piston that is fixed in position to seal a port that provides communication between the interior of the wellbore and a production zone of the formation. A dart with a cup seal can be inserted into the wellbore and pushed through the pressurized fracturing fluid until the dart reaches the valve subassembly to plug the wellbore below the valve subassembly. The force of the fracturing fluid on the dart and its cup seal forces the piston to move downward to shear the pin and open the port. The fracturing fluid may then flow out of the ports, thereby fracturing the production zone of the formation.
U.S. patent 9,739,117 to Campbell et al teaches a method and apparatus for selectively actuating a downhole tool in a tubular conduit. The actuator tool has an actuator mandrel with an actuator bore, a bypass, and a profile key for selectively engaging the downhole tool. The downhole tool has one or more profile receivers adapted to actuate the downhole tool. If the profile key matches the profile receiver, the actuator tool is conveyed into the tubular conduit and the actuator tool engages the downhole tool; if the profile key does not match the profile receiver, the actuator tool and the downhole tool cannot be engaged. Fluid may be circulated through the actuator bore to flush or clean prior to the actuator tool.
U.S. patent publication 2003/0173089 to Westgard teaches a full bore selective positioning and orientation system including a sub mountable in a pipe string and having an internal location and orientation configuration of known construction, and a positioning device operable within the pipe string and having a location and orientation configuration engageable with the internal configuration of the sub. A method of locating and orienting a downhole tool comprising installing a tubular sub having a particular inner dimensional configuration in a tubular string running a locating device having a complementary outer dimensional configuration to engage the inner dimensional configuration and rotate the locating device to a position in which a biasing member extends from the locating device into a recess in the tubular member.
U.S. patent publication 2015/0226034 to Jani (Jani) teaches an apparatus and associated method for selectively actuating a sliding sleeve in a downhole sub-member in a wellbore to open ports in such sub-member to allow fracturing of the wellbore or detonation of explosives thereon, or both. Simplified darts and sleeves are used, which reduces the machining operations on each part. The dart is preferably provided with coupling means to facilitate coupling of a retrieval tool thereto, allowing the bypass valve to operate to assist withdrawal of the dart from within the valve adaptor when the retrieval tool is so coupled. Upward movement of the retrieval tool allows a wedge member to disengage the dart member from the corresponding sleeve to withdraw the dart.
U.S. patent publication 2014/0209306 to houses et al teaches a wellbore treatment tool for use against a confining wall into which the wellbore treatment tool is positionable. The wellbore treatment tool includes a tool body including a first end formed to be connected to a tubing string and an opposite end; a stop key assembly comprising a tubular housing defining an internal bore extending along a length of the tubular housing and an outwardly facing surface with a stop key, the stop key configured to lock the stop key and the tubular housing in a fixed position relative to the constraining wall, the tubular housing being sleeved over a tool body mounted in the internal bore of the tubular housing; and a sealing element surrounding the tool body and located between a first compression ring on the tool body and a second compression ring on the tubular housing, the sealing element being expandable to form an annular seal around the tool body by compression between the first compression ring and the second compression ring.
U.S. patent publication 2015/0218916 to Richards et al teaches a circulating casing that can be opened and closed as well as permanently closed. A completion system includes a completion string having a circulating sleeve movably disposed therein, the circulating sleeve having a locking profile defined on an outer radial surface thereof and a shifting profile defined on an inner radial surface thereof, and a service tool disposed at least partially within the completion string and including a shifting tool having one or more shifting keys configured to mate with the shifting profile. When the shifting key locates and engages the shifting profile, an axial load applied to the service tool axially displaces the circulating casing, a release shoulder assembly is disposed within the completion string and includes a release shoulder defining a passage configured to receive the locking mechanism blocked therein until the release shoulder is axially displaced.
Canadian patent 2,412,072 to fel (Fehr) et al teaches a tubing string assembly for fluid treatment of a wellbore. The string may be used for staged wellbore fluid treatment, in which selected portions of the wellbore are treated while other portions remain sealed. The string may also be used in situations where it is desired to run a ported string in a pressure sealed condition and then use it with the port open.
The fracturing industry is constantly interested in alternative and/or improved designs that enable subterranean valves to consistently and reliably engage and actuate and improve sealability.
Disclosure of Invention
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a particular collet is provided for use with a spool valve to allow opening of a selected port downhole in a wellbore.
The spool valve includes a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports on an uphole portion of a sidewall thereof, and a sliding sleeve received in the longitudinal bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sliding sleeve including a longitudinal bore for receiving a collet.
Importantly, the cartridge for the aforesaid slide valve comprises:
-a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from uphole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet;
-a radially expandable portion adjacent to and extending circumferentially around the ball seat;
wherein when the collet is received in the sliding sleeve, the radially expandable portion expands radially outward at least 0.09% under a pressure of at least 150 pounds per square inch (psi) against a ball located in the ball seat, thereby forming a seal at an interface between the collet and the longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve.
Advantageously, therefore, in the case of a collet configured in the manner described above which allows radial enlargement, this advantageously enables the overall outer diameter of the collet to be reduced. This reduction in diameter, not only in the ball seat area but also in the collet profile area, makes it easier for the collet and its profile area to pass downhole with less interference with the various slips that are not intended to be actuated, thereby reducing wear in the collet profile area and maintaining the integrity of the collet profile, thereby better ensuring that when the collet reaches the desired slip that is intended to be actuated, the corresponding profiles thereon can be fully and reliably engaged while creating a seal such that pressure is created on the uphole side of the ball, thereby causing shear of the shear pin that holds the slip in place, and then allowing the slip to move downhole, thereby opening the desired downhole port.
In another aspect of the invention, the invention includes a spool valve having a collet with the above-described functionality. Accordingly, in this embodiment of the invention, the invention comprises a spool valve comprising:
-a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports located on a wellhead portion of a sidewall of the valve body;
-a sliding sleeve received in the longitudinal bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sliding sleeve comprising a longitudinal bore; and
-a collet for receipt into a bore of the sliding sleeve;
wherein the chuck comprises: a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inward from uphole to downhole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet; and a radially expandable portion adjacent to and extending circumferentially around the ball seat; and is
Wherein when the collet is received in the sliding sleeve, the radially expandable portion expands radially outward by at least 0.09% under a pressure of at least 150psi on a ball located in the ball seat, thereby forming a seal at an interface between the collet and the longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve.
In another embodiment of the invention, for the purpose of better functioning of the collet, the radially expandable portion of the collet is expandable radially outward by at least 0.2% upon application of the aforementioned fluid pressure to the ball.
In another embodiment, the collet expands radially outward at least 0.2% relative to an outer diameter of the collet in at least the radially expandable portion thereof upon application of a pressure of about 1500psi or greater.
Preferably, the angle of inclination is between about 25 ° and about 70 °, more preferably between about 35 ° and 55 °. The ball seat and the radially expandable portion of the collet are each located proximate a wellhead end of the collet.
In a preferred embodiment, the radially expandable portion is constructed of a material having an elastic modulus of about 29,000,000 psi.
In another embodiment, at least the radially expandable portion of the collet in the region of the ball seat is made of or comprises metal.
In another embodiment, the radially expandable portion of the collet in the ball seat region comprises American Petroleum Institute (API) grade N80 steel.
In another embodiment, the radially expandable portion of the collet in the ball seat region is made of API P110 grade steel.
In a refinement, the chuck may further comprise:
-a cylindrical wellhead portion;
-a cylindrical downhole portion; and
-at least one flexibly resilient spline on the outer circumference of the collet, each spline being coupled at its two longitudinally opposite ends to a wellhead part and a downhole part, respectively;
wherein the at least one spline includes a collet profile on its outer surface that matches a sleeve profile on the inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
Advantageously, in view of the above improvement, when the aforementioned splines of the collet are in mating engagement with the casing profile, and when fluid pressure is applied to the ball with the ball in the ball seat, the at least one flexibly resilient spline flexes radially outwardly so that its collet profile further and to a greater extent is in mating engagement with the casing profile on the inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
In another aspect of the present invention, a cartridge for a spool valve is provided. The spool valve includes a valve body having a longitudinal bore therethrough and one or more fluid ports on an uphole portion of a sidewall thereof, and a metal sleeve received in the bore of the valve body and movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports, the sleeve including a casing profile on an inner surface thereof and a longitudinal bore for receiving a collet.
The clip portion includes:
-a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from uphole at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet;
-a cylindrical wellhead portion;
-a cylindrical downhole portion; and
-a plurality of flexibly resilient splines coupled at two longitudinally opposite ends thereof to the uphole portion and the downhole portion, respectively;
wherein each of the splines includes a collet profile on an outer surface thereof that matches a sleeve profile;
wherein the flexibly resilient splines are adapted to flex radially outwardly when the splines are in mating engagement with the casing profile and a ball is seated in the ball seat, and when fluid pressure is applied to the ball with the ball seated in the ball seat, so that their collet profile further and to a greater extent is in mating engagement with the casing profile on the inner surface of the sliding sleeve.
In another aspect of the invention, the invention includes a method for actuating a sliding sleeve having a longitudinal bore. The method comprises the following steps:
-providing a collet receivable in the bore of the sliding sleeve, the collet comprising a radially outwardly expandable metal portion disposed about a wellhead end of the collet, and a ball seat having a ball seat surface inclined radially inwardly downhole from the wellhead at an acute angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the collet;
-flowing the collet downhole in the wellbore and lockingly engaging in the bore of the sliding sleeve;
-running the ball downhole and seating the ball on a ball seat;
-applying a first fluid pressure from the wellhead to press the ball against the ball seat and expand the collet portion in the area of the ball seat radially outwardly to form a seal at an interface between the collet and the sliding sleeve in the area of the ball seat; and is
-applying a second fluid pressure from the wellhead to shear the shear pin and allow the sliding sleeve to slide downhole and expose the port.
Drawings
Further advantages and other embodiments of the invention will now become apparent from reading the above description and the following detailed description of several specific embodiments of the invention, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, each of which is non-limiting, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a downhole tool in the form of a spool valve including a valve body and a sliding sleeve movable in the spool valve with the sliding sleeve configured in a closed position, further illustrating a protective sleeve used in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve body of the downhole tool shown in FIG. 1 without the protective sleeve;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve of the downhole tool shown in FIG. 1, showing an additional protective sleeve;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve body of the sliding sleeve shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve protective sleeve of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the stop ring of the sliding sleeve shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve of FIG. 3 illustrating the process of assembling the sliding sleeve;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a collet for actuating the mating spool valve shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 9-12A are cross-sectional views of the collet of FIG. 8 and the mating spool valve of FIG. 1, illustrating the process of the collet entering into and lockingly engaging the mating spool valve;
FIG. 12B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 12A, showing the profile areas of the collet and mating spool valve when the collet is lockingly engaged in the mating slide sleeve;
FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the collet of FIG. 8 locked into the mating slide valve of FIG. 1 and a ball dropped into the slide valve to actuate the slide valve to an open position;
FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the sliding sleeve of the sliding valve shown in FIG. 13 actuated by ball and collet pressure to an open position to open fluid ports for fracturing;
FIG. 15A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the sliding sleeve of an alternative embodiment of a sliding valve actuated by ball and collet pressure to an open position to open a fluid port for fracturing, wherein upon application of wellhead fluid pressure, the splines of the collet can be pressure actuated to expand radially outward, and compression of the collet causes the splines to expand radially outward to further engage the sliding sleeve to enhance engageability and thereby further enhance pressure resistance;
FIG. 15B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 15A, showing the collet radially outwardly expanded in engagement with the sliding sleeve;
FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of a casing string having a plurality of the spool valves of FIG. 1 extending into a wellbore to fracture a subterranean formation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view of a collet of some alternative embodiments;
FIG. 17B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 17A, showing the ball seat of the collet;
FIG. 18 illustrates, in cross-section, one particular example of the collet of FIG. 17A received in the sliding sleeve of FIG. 3 and a ball received therein, the ball configured to expand radially outward in an expandable metal portion of the collet to form a metal-to-metal seal between the collet and the sliding sleeve upon seating the ball on a ball seat of the collet and applying well fluid pressure to the ball;
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a collet of some alternative embodiments;
20A-20D are schematic diagrams illustrating a plurality of sleeve profiles and their corresponding collet profiles of some alternative embodiments;
FIG. 21A is a schematic diagram showing the sleeve profile and corresponding collet profile to illustrate parameters related to the design of these profiles;
FIG. 21B is a schematic view showing the mating of the sleeve profile with the collet profile;
FIG. 21C is a schematic diagram showing the collet profile and the sleeve profile shown in FIG. 21B, with the collet profile received in the sleeve profile;
figures 22-49 are schematic views showing various designs of the sliding sleeve and collet profile areas;
FIG. 50 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a tubular string having a plurality of spool valves of some embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 51 is a schematic view showing a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of some alternative embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 52 is a schematic view showing a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of further alternative embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 53 is a schematic view showing a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of further alternative embodiments of the present disclosure;
figures 54-57 are schematic diagrams illustrating a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of some other embodiments of the present disclosure;
figures 58-61 are schematic diagrams illustrating a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of still other embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 62 is a schematic view showing a set of expanded casing profiles and collet profiles of still other embodiments of the present disclosure; and
figures 63A-63F are schematic diagrams showing the collet profile on the collet and the casing profile on the sliding sleeve of some embodiments, wherein upon application of well head fluid pressure, the splines of the collet can be pressure actuated to expand radially outward, and compression of the collet causes the splines to expand radially outward, further engaging the sliding sleeve to enhance the engageability and thereby further enhance the pressure resistance.
Detailed Description
Embodiments herein disclose a spool valve that is actuatable by pressure. In the description that follows, the term "downhole" refers to a direction along a wellbore toward the end of the wellbore, and may or may not coincide with a "downward" direction (e.g., in a vertical wellbore) or (e.g., in a horizontal wellbore). The term "wellhead" refers to a direction along the wellbore toward the surface, and may or may not coincide with an "upward" direction (e.g., in a vertical wellbore) or (e.g., in a horizontal wellbore).
In some embodiments, the spool valve includes a valve body having a longitudinal bore and one or more fluid ports on a sidewall thereof. A sliding sleeve is received in the bore and is movable between an uphole closed position blocking the fluid port and a downhole open position opening the fluid port.
The sliding sleeve includes a contoured region on an inner surface thereof, the contoured region including circumferential grooves and ridges that form a contour of the sleeve. The contoured region includes a stop shoulder at its downhole end for locking a collet member (also referred to as a "collet" for ease of description) having a matching collet contour on its outer surface. Herein, the term "match" refers to a condition in which the collet profile of the collet matches the sleeve profile of the sliding sleeve such that the profile area of the collet can be received in the profile area of the sliding sleeve to lock the collet in the sliding sleeve of the sliding valve.
In some embodiments, the uphole surface of the stop ring slopes radially inward from downhole to uphole, forming a
In some embodiments, the stop shoulder is formed by a stop ring adjacent to a contoured region of the sliding sleeve.
In some embodiments, the stop ring is made of a high strength material, such as tungsten carbide, cobalt chrome, and/or the like.
In some embodiments, the collet is in the form of a cage and includes an uphole portion, a downhole portion, and a plurality of longitudinal splines mounted to the uphole and downhole portions at longitudinally opposite ends thereof. One, more or all of the longitudinal splines are flexible and shaped to form a collet profile.
In some embodiments, the wellhead portion of the collet includes a ball seat for receiving a ball from the wellhead to actuate the spool valve.
In some embodiments, the collet includes a metallic wellhead portion that is radially outwardly expandable such that when the collet is received in a mating spool valve and a ball is seated on a ball seat of the collet, fluid pressure exerted on the ball may force the expandable wellhead portion to radially outwardly expand and exert pressure on an inner surface of the sliding sleeve, thereby forming a metal-to-metal seal at an interface between the sliding sleeve and the collet.
In some embodiments, the ball seat of the collet includes an inclined surface.
In some embodiments, the inclined tee surface has an angle of inclination θ of about 55 ° relative to the longitudinal reference line. In some embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 35 °. In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 50 ° to about 60 °. In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 40 ° to about 70 °. In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 30 ° to about 80 °.
Turning to FIG. 1, a downhole tool is shown and is generally identified by
As shown in fig. 2, the
In these embodiments,
The
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the sliding
As shown in fig. 4, the
The
On its inner surface, the
The
Depending on the number of grooves 184, the inner diameter of the contoured
The outer diameter of the
It should be noted that the outer diameter of the
The
In some embodiments, at least a
Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the high
As shown in fig. 7, the sliding
The
As shown in fig. 1, the longitudinal length of the sliding
As described above, the
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a
As shown, the
In these embodiments, the
One, more or all of the
Figures 9-12 illustrate one example of actuating the
As shown in fig. 10, when the profile area of the
As shown in fig. 11, when the contoured
Figure 12B shows an enlarged view of the sliding
As shown in fig. 12B, a high
As shown in fig. 13, after the
After the ball 242 engages the
The fracturing fluid typically has a high pressure and any failure in the
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the
In some embodiments, a downhole fracturing system including a plurality of
After the
In this example, the
To open the fluid port of the spool valve 100C, the ball is dropped and engages the ball seat of the first collet and blocks the bore of the first collet. Fluid pressure is then applied to actuate the engaged ball, first collet, and sliding sleeve to shear the shear pins of the sliding valve 100C and move the sliding sleeve downhole to an open position to open the fluid portion of the sliding sleeve 100C.
After the spool valve 100C opens, a second collet, mated with the
After opening all of the
In the above examples, wellbore isolation devices (e.g., packers) may be used to isolate wellbore sections to be fractured, as is known in the art, and thus omitted herein.
As can be seen from the above examples, the fracturing process may use multiple sliding
In the above-described embodiment shown in fig. 3-7, the
In the above embodiment, the
In some alternative embodiments, a downhole fracturing system comprising a tubular string with one or
While the
In the above embodiments, the
In some alternative embodiments, the
In these embodiments, the sliding sleeve is made of a suitable metal (e.g., steel). As shown in fig. 17A and 17B, the
After the
As shown in fig. 17B, a surface 282 of
In other embodiments where the
In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 50 ° to about 60 °. In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 40 ° to about 70 °. In some alternative embodiments, the tilt angle θ is about 30 ° to about 80 °.
Thus, where the
Specifically, it is important that, with this radial expansion capability of the
Figure 18 shows one example of a
In the above embodiment, the
Example 'A'
As mentioned above, fig. 18 illustrates one example of a
Specifically, in this example, the
In this selected example, the initial radial clearance of the
The
the
After the ball 242 is seated in the
Specifically, where the outer diameter of the radially outwardly expandable metal portion 206' is a maximum of 4.558 inches and the inner diameter of the bore of the sleeve is a minimum of 4.558 inches (i.e., 4.562-4.558/4.558), the radially-outward-expandable metallic portion 206' has a radial expansion of at least 0.09%, in the case where the outer diameter of the radially outwardly expandable metal portion 206' is a nominal value of 4.555 inches and the bore diameter of the sliding sleeve is a nominal value of 4.565 inches (i.e., 4.565-4.555/4.555), with a nominal radial expansion of 0.02%, in the case where the radially outwardly expandable metal portion 206' has an outer diameter of a minimum of 4.553 inches and the sleeve has an inner diameter of an opening of a maximum of 4.567 inches (i.e., 4.567-4.553/4.553), the amount of radial expansion is at least 0.03%, and therefore in all cases results in a reduced radial clearance, thereby forming an intermetallic seal between the
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain of the above parameters may be varied to achieve the desired result of enabling the radially expandable collet to advantageously reduce contact with the wellhead sliding sleeve upon reaching the desired sliding
In this example, the sliding
However, to reduce the magnitude of the pumping pressure while achieving a similar radial increase (i.e., 0.02% nominal radial increase), the
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 18, by decreasing or increasing the angle of inclination θ of the
Thus, for example, at a constant fluid pressure of 1500psi, reducing the tilt angle θ from 55 to 30 increases the applied force, while reducing the required fluid pressure from 1500psi or using a material with a proportionally reduced modulus of elasticity (i.e., using a less stiff material with a greater amount of radial deformation per applied unit force) can achieve a similar increase in radial expansion (nominally 0.02%).
Other permutations and combinations of the above variables for achieving the above radial increase will now be further demonstrated to those skilled in the art.
For example, if the tilt angle θ is increased from 55 ° to 80 ° to reduce the effective radially outward force normally applied to the
(i) modifying the material of the
(ii) increasing the 1500psi fluid pressure exerted on the ball 242 to achieve the same tangential force as previously applied using the 55 deg. tilt angle theta; or
(iii) Reducing the thickness of the
further description of the invention
Figure 19 shows a
As shown in fig. 19, in these embodiments, the
In these embodiments, the
In the above embodiment, the sliding
In some alternative embodiments, the sliding
In other alternative embodiments, the
In some alternative embodiments, the sliding
In some embodiments, multiple casing profiles and collet profiles may be obtained and used on the same tubular string in a downhole fracturing system.
For example, figures 20A-20D illustrate four sleeve profiles 182-1-182-4 (generally indicated at 182) on the inner surface of the sliding sleeves 106-1-106-4 and collet profiles 212-1-212-4 (generally indicated at 212) on the outer surface of the collets 200-1-200-4, respectively, corresponding to the sleeve profiles.
As shown, each of the casing profiles 106-1 to 106-4 includes at least two
Accordingly, each collet profile 200-1 to 200-4 includes at least two
By varying the length of the
Referring to fig. 21A, the following parameters (both greater than zero) are used for the casing profile 182:
Lsthe longitudinal length of the
Sg1the longitudinal length of the
Srthe longitudinal length of the
Sg2the longitudinal length of the
Parameter Ls、Sg1、SrAnd Sg2Measured at the radially innermost point of the
The following parameters (all greater than zero) are used for the collet profile 182:
Lcthe longitudinal length of the
Cr1the longitudinal length of the
Cgthe longitudinal length of the
Cr2the longitudinal length of the
Parameter Lc、Cr1、CgAnd Cr2Also measured at the radially innermost point of the
As described above, in a matched pair of collet and sleeve profiles, the length of the slot (including
In these embodiments, the uphole surfaces of
For ease of illustration, in these embodiments, the uphole side surfaces of
As shown in FIGS. 21B and 21C, due to the chamfer described above, after the
Referring again to FIG. 21A, on the
Sr=La+nLb, (1)
wherein 1 ≧ 0 is a predetermined design parameter, LaIs a predetermined design parameter and La>0, n is an integer of 0 or more, LbIs a predetermined design parameter and Lb>0. Thus, when n is 0, the
The length S of the
Sg1=m1Lb+(1-)Ls, (2)
Sg2=m2Lb, (3)
wherein m is1Is an integer and m1≥1,m2Is an integer and m2>1. In addition to this, the present invention is,
m1+m2=K, (4)
wherein K>2 is a positive integer, increasing m for a casing profile having the same K1Will reduce m2Effectively changing the location of the
The length L of the
Ls=Sr+Sg1+Sg2=La+(n+K)Lb. (5)
due to LaAnd LbIs a predetermined design parameter, so that different lengths L can be obtained by selecting different n and KsA plurality of cannula profiles 182.
On the
Cr1=Sg1-t1Lb-2=(m1-t1)Lb+(1-)La-2, (6)
Cr2=Sg2-t2Lb=(m2-t2)Lb, (7)
Cg=Sr+Sg2-Cr2+2=Sr+t2Lb+2=La+ (8)
(n+t2)Lb+2.
wherein, t1、t2And2is a predetermined design parameter, and 1 ≧ t1≥0、1≥t2Is not less than 0 and2is more than or equal to 0. Length L of
Lc=Cr1+Cr2+Cg=Ls-t2Lb=La+(n+K-t2)Lb. (9)
parameter(s)2It is only determined whether the downhole side surface of the
Referring again to FIG. 21A, in2In the embodiment of 0, when t1When 1,
At this point, the parameters of the
Sr=(n+)Lb, (10)
Sg1=(m1+1-)Lb, (11)
Sg2=m2Lb, (12)
m1+m2=K, (13)
Ls=(n+K+1)Lb. (14)
the parameters of the
Cr1=Sg1-tLb-2, (15)
Cr2=Sg2-tLb, (16)
Cg=(n+t+)Lb+2, (17)
Lc=(n+K+1-t)Lb. (18)
at a given point2The parameter t determines the difference in length between a groove and its corresponding ridge. If t is 0, the
Various sleeve profiles and collet profiles are available. For ease of illustration, the cannula profiles and the collet profiles are organized into profile groups, and the profile groups are organized into profile categories. In the following, the casing profiles are indicated in the form of "S ({ class letter } { group number } - { profile number })", where "{ class letter }" may be A, B, C, … …, indicating the profile class to which the casing profile belongs, "{ group number }" may be 1, 2, 3, … …, indicating the profile group to which the casing profile belongs, and "{ profile number }" may be 1, 2, 3, … …, indicating the order of the casing profiles in the profile group. For example, the cannula profile "S (A1-1)" represents the first cannula profile in set A1.
Similarly, the casing profile is represented in the form of "C ({ class letter } { group number } - { profile number })". For example, collet profile "C (B2-3)" represents the third collet profile in group B2.
It can be seen that n, K and m can be varied1To generate a plurality of
In these embodiments, for a given LbThe sum of (n + K) determines the length L of the casing profilesAnd length L of the collet profilec. In particular, the casing profiles in each profile class (e.g., "A") have the same length Ls=(n+K+1)LbAnd the collet profiles in the same profile class have the same length Lc=(n+K+1-t)Lb。
The parameter n determines the length of the
Each profile set comprising (K-2) sleeve profiles and (K-2) corresponding collet profiles having the same n and the same K, wherein all of the (K-2) sleeve profiles have the same length Ls=(n+K+1)LbAnd the same Sr=(n+)LbAnd all (K-2) collet profiles have the same length Lc=(n+K+1-t)LbAnd the same Cg=(n+t+)Lb+2。
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that if t is equal to or close to 0, the collet profile fully or almost fully conforms to the casing profile, and thus there may be a risk that the collet profile cannot fit into a matching casing profile, for example due to large manufacturing tolerances of the collet profile and/or the casing profile and/or the
On the other hand, if t is equal to or close to 1, the grooves and their corresponding ridges have a maximum length difference LbAnd there may be a risk that the collet profile may erroneously fit into a non-matching sleeve profile (explained later).
In some embodiments, t may be selected to be sufficiently greater than zero and sufficiently less than one to ensure that:
(i) a collet profile corresponding to a certain sleeve profile in a group is easily rejected by any other sleeve profile in the same group; and
(ii) the difference in length between a groove and its corresponding ridge (e.g., the difference in length between
For example, in one embodiment, t may be selected to be 0.9 ≧ t ≧ 0.1. In alternative embodiments, t may be selected to be 0.8 ≧ t ≧ 0.2. In alternative embodiments, 0.7 ≧ t ≧ 0.3 may be selected. In alternative embodiments, t may be selected to be 0.6 ≧ t ≧ 0.4. In some alternative embodiments, t may be selected to be about 0.5.
Fig. 22 shows a group a1 of four sleeve profiles and four corresponding collet profiles when n is 0 and K is 6, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=7Lb。
Fig. 23 shows a group B1 of six sleeve profiles and six corresponding collet profiles when n is 0 and K is 8, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 24 shows a group C1 of eight sleeve profiles and eight corresponding collet profiles when n is 0 and K is 10, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 25 shows ten sleeve profiles when n-0 and K-12Set D1 of ten corresponding collet profiles, wherein the sleeve profiles have the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 26 shows a group a2 of three sleeve profiles and three corresponding collet profiles when n is 1 and K is 5, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=7Lb。
Fig. 27 shows a group B2 of five sleeve profiles and five corresponding collet profiles when n is 1 and K is 7, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 28 shows a set C2 of seven sleeve profiles and seven corresponding collet profiles when n is 1 and K is 9, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 29 shows a set D2 of nine sleeve profiles and nine corresponding collet profiles when n is 1 and K is 11, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 30 shows a group a3 of two sleeve profiles and two corresponding collet profiles when n is 2 and K is 4, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=7Lb。
Fig. 31 shows a group B3 of four sleeve profiles and four corresponding collet profiles when n is 2 and K is 6, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 32 shows a group C3 of six sleeve profiles and six corresponding collet profiles when n is 2 and K is 8, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 33 shows a group D3 of eight sleeve profiles and eight corresponding collet profiles when n is 2 and K is 10, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 34 shows a group a4 of a sleeve contour and a corresponding collet contour when n is 3 and K is 3, the sleeve contour having a length Ls=7Lb。
Fig. 35 shows a group B4 of three sleeve profiles and three corresponding collet profiles when n is 3 and K is 5, the sleeve having a sleeveThe profiles having the same length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 36 shows a group C4 of five sleeve profiles and five corresponding collet profiles when n is 3 and K is 7, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 37 shows a set D4 of seven sleeve profiles and seven corresponding collet profiles when n is 3 and K is 9, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 38 shows a group B5 of two sleeve profiles and two corresponding collet profiles when n-4 and K-4, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 39 shows a group C5 of four sleeve profiles and four corresponding collet profiles when n is 4 and K is 6, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 40 shows a group D5 of six sleeve profiles and six corresponding collet profiles when n is 4 and K is 8, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 41 shows a set B6 of a sleeve contour and a corresponding collet contour when n is 5 and K is 3, the sleeve contour having a length Ls=9Lb。
Fig. 42 shows a group C6 of three sleeve profiles and three corresponding collet profiles when n is 5 and K is 5, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 43 shows a group D6 of five sleeve profiles and five corresponding collet profiles when n is 5 and K is 7, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 44 shows a group C7 of two sleeve profiles and two corresponding collet profiles when n is 6 and K is 4, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 45 shows a group D7 of four sleeve profiles and four corresponding collet profiles when n is 6 and K is 6, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 46 shows a group C8 of a sleeve contour and a corresponding collet contour when n is 7 and K is 3, the sleeve contour having a length Ls=11Lb。
Fig. 47 shows a group D8 of three sleeve profiles and three corresponding collet profiles when n is 7 and K is 5, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 48 shows a set D9 of two sleeve profiles and two corresponding collet profiles when n is 8 and K is 4, the sleeve profiles having the same length Ls=13Lb。
Fig. 49 shows a set D8 of a sleeve contour and a corresponding collet contour when n is 9 and K is 3, the sleeve contour having a length Ls=13Lb。
Table 1 below summarizes the profile sets shown in fig. 22 to 49. It can be seen that by limiting the casing profile length to 7Lb、9Lb、11LbAnd 13LbA total of 122 casing profiles and 122 corresponding collet profiles are available and used for downhole fracturing.
TABLE 1
In embodiments where two or
(a) the spool valve should have different sleeve profiles; in other words, for any two spools, n, K, and m1Should be different;
(b) length LsThe shorter slide valve should be installed at length LsThe wellhead side of the longer spool valve; in other words, the spool valve with the smaller (n + K) should be located on the wellhead side of the spool valve with the larger (n + K);
(c) for the length LsIdentical slide valve, SrThe larger spool valve should be installed at SrThe wellhead side of the smaller spool valve; in other words, for a spool valve with the same (n + K), the spool valve with the larger n should be located on the wellhead side of the spool valve with the smaller n; and is
(d) Spool valves of the same profile set (i.e., having the same n and the same K but different m)1The spool valve) may be arranged in any order.
In other words, a spool valve having a "lower" category letter (e.g., "A") (i.e., having a shorter sleeve profile length LsSlide valve of (D)) should be located in a slide valve having a "higher" category letter (e.g., "D") (i.e., having a longer sleeve profile length LsThe spool valve). For spool valves having the same type of letter (i.e., having the same sleeve profile length L)sThe spool valve) the spool valve with the smaller set number (e.g., "a 1") should be located downhole of the spool valve with the larger set number (e.g., "A3"). FIG. 50 shows one example of a tubing string (e.g., a casing or tubing string) having a plurality of
In some alternative embodiments, t is equal to or close to 1, and the groove and its corresponding ridge have a maximum length difference LbThus, the two "adjacent" sleeve profiles and the collet profile are not mutually exclusive.
That is, the collet profiles may be received not only in the matching sleeve profile, but also in sleeve profiles having the same category letter, the same group number, and "adjacent" profile number (i.e., differing by 1). For example, the collet profile C (A1-2) (i.e., C [0,6,2]) may fit into the previous and next sleeve profiles S (A1-1) and S (A1-2) (i.e., S [0,6,1] and S [0,6,3]), but may not fit into the other sleeve profiles (e.g., S (A1-4)) in profile set A1.
In other words, the collet profiles can fit into the previous and next sleeve profiles in the same profile set, but not into the other sleeve profiles in the same profile set. That is, the collet profile C [ n, K, i ] can fit into the sleeve profiles S [ n, K, i +1] and S [ n, K, i-1], but cannot fit into other sleeve profiles (i.e., sleeve profiles S [ n, K, j ]), where j ≠ i, j ≠ i +1 and j ≠ i-1).
Thus, in an embodiment where t 1 and two or
(a) the spool valve should have different sleeve profiles; in other words, for any two spools, n, K, and m1Should be different;
(b) within each contour group, if | j1-j2If | is less than or equal to 1, two casing contours S [ n, K, j ] cannot be used on the same string1]And S [ n, K, j ]2](ii) a In other words, for any two spools having the same n and the same K, m is1The difference between them needs to be greater than 1;
(c) length LsThe shorter slide valve should be installed at length LsThe wellhead side of the longer spool valve; in other words, the spool valve with the smaller (n + K) should be located on the wellhead side of the spool valve with the larger (n + K);
(d) for the length LsIdentical slide valve, SrThe larger spool valve should be installed at SrThe wellhead side of the smaller spool valve; in other words, for a spool valve with the same (n + K), the spool valve with the larger n should be located on the wellhead side of the spool valve with the smaller n; and is
(e) Spool valves of the same profile set (i.e., having the same n and the same K but different m)1The spool valve) may be arranged in any order.
In some alternative embodiments, the sleeve profile and collet profile described above may be cascaded or cascaded with other suitable profiles to achieve an expanded profile. For example, FIG. 51 shows an expanded set of sleeve and collet profiles obtained by connecting the same profile 286 between the profiles in profile set A1 and stop
In some embodiments, contours in the same group may be concatenated with different contours to obtain an expanded contour. For example, FIG. 53 shows the profile of group A1 concatenated with the first four profiles in group B2 to obtain an expanded profile.
In the above described embodiment, the casing profile is located on the inner surface of the
Accordingly, the
The profile on the
In some embodiments, the groove 294 can have other suitable lengths. For example, FIGS. 58-61 show a lens having a length of 3LbAnd the
In some embodiments, the contour on the
In some embodiments, the profile on the
As shown in fig. 62, in some alternative embodiments, a casing profile (e.g., a casing profile in profile group a 1) may be located downhole of the
As described above and shown in fig. 15A and 15B, the sliding
Referring to FIG. 63A, for ease of illustration,
Depth H of
Similarly, height H of
In some embodiments as shown in FIGS. 63A-63C, Hsg1=Hsg2=Hsr=HsAnd Hcr1=Hcr2=Hcr. Referring to fig. 63B, to allow the
In some embodiments, Hsg1=Hsg2=Hsr=HsAnd Hcr1=Hcr2=HcrAnd the
After the
In some embodiments as shown in fig. 63D-63F, the depth of the
Referring to FIG. 63E, in these embodiments, Hcg+Hsg2-Hcr-Hs>0、Hsg2-Hcr>0 and2>0 to allow the
In some embodiments, Hsg1=Hsr=Hs、Hsg2>Hs、Hcr1=Hcr2=HcrAnd the
In these examples, Hcg+Hsg2-Hcr-Hs>0、Hsg2-Hcr>0 and2>0. preferably, the gap between the
Although some embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
For a complete definition of the invention and its intended scope, the summary of the invention and the appended claims are to be read and considered in connection with the detailed description herein for illustrative purposes and the accompanying drawings.