Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AN ASSEMBLY AND METHOD
FOR
FORMING A SEAL IN A JUNCTION
OF A MULTILATERAL WELL BORE
This invention relates to an assembly and method to be used in the formation
of seals at the
junction of lateral wells drilled through windows in a main well bore casing
or through any tubular
type materials. Specifically this invention relates to novel and improved
assemblies and methods
used for forming seals in any deviated well bore which is drilled off or from
another well bore
whether it is vertical, deviated or horizontal and whether it is the primary
well bore casing or other
tubular material . More specifically this invention relates to the completion
procedures used in
completion of wells with deviated well bores off a main or casing well bore
where as part of the
completion procedure the well may be cemented and sealed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The drilling and completion of horizontal wells in recent years has offered
dramatic
improvements in the production of hydrocarbons and their recovery from the
formations in which
they are found. Although horizontal wells have been known for many years, it
has only been in the
last decade that this technology has been accepted by the industry and used as
a proven and cost
effective means to increase production and maximize ultimate recovery of
hydrocarbons from a
reservoir formation while lowering the cost to do so. As the industry has come
to realize, horizontal
wells frequently improve production by factors of 5 to 10 time in suitable
reservoirs, such as for
example those which are located in naturally fractured areas or are in heavy
oil application zones.
Because of the improved economics in both the cost of production and the
ultimate recovery
of hydrocarbons reserves associated with horizontal drilling generally, many
areas of the world have
adopted such drilling techniques over the older technique of just drilling
vertical wells. As horizontal
and multilateral wells generally minimize the number of well locations and
infrastructure required to
develop an oil and gas field, this technique has become particularly important
in high cost or
environmentally sensitive areas, such as offshore locations, where reducing
the number of platforms
often results in significantly reduced investment and lower operational costs.
Other areas for drilling
which have adopted the use of laterals or multilateral which are particularly
useful for horizontal
development include reservoirs in urban areas, wildlife preserves, and
permanent frost zones.
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Multilateral wells are becoming increasingly important both from the
standpoint of drilling a
new well or for reworking an existing well to improve productivity and
maximize the recovery of
hydrocarbon reserves in place. Thus the use of multilateral wells have been
accepted in reservoirs
were horizontal drilling allows optimization of hydrocarbon recovery as for
example in water drive
systems which allow water injection efficiency to be increased and in the
development of thin, or
stacked reservoirs which would otherwise require many vertical wells, and in
well as reservoirs with
coning problems where by using horizontal drilling allows laterals to be
optimally spaced for the fluid
contact.
The incentives of cost effectiveness and environmental soundness, have
expanded the use
of multilateral or horizontal wells to be used in both the development of new
wells and for re-entry
of existing wells in established fields for stimulation and workover
activities. Further the industry
in its search for the most cost effective means to produce hydrocarbons with
the least environmental
impact has turned to multilateral and horizontal wells in great numbers.
The reasons are simple, as to why the industry has turned to multilateral
wells, because in
using multilateral wells drilled off a single main well bore, only one single
main well bore is needed
to be drilled and the additional recovery from the well is achieved by
drilling laterals from the one
single main well bore. However as the industry has placed ever increasing
dependence on
multilateral well completion, there has been greater demand within the
industry for advancing the
technical capabilities of the multilateral technology. For example in
completions systems and
technology for the installation of lateral junctions in certain formations
which are well known, there
has been a primary barrier to the increased use of multilateral technology.
This barrier has been
the limitations in the completion options available, particularly in those
situations in which a sealed
junction is required to effectively produce a reservoir. Situations, such as
those in which a
hydraulically sealed lateral junction are desired, include unconsolidated or
weakly consolidated
formations, in order to avoid collapse of the junction, or in those junctions
in which water injection
is planned, or when the influx of formations fluids into the primary casing is
unacceptable. These
are just some of the situations which the current technology has not been able
to over come on a
consistent basis, except with the most expensive technologies in use today.
Further the technology which has only recently become available for the
formation of
junctions with hydraulic integrity is often too expensive to allow its
utilization in all but the large
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budget wells, such as those found in offshore locations. At the present time,
this sealed completion
technology is generally not accepted as reliable by the industry for the
average budget well. This
has resulted in potentially high economic risk to install such systems. In
addition, these completion
systems may not allow the capability to selectively re-enter these laterals at
a future time, nor to
pressure test the junction for hydraulic integrity prior to the removal of the
installation tools.
The prior art until the mid-1990's did not typically have a liner laid in a
lateral and therefore
these laterals were not tied back to the main well bore which severely limited
or made impossible
the re-entry of these laterals when workovers or cleanouts were required.
However, subsequently,
it became increasingly popular to case the laterals, as well as to tie back
these laterals to the main
well bore, but this tie back technology though making it easier to re-enter
the well did not allow the
junction to be hydraulically sealed to a significant pressure, such as 1,000
psi or more.
Also in the prior art where some sealing was able to be obtained it usually
required multiple
trips to install and perfect the seal, often 3 or more. This resulted in great
expense in rig and
personnel time, particularly in those high cost locations, such as offshore
areas, which meant that
many wells could not afford the technology and thus those wells could not
receive the benefit of the
multilateral technology.
Moreover, these earlier prior art systems did not allow the hydraulic
integrity of the completed
junction to be tested, and/or possibly repaired, prior to removing the tools
used to install the seal.
This was especially important in the high cost locations because of the excess
expense in re-
mobilization of the rig equipment and personnel for re-tripping.back into the
hole to bring the seal
up to the design criteria determined necessary.
The prior art in many cases had to leave a packer in the main well bore in
order to even
attempt the re-entry back into the lateral well bore, which thus placed an
obstruction or limit on the
access to the main well bore below the packer. This forced well operators to
have to make an
election of which way they wanted to go and limited the number of lateral
which could be drilled off
on main well bore, if they elected to leave the packer in place in the main
well bore.
Further, the prior art is legion with patents attempting to solve the problems
of providing a
reliable completion of a multilateral well such as U.S. Patent No. 2,397,070
which describes a
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lateral well bore completion using flexible casing together with a movable
gate for closing off the
lateral. Of a similar nature is U.S. Patent No. 2,797,893 , which discloses a
method for completing
lateral wells using a flexible liner and a deflecting tool.
Several other prior patents such as U.S. Patent 5,318,122 attempted to
accomplish seals
using a deformable device that selectively seals the juncture between the
vertical and lateral wells
using an inflatable mold which utilized a hardenable liquid to form a seal in
conjunction with an
expandable memory metal device or other devices for plastically deforming a
sealing material to
form a seal.
Such patents as U.S. Patent No. 5,787,987 attempted to form a seal in the
joint between the
window in the well bore casing and the tubing being run into the lateral, by
attempting to use the
inside surface of the well bore casing as the sealing surface in conjunction
with the flange being put
into the well to seat with it. The sealing surface about the well bore casing
does not provide as high
of quality seal because of the material of the well bore casing not being a
material which has been
prepared for the ,purpose of forming a seal. Once in place then another run
would be made into
the well to put in place a sleeve to wedge the flange against the inside wall
of the well bore about
the window to form the seal. In this patent the old problem of multiple runs
into a well to achieve a
seal in the window section again shows up.
Further such art of a general nature including U.S. Patent Nos. 2,452,920,
4,402,552,
5,289,876, 5,301, 760, and U.S. Patent No. 5,474,131 provided yet more
examples of the teaching
of the prior art which attempted to solve the problems in this art without the
results which are
achieved by the invention of this patent.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
This invention is most broadly related to an assembly and method for forming a
seal at the
junction of a lateral well bore drilled through a window in a main well bore
casing, or any other
tubular material which has a window section formed therein such that a
hydraulic seal is formed
between the junction of the vertical and lateral well, and further that a
sealed isolation zone is
created between the respective lateral wells in a multilateral well system.
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More specifically this invention comprises a tubular member for being run into
the well bore
casing or other tubular material, having at least one orientation member for
orientation of the tubular
member in the main well bore casing, with the tubular sleeve member having an
aperture through
it for being run into the well bore casing for alignment of its aperture with
the window in the well bore
casing. Further this assembly has a seating surface on the inside of the
tubular sleeve member
proximate the aperture. Also a sealing member is positioned about the tubular
member for seating
with the seating surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate the
aperture in the tubular sleeve
member and for forming a seal when brought into engagement with the sealing
member as the
tubular means is run into the well bore and the lateral well bore. A
deflection member positioned and
releasably sealed in the tubular sleeve for deflecting the tubular means
through the window, and
functionally connected to the at least one orientation member for orientation
of the deflection
member relative to said window in the well bore casing for defecting the
tubular means through the
window and for aligning the aperture through the one side of the tubular
sleeve member with the
window in the main well bore casing. In further aspects of this invention the
object of providing an
assembly and method for providing the ability to re-enter the lateral wells
would be provided, and
the capability to pressure test, and repair, if necessary the junction for
hydraulic integrity prior to the
removal of the installation tools from the well would be provided, the
capability to perform the afore
mentioned in a single drill pipe trip in order to reduce the cost of such
sealed lateral completions to
make the use of this technology economical for lower producing wells, and the
capability to install
the completion assembly in a single trip into the well bore would be achieved.
It is the object of this invention to over come some of the deficiencies,
drawbacks and
shortcomings in the prior art which are discussed above by the usage of the
assembly and methods
of the invention disclosed herein.
In that regard it is an object of this invention to provide the assembly and
methods to form
and establish hydraulic integrity of a junction at a window downhole between a
main casing and a
lateral well bore for the purpose of preventing fluids from migrating into or
out of the casing through
this junction.
It is a further object of this invention to provide the apparatus and methods
to establish
hydraulic integrity of the junction between a main casing or other tubular
material and the lateral
which is relatively simple and inexpensive to install which makes it suitable
for use in moderate
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producing wells, which generally have smaller budgets.
Also it is an object of this invention to provide control orifices which can
be used to
selectively re-enter the lateral at a future time without the need for a
packer device or other
orientation members being required to remain in the main well bore as an
obstruction in the main
well bore after the sealing means is installed in the junction.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a tight pressure seal above
and below the
window in the main casing, as well as a tight hydraulic seal all around the
window in order to prevent
the migration of fluids either into or out of the main well bore casing or
tubular member, which in
some cases would be a lateral well liner.
A further object of this invention is to generally use a compression seal
member to achieve
the tight pressure seal above and below the window opening in the main well
bore casing, as well
as the tight hydraulic seal all around the window opening to prevent the
migration of fluids either into
or out of the main well bore casing or tubular member, which in some cases
would be a lateral well
liner.
Also a further object of this invention is to provide a compression sealing
member for
creation of a seal between the tubular sleeve member in the main well bore
casing and the tubular
member, or production liner in some cases, in order to prevent the migration
of fluids either into or
out of the main well bore casing or tubular member.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a compression sealing
member for
receiving sufficient fluid to expand the compression sealing member to create
a seal between the
compression sealing member and the tubular sleeve member in the main well bore
casing in order
to prevent the migration of fluids wither into or out of the main well bore
casing or tubular member,
which may be a production liner .
A further object of this invention is to provide a sealing member for seating
with the a seating
surface inside the tubular sleeve member proximate the aperture through the
one side of the tubular
sleeve member, and moved into engagement with the seating surface for
preventing the migration
of fluids either into or out of the main casing or production liner.
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Also an object of this invention is to provide a method to pressure test the
multilateral
junction subsequent to the installation of the sealed completion but prior to
the removal of the
tubular member running tool from the well bore, and thus allow a great cost
savings compared to
re-mobilizing the rig and operating personnel if it is discovered at a future
time that the required
pressure integrity does not exist.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a means to repair the
seal created in the
junction, if necessary, prior to the removal of the tubular member running
tool from the main casing
well bore, and thus realize a great cost savings as opposed to re-mobilizing a
rig and operating
personnel if it is found that the required pressure integrity was not
obtained.
Also an object of this invention is to provide a deflection member with in the
tubular sleeve
member which deflects the tubular member or production liner through the
window and into the
lateral without the requirement for a separate drill pipe trip to install the
deflector member.
A further object of this invention is to provide a deflection member which is
positioned and
releasable sealed inside the tubular sleeve member which provides hydraulic
integrity prior to the
establishment of the seal at the junction but when removed leaves the tubular
sleeve member
substantially open for access down the main well bore casing.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide at least one orientation
member for
orientation of said deflector member and for aligning the aperture through the
tubular sleeve with
the window and for operating in conjunction with the deflector member and
tubular sleeve both of
being set in the main well bore casing and in the removal from the main well
bore casing to leave
a clear well bore, which is unrestricted.
Also an object of this invention is to provide an orientation member, having
spring loaded
key located on the tubular sleeve member which pop open into a key way located
in the main casing
window to allow the tubular sleeve member be aligned with the window and to
align the aperture
through the one side of the tubular sleeve member with the window by following
the window sill as
it moves downward until it is properly aligned, thus eliminating the need for
a packer device or other
obstruction to remain in the main well casing bore that would restrict or
prohibit access to the well
bore below the obstruction.
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Yet a further object of this invention to use the one orientation means for
orientation of the
deflection member to also actuate slip devices which provide a means to hold
the tubular sleeve
member in a set and fixed position and to also set a seal between the main
well bore casing and
the tubular sleeve member to seal the main well bore casing below the seal
member when the
orientation member has been fully oriented and set.
Also an object 8f the invention is to allow the deflector member located
within the sleeve
device to be recovered with a single trip of the drill string or wire line
after the installation of the
sealed multilateral junction is completed.
A yet further object of this invention is to provide an assemblies and methods
to establish
hydraulic integrity at the junction of a multilateral well bore in a single
trip of the drill string, while
greatly reducing the cost of this installation due to the saving in rig time.
According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly
for
locating a tubular means in a lateral well bore drilled through a window in a
main well
bore casing, the assembly comprising a tubular sleeve means having an aperture
through at least one side thereof and having a seating surface proximate the
aperture, a
deflection means, the tubular means releasably attached to the deflection
means, a first
orientation means for orienting the tubular sleeve and the deflection means in
the main
well bore casing, a second orientation means for orienting the tubular means
in the main
well bore casing, a sealing means positioned about the tubular means, wherein
the
tubular sleeve means and the deflection means are able arranged to be attached
together and oriented by means of the first orientation means such that the
aperture is
aligned with the window, the tubular means is arranged to be released from the
deflection means and deflected by the deflection means through the window into
the
lateral well bore, and the sealing means is arranged to seat with the seating
surface so
as to seal the tubular means with respect to the lateral well bore.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method
of locating a tubular means in a lateral well bore drilled through a window in
a main well
bore casing comprising running a tubular sleeve means having a aperture
through at
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least one side thereof into the well bore casing, running a tubular means and
a
deflection means releasably connected thereto into the well bore casing, a
sealing
means being positioned about the tubular means, positioning the deflection
means in the
tubular sleeve means, orienting the tubular sleeve means and the deflection
means with
respect to the window by outwardly extending an orientation means carried by
the
tubular sleeve means when the orientation means reaches the opening of the
window
and by letting down on the tubular means to allow the orientation means to
guide and
orient the tubular sleeve means and the deflection means into position by
following a
window sill of the window, orienting the tubular means in the well bore,
releasing the
connection between the deflection means and the tubular means by lowering the
tubular
means on to the deflector means, thereby deflecting the tubular means through
the
window into the lateral well bore, and seating the sealing means positioned
about the
tubular means onto a seating surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate
the
aperture.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an
assembly for forming a seal at the junction of a lateral well bore drilled
through a window
at least a main well bore casing comprising a tubular means for being run into
the well
bore casing, at least one orientation means for orientation of the tubular
means in the
main well bore casing, a tubular sleeve means having an aperture through at
least one
side of the tubular sleeve means for being run into the well bore casing for
alignment of
the aperture with the window in the well bore casing and having a seating
surface inside
the tubular sleeve means proximate the aperture, a sealing means positioned
about the
tubular means for seating with the seating surface inside the tubular sleeve
means
proximate the aperture in the tubular sleeve means and for forming a seal when
the
sealing means is brought into engagement with the seating surface inside the
tubular
sleeve means proximate the aperture as the tubular means is run into the well
bore and
the lateral well bore, a deflection means positioned and releasably sealed in
the tubular
sleeve means for deflecting the tubular means through the window when the
tubular
means is run into contact with the deflection means, and at least one
orientation means
for orientation of the deflection means relative to the window in the at least
one well bore
casing for deflecting the tubular means through the window and for aligning
the aperture
through the at least one side of the tubular sleeve means with the window.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an
assembly for forming a seal at the junction of a lateral well bore drilled
through a window
8a
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in at least a main well bore casing comprising a tubular means for being run
into the well
bore casing, at least one orientation means for orientation of the tubular
means in the
main well bore casing, a tubular sleeve means having an aperture through at
least one
side of the tubular sleeve means and having a controllably collapsible upper
part of the
tubular sleeve means in mechanical communication with the aperture for being
run into
the well bore casing for alignment of the aperture with the window in the well
bore casing
and having a seating surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate the
aperture
and, a sealing means positioned about the tubular means for seating with the
seating
surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate the aperture in the tubular
sleeve
means and for forming a seal when the sealing means is brought into engagement
with
the seating surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate the aperture as
the
tubular means is run into the well bore and into the lateral well bore, a
deflection means
positioned and releasably sealed in the tubular sleeve means for deflecting
the tubular
means through the window when said tubular means is run into contact with said
deflection means, and at least one orientation means for orientation of the
deflection
means relative to the window in the at least one well bore casing for
deflecting the
tubular means through the window and for aligning the aperture through the at
least one
side of the tubular sleeve means with the window.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method
of forming a seal at the junction of a lateral well bore drilled through a
window in at least
a main well bore casing comprising the steps of, running a tubular means with
a sealing
means positioned about the tubular means into a well bore casing functionally
shear
pinned to a tubular sleeve means having an aperture through at least one side
of the
tubular sleeve means, with a deflection means positioned therein and
releasable sealed
in the tubular sleeve means and an orientation means connected thereto,
popping open
the orientation means for orientation of the deflection means in the window in
the well
bore casing when the orientation means reaches the opening of the window,
letting
down on the tubular means being run into the well bore casing to allow the
popped open
orientation means to guide and orient the tubular sleeve means and the
deflection
means into position by following the window sill, setting the tubular sleeve
means in the
well bore, shearing shear pins functionally holding the tubular means and the
tubular
sleeve means together by continuing to let down on the tubular means, letting
down on
the tubular means and the one orientation means for orientation of the tubular
means in
the main well bore casing for driving downward the tubular sleeve means having
an
aperture and until the controllably collapsible upper part collapses and seals
the tubular
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sleeve means in the well bore, shearing shear pin holding the orientation
means for
orientation of the tubular means, lowering the tubular means on to the
deflector means
in the tubular sleeve means to deflect the tubular means through the window,
seating
the sealing means positioned about the tubular means for seating with the
seating
surface inside the tubular sleeve means proximate the aperture in the tubular
sleeve
means, pumping fluid into the compression sealing means through the tubular
means for
sealing the window and lateral well bore, and pulling the deflector means out
of the
tubular sleeve means and out of the well bore to leave a substantially clear
and clean
well bore with the lateral well bore and main well bore sealed and connected.
Yet further and additional benefrts and improvements or the invention wilt be
appreciated by
other skilled in the art and those advantages and benefits of the invention
wiltbecome apparent to
those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following
detailed description and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1A is a side elevation view in partial cross section of the assembly of
this invention for
forming a seal at the junction of a lateral well bore drilled through a window
in the main well bore
casing as the assembly is being towered down hole pasted the window with the
key member
popped outward into the window opening.
Fig. 1 B is side elevation view in partial cross section of the assembly of
this invention for
forming a seal at the junction of a lateral welt bore drilled through a window
in the main well bare
casing as the assembly has come to rest on the window sill with the key member
popped outward
into the window opening and coming to rest on the window silt.
Fig. 2A is a front elevation view of main well bore casing having a window
there in and
through which a lateral well bore would have been drilled and in this
embodiment an orientation key
way is provided at the down hole end of the window sill for receiving a key
member but as shown
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here no key member has reached the window and all that is showing is the
window section in the
well bore.
Fig. 2B is a representational front elevation view of a main well bore casing
having a pre-cut
window there through and showing a pre-cut key way in the window and the key
member has
popped outward into the window and is moving downward with rest of the
assembly ( not shown
here) to find the key way for orientation of the rest of the assembly of this
invention.
Fig. 2C is a representational front elevation view of a main well bore casing
which is the
natural result of down hole milling the window in the casing while down hole
and the key member
has popped outward into the window and is moving downward with the rest of the
assembly ( not
shown ) to land on the window sill of the window for orientation of the
assembly.
Fig. 2D is a representational front elevation view of a main well bore casing
which has a
down hole milled key way milled in the window of the casing and the key member
is being guided
by the window sill to orient the assembly (not shown) of this invention and
bring the key member to
rest in the down hole milled key way.
Fig. 2E is a representational front elevation view of a main well bore casing
which has a
down hole milled key way milled in the window of the casing and the key member
is being actively
guided by the window sill to orient the assembly ( not shown) of this
invention in the process of
bring the key member to rest in the down hole milled key way.
Fig. 2F is a representational front elevation view of a main well bore casing
which has a
down hole milled key way milled in the window of the casing and the key member
has been guided
by the window sill to orient the assembly ( not shown ) of this invention and
the key member is at
rest and secured in the down hole milled key way.
Fig. 3A is a side elevation view in partial cross section of the key member as
it is mounted
in the deflector member and showing the key member just as the tubular sleeve
member having
an aperture through one side is aligned with the window in the well bore
casing.
Fig. 3B is a side elevation view in partial cross section of the key member as
it is mounted
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in the deflector member and showing the key member with additional pressure
having been applied
to the deflector member to overcome the spring in the key member for driving
the deflector member
downward while the key member is stopped in the key way, and thereby forces
the setting of the
seal member and slip grabbing members to secure the tubular sleeve member and
deflector
member in a sealed and fixed position in the main well bore casing.
Fig. 4 Is a front elevation of the deflector member of this invention out of
the tubular sleeve
member of the assembly of this invention.
Fig. 5A is a side elevation view of the assembly of this invention in partial
cross section
which shows the deflector member positioned and releasable seated in the
tubular sleeve member
and the deflection member and key member having set the seal member to form a
seal down hole
in the main well bore casing between the main well bore and the tubular sleeve
member and having
set the slip grabbing means to prevent movement of the tubular sleeve member
and the tubular
member has been functionally separated from the deflector member and deflected
and landed into
the lateral well bore. Further the orientation key member is at position A- - -
-A in the muleshoe key
way and the lower part of the aperture is at A'- - - -A' but prior to any
controllable collapsing of the
upper part of the tubular sleeve member in communication with the aperture.
Fig. 5B is a side elevation view of the assembly of this invention in partial
cross section
which shows the orientation key member for orientation of the tubular member
seated in the key way
of the mule shoe and the tubular sleeve member having been driven downward to
set the up hole
seal between the main well bore casing and the tubular sleeve member and
having moved to a
stopped position. Further the orientation key member is now shown at position
B- - - -B in the
muleshoe keyway and has controllably collapsed the upper part of the tubular
sleeve member in
communication with the aperture and has moved the lower part of upper part of
the tubular sleeve
member in communication with the aperture to B'----B' and the sealing member
positioned about
the tubular member for seating with the seating surface inside the tubular
sleeve member proximate
the aperture is being moved into place.
Fig. 5C is a side elevation view of the assembly of this invention in partial
cross section
which shows the orientation key member for orientation of the tubular member
and the key member
seated in the key way of the mule shoe with the tubular sleeve member driven
downward to a
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stopped position C- - - C and the tubular member released from the orientation
key member to move
further downward to finally seat the sealing member against the seating
surface inside the tubular
sleeve member proximate the aperture through the tubular sleeve member at C'- -
- -C'.
Fig. 6 is a partial cross section front view of the tubular sleeve member with
the controllably
collapsible upper part in view and uncollapsed.
Fig. 7A is a front elevation view of the tubular sleeve member with the
orientation member
for the tubular member and key in phantom view at a first position prior to
the controlled
compression of the upper tubular sleeve member but with the seal on the down
hole end formed
and slip grabbing members set.
Fig. 7B is a front elevation view of the tubular sleeve member with the
orientation member
for the tubular and key in phantom view at a second position after the
controlled Compression of the
upper tubular sleeve member and with the upper seal set.
Fig 8 is a partial cross section of the tubular sleeve member, the tubular
member, the
sealing means positioned about the tubular member and seated with the surface
inside the tubular
sleeve member proximate the aperture and showing an elastic tubular seal
member and a one way
check valve to inflate the elastic tubular seat member.
Fig. 9 is a partial cross section of the seal at the junction formed in a
lateral well bore and
the assembly of this invention being used to pressure check the seal before
leaving the well and
pulling the equipment from the well.
Fig. 10 is a partial cross section the tubular sleeve member and deflector
member in place
in the well and the tubular member and sealing member positioned about the
tubular member for
seating being run on a different trip into the well to form a seal a the
junction of the lateral well bore
drilled through the window in the main well bore casing.
Fig. 11 is a partial cross section of the deflector member being pulled from
the tubular
sleeve member after the seal at the junction of the lateral well bore drilled
through the window in the
main well bore casing has been formed and showing that the main well bore
casing will be
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substantially clear after the seal at the junction was formed.
Fig. 12 is a partial cross section of the main well bore casing with the seal
at the junction
of the lateral well bore drilled through the window in the main well bore
casing has been formed and
showing that the main well bore casing is substantially clear after the seal
at the junction was
formed.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to Fig. 1A wherein a representational main well bore is
generally shown as
with a main well bore casing shown at 11, it should be understood all through
out the teachings
of this invention that while the drawings and discussion about the preferred
embodiments may refer
to vertical for the main well bore 10 or main well bore casing 11, they, in
fact, may be in a vertical
position, or deviated therefrom, or a horizontal position, without departing
from the teachings of this
invention. Further it should be understood that the references to up hole and
down hole as shown
in the drawings and discussions about the preferred embodiment, may, in fact,
in the ground be
horizontal on occasions or even have up hole and down hole reversed, but the
general teaching
is that up hole mean back toward the surface of the ground and downhole means
into the hole in
the opposite direction from up hole whether it is down hole or not in the
well. Similarly the term
lateral well bore or a multilateral well bore may or may not be truly lateral
or horizontal but may be
just more deviated than the main well bore 10 from which it is "kicked off
from" but it will be generally
referred to as a lateral well bore 12 or a multilateral in the teaching of
this invention never the less.
It should also be understood that while the preferred embodiments shown make
reference
to main well bore and main well bore casing, in fact any tubular product from
which a lateral or
multilateral drilling of a bore could be achieved could be used in the
practice of this invention. Thus
it could be used in the well bore of a lateral to drill another lateral well
without deviating from the
teachings of this invention. It could be used with coiled tubing to drill a
lateral well from the coiled
tubing which might be the equivalent of the main well bore casing or it may be
a lateral well from
which an additional lateral might be drilled without departing from the
teachings of this invention.
Referring more specifically to Fig. 1A , the assembly for forming a seal at
the junction of a
lateral well bore 12 drilled through a window 13 is generally shown as 14. In
this particular Fig. 1A
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the assembly 14 is shown being lowered down hole in the main well bore casing
11, which has the
window 13 in a section of the casing already in place in the main well bore
casing 11. It should be
understood that this window 13 could have been added to the make up of the
casing string or it
could have been milled down hole in place, either of which would not effect
the practice of this
invention, which makes this invention have universal application.
As can be seen in Fig. 1A this assembly 14 , at least in this embodiment,
comprises
generally a tubular sleeve member 15 with a releasablely sealed deflection
member 16 , sometimes
referred to as a "Whip Stock", positioned in the tubular sleeve member 15. The
tubular sleeve
member 15 is provided with an aperture 21, as best seen in Fig. 6, 7A, and 7B,
through at least one
side of the tubular sleeve member 15 which can be brought into alignment with
the window 13 when
the tubular sleeve member 15 is run into the main well bore casing 11 and has
a seating surface
17, shown in Fig. 5A, 5B, & SC,and 8 inside the tubular sleeve member 15 which
is proximate the
aperture 21. The deflection member 16 has an outwardly biased key 18 which
when being run in
the main well bore casing 11 is compressed back into the deflection member 16
through a key hole
19 in the tubular sleeve member 15. When however, because the assembly 14 is
rotated in the
main well bore casing 11 as it is let down hole, the outward biased key 18
arrives at the window 13
in the main well bore casing 11, the key 18 will pap outwardly into the window
13 and catch on the
sill 20 of the window 13. This catching on the sill 2d of the window 13 by key
18 provides an
operator on the surface with the knowledge that the assembly 14 has found the
window 13 and will
be properly oriented once the operator just lowers the assembly 14 straight
down hole, because the
outwardly biased key 18 which popped outwardly into the window 13 will follow
the window sill 20
of the window 13, as best seen in Fig. 2A thru 2F, to the down hole end 52 of
the window 13 or into
a window key way 26 into proper orientation for alignment and positioning the
aperture 21 with the
window 13 of the main well bore casing 11. Also shown in Fig. 1A and 1 B, and
additionally in Figs.
6, 7A and 7B the tubular sleeve member 15 has on it's up hole end a tubular
mule shoe 22 which
will provide mechanical guidance info a mule shoe key way 23 which is also
formed in the up hole
end of the tubular sleeve member 15 for orientation of yet another part of the
assembly 14 of this
invention, which will be further explained later.
In at least the embodiment shown in Fig 1A and 1B, the tubular sleeve member
15 is
releasablely and functionally connected to a tubular member 24 through
intermediated parts but
still remains part of the assembly 14. For example the functional connection
may be through
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intermediated parts such as by connecting the tubular member 24 to, for
example, a well liner 55
which is connected to the deflection member 16 which is in turn connected to
the tubular sleeve
member 15 and still be part of the assembly 14 which can then, as in this
embodiment, be used to
run both the tubular sleeve member 15, deflection member 16, tubular member
24, and the well
liner 55 into the main well bore casing 11 and the lateral well bore 12 with
only one trip into the well,
while setting the intermediate parts and forming a seal. When this embodiment
or any other is used
the tubular member 24 is part of the assembly 14 and it has a sealing member
25 positioned about
the tubular member 24 and an orientation key 40 for orientation of the tubular
member 24 and the
sealing member 25 relative to the aperture 21 of the tubular sleeve member 15
to bring the sealing
member 25 into engagement with the seating surface 17 inside the tubular
sleeve member 15
proximate the aperture 21 as the tubular member 24 is run into the lateral
well bore 12 and the main
well bore casing 11. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a
drill string 53 might be
connected to a "Stab-in" 54, which may be a modified drill string section,
which is connected to the
tubular member 24 and which in turn might be connected to a lateral liner 55
for example or a wire
screen or other tubular material or intermediate material for placement in the
lateral well bore 12 and
then used to position the tubular sleeve member 15 and deflector member.16
with the window 13
and also run the tubular member 24 with the sealing member 25 positioned about
the tubular
member 24 into place on one trip into the well. Further those skilled in the
art would also
understand that a drill string 53 may be used to position the tubular sleeve
member 15 and deflector
member 16 with the window 13 and then run the tubular member 24 with the
sealing member 25
positioned about the tubular member 24 at a later time without departing from
the teaching of this
invention. However when the tubular member 24 is run with the tubular sleeve
member 15 the
complete installation of assembly 14 can be completed for achieving a seal at
the junction of a
lateral well bore 12 and a main well bore casing 11 in a single trip into the
well, which as those
skilled in the art will appreciate is desirable.
By referring to Fig. 2A through 2F it can be better understood how key 18 is
used with the
window 13 and sill 20 of the window 13 to align and position the tubular
sleeve member 15 with it's
aperture 21 in position with the window 13. As those skilled in the art will
appreciate there are many
kinds of windows which can be used by the industry in the multilateral or
lateral drilling process and
the assembly 14 of this invention can be used with almost all of them to
practice the teaching of this
invention for forming a seal at the junction of the lateral well bore 12 with
the main well bore casing
11. Thus this assembly 14 and the method of it's practice have universal
application in the lateral
14
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and multilateral well arts with all types of windows.
For example referring to Fig. 2A a window 13 is shown formed in the main well
bore casing
11 with a window key way 26 provided at the down hole end or sill 52 of the
window 13 and located
in the main well bore 10. As shown in this Fig. 2A view the assembly 14 has
not yet arrived at the
window 13 because the window is clear. However by referring to the
representational Fig. 2E it can
be seen the assembly 14 of this invention has arrived at the window 13 and the
key 18 which is
connected to the assembly 14 has popped outwardly into the window 13 and is
being lowered by
the operator down hole. It can be seen in Fig. 2D that the sill 20 of the
window 13 is guiding the key
18 and the assembly 14 into correct orientation and position as the whole
assembly 14 is being
lowered down hole by the operator from above. The key 18 will be in position
when it reaches the
down hole sill 52 at the down hole end of the window 13.
Referring to Fig. 2F, it can be seen that the key 18 has finally come to rest
in the key way
26, when the window 13 has a key way 26, which will positively position and
align the aperture 21
of the tubular sleeve member 15 and the deflector member 16 with the window 13
of the main well
bore casing 11 for the practice of this invention in forming a seal at the
junction of the lateral well
bore 12 in the main well bore casing 11.
Referring to Fig. 2B as a further example, it can be seen that in a pre-cut
window 13, which
would have been added to the main well bore casing 11 as part of making up the
main well bore
casing 11, provides a window 13 and sill 20 with a key way 26 at the down hole
sill 52 also for the
practice of this invention using the assembly 14. In Fig. 2B however as shown,
the key 18 is not
quiet in position in the key way 26 and thus the positioning and alignment of
the assembly 14 has
not been achieved yet. but is in process.
Referring to Fig. 2C, by way of explanation, it can be seen that a window 13
and sill 20 have
been formed by a down hole milling operation and the window 13 and the sill 20
which are formed
are just the natural result of the target configuration produced by the
milling bit which would have
been used to mill them in the down hole milling process. This natural result
however allows the
use of the assembly 14 of this invention to form a seal at the junction of the
lateral well bore 12 and
the main well bore casing 11 in the same manner as with the premilled windows
13.
is
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In some down hole milled window art, the art has perfected ways to also mill
key ways down
hole to achieve better alignment and positioning of tools for multilateral
operations. For example
in Fig. 2D, it can be seen that in a down hole milled window 13 and down hole
milled key way 26
the assembly 14 of this invention is still useful. In the Fig. 2D shown, the
key 18 has popped
outwardly into the window 13 and has engaged the sill 20 of this window 13
which will give the
operator on the surface an indication that the assembly 14 has reached the
window 13. The
operator then would just let down on the drill sting, on which this assembly
14 might be run, to allow
the sill 20 of the window 13 to guide the key 18 into the key way 26 for bring
the assembly 14 of this
invention into alignment with the window 13. Once again the assembly 14 of
this invention can be
used with yet another type of window 13 and key way 26 found in the industry
to achieve the results
of this invention.
By now referring to Fig. 1A and Fig. 1 B it will be seen that in Fig 1A that
the assembly 14 with
the key 18 popped outwardly through the key hole 19 into the window 13 has,
thus, found the
window 13 and is being lowered down hole toward the key way 26 but has not yet
come to rest in
the key way 26, and is at a position A-A as shown, while in Fig. 1 B the key
18 has come to rest in
the key way 26, and is at a position B-B as shown. In this embodiment the
tubular member 24 is
being used in conjunction with a drill string 53 , not shown in these figures,
and a "Stab In" 54
connected at a drill collar 62, not shown in these figures, to run the tubular
sleeve member 15 into
the main well bore casing 11 and into alignment with the window 13. However
the tubular member
24 and tubular sleeve member 15 may be run on any running device capable of
running tools into
the main well bore casing 11. It should be noted that in other embodiments
that the tubular sleeve
member 15 may be set first and then the tubular member 24 might be run into
the main well bore
casing 11 and lateral well bore 12 at a later time without departing from this
invention.
Referring to Fig. 1A, which is the running position of the assembly 14, it can
be seen, in this
embodiment, that the deflector member 16 is positioned in the tubular sleeve
member 15 and
releasable and slidably sealed therein by an o-ring seal 27 which thus seals
the tubular sleeve
member 15 from fluid flow there through once the tubular sleeve member 15 is
set in the main well
bore casing 11. Also, as best seen in Fig. 3A and 3B, packer seal 28 is
mounted on and through
the tubular sleeve member 15 for being driven outwardly to form a seal between
the main well bore
casing 11 and the tubular sleeve member 15. Further mounted down hole on
tubular sleeve member
15 are slip grabbing members 30, which are mounted for being driven outwardly
into the main well
16
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bore casing 11 to grip the main well bore casing 11 for setting the tubular
sleeve member 15 to
prevent the movement of the tubular sleeve member 15. It should be understood
by referring to the
Fig. 3A & 3B that once the key 18 comes to rest in the key way 26, then
because the key 18 is
passed through the key hole 19 of the tubular sleeve member 15, the tubular
sleeve member 15
comes to a stop. Also coming to a stop are the parts mounted therein, such as
the packer seal 28,
slip grabbing members 30, and key 18. When the tubular sleeve member 15 come
to a stop in the
main well bore casing 11, the aperture 21 is aligned with the window 13. The
deflector member
16, however, while being releasable and slidably sealed in the tubualr sleeve
member 15 would
continue downward in response to the well operator continuing to let the drill
string 53 down hole.
The key 18 is mounted into the deflector member 16 in a spring receiving box
31, which has
a first key spring 32 therein for compression by the key 18 when the assembly
14 is being run into
the main well bore casing 11 but which is outwardly biased against the key 18
for popping the key
18 through the key hole 19 into the window 13 as has already been discussed.
However, also
mounted in the spring receiving box 29 is a second key spring 33 for keeping
the key 18 in a
downward position until the key 18 comes to a stop when the key 18 comes to
rest on the downhole
sill 52 or key way 26 of the window 13, but will then compress and allow the
deflector member 16
to continue downward motion while the key 18 remains in the stopped position.
As the key 18
previously discussed is stopped the tubular sleeve member 15 with the packer
seal 28, and the slip
grabbing members 30 are also stopped, but the releasable and slidable sealed
deflector member
16 continues downward and drives against the packer seal 28 with a 1 st cam
surface 29 located
proximate the packer seal 28 to press the packer seal 28 into sealing
engagement with the main
well bore casing 11. Also on the down hole end of deflectoin member 16 is a
2nd cam surface 67
which is located proximate the slip grabbing members 30 for driving the slip
grabbing members 30
outwardly into the main well bore casing 11 to grip the main well bore casing
11 for setting the
tubular sleeve member 15 to prevent the movement of the tubular sleeve member
15 This
configuration at least in this one embodiment, thus allows for the sealing and
fixedly setting of the
tubular sleeve member 15 in the main well bore casing 11 with the aperture 21
of the tubular sleeve
member 15 and the window 13 aligned for further operations which will be
discussed.
It should be noted that the deflector member 16 has an inclined upper surface
34 for
deflecting the tubular member 24 or any other tubular good , such as liner 55,
through the window
13 when the tubular member 24 is run into contact with the inclined upper
surface 34 of the
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deflection member 16. Also located on the up hole end of the deflector member
16, as best seen
in Fig. 4, is provided a female retrieving member 35 which will be more fully
explained later but is
for the purpose of pulling the deflection member 16 out of the tubular sleeve
member 15 after the
seal has been formed in the lateral well bore 12 and the main well bore casing
11. Further in some
embodiments of the deflector member 16, attachment points 36 are provided
along this inclined
upper surface 34.
Also in some embodiments where the assembly 14 of this invention is to be run
as a unitized
assembly, the deflector member 16 has attaching points 36 which are provided
on the deflector
member 16 for allowing the attachment of a controlled releasable connector
member 37 , as for
example shear pins, for joining the deflector member 16 releasablely and
functionally to the
tubular member 24 whether directly or functionally, for example through a
lateral liner 55 for running
the assembly 14 into the main well bore casing 11. In this configuration the
controlled releasable
connector member 37 allows the controlled release of the controlled releasable
connector member
37 after the deflector member 16 is stopped from down ward motion. The
deflector member 16 is
stopped when it has moved down hole the distance allowed by the second key
spring 33 and spring
receiving box 31. Once the deflector member 16 can no longer be moved down
hole, then the
controlled releasable connector member 37 are released at the attaching point
36 such that the
tubular member 24 and the lateral liner 55, for example, may continue down
ward motion. Thus the
tubular member 24 with the sealing member 25 position about the tubular member
24 can continue
to be lowered down hole for the formation of a seal at the junction of the
lateral well bore 12 and the
main well bore casing 11 at the window 13, after,the tubular sleeve member 15
and deflector
member 16 are fully set in place in the main well bore casing 11. It should
also be understood that
the tubular sleeve member 15 could be set first and then the tubular member 24
could be run at a
later time without departing from the teachings of this invention. Also
between the attaching point
36 and the tubular member 24 may be connected other tubular goods, which would
be intermediate
thereto, for insertion into the lateral well bore 12 and which also provide a
functional connection of
the tubular member 24 and the deflector 16.
As the Tubular member 24 with the sealing member 25 positioned thereabout,
continues
down ward motion, an orientation key 40 releasablely connected to the stab in
54 by shear pins 56
at a predetermined distance from the sealing member 25 comes into engagement
with the tubular
mule shoe 22 , located on the up hole end of the tubular sleeve member 15 and
provides
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mechanical guidance of the orientation key 40 to the mule shoe key way 23 for
orientation of tubular
member 24 and the sealing member 25 positioned thereabout. Once the
orientation key 40 is
stopped in the mule shoe key way 23 in the proper orientation, continued down
hole pressure is
applied to the tubular member 24 and the orientation key 40 shears shear pins
56 and releases the
stab in 54 and tubular member 24 for a final push to put the sealing member 25
into place against
the seating surface 17 inside the tubular sleeve member 15 proximate the
aperture 21 and puts the
tubular member 24 and the stab in 54 into the lateral well bore 12. It would
be understood by those
skilled in the art that a lateral liner, lateral screen, or any other tubular
goods could be used in place
of the stab in 54 or with the stab in 54 to put them into the lateral well
bore 12 in this manner and
still form the seal of this invention.
In yet other embodiments of the assembly 14, the tubular sleeve member 15 is
formed in
two pieces with the upper part, generally referred to at 41, of the tubular
sleeve member 15 being
for controlled collapse and for sealing the tubular sleeve member 15 against
the main well bore
casing 11 proximate the upper part 41 of the tubular sleeve member 15 and for
downward
adjustment of the upper part, generally referred to at 42, of the aperture 21
in the tubular sleeve
member 15 by bringing the seating surface 17 located on the upper part 42 of
the aperture 21
inside the tubular sleeve member 15 proximate the aperture 21 into a preferred
configuration for
mating with the sealing member 25 positioned about the tubular member 24 for
seating.
Yet in other embodiments of the assembly 14 the tubular sleeve member 15, as
set out
above, may be formed in two pieces which are respectively the upper part 41
and lower part 69.
The upper part 41 of the tubular member 15 being formed into a tubular insert
43 for insertion into
the lower part 69 of the tubular member 15 as shown in Figs. 6, 7A, and 7B.
Further the tubular
insert 43 has an arched lower section 44 which frames the upper part 42 of the
aperture 21 of the
tubular sleeve member 15, as shown in Figs. 6, 7A & 7B. Also connected to the
tubular insert 43
is a circular packer seal 45 with a fixed compression ring 46 positioned above
the circular packer
seal 45 for compressing the circular packer seal 45 into sealing engagement
with the main well bore
casing 11 for forming a seal there between when the tubular insert 43 is moved
downward and the
circular packer seal 45 is compressed against the up hole end 68 of the lower
part 69 of the tubular
sleeve member 15. In this embodiment once the orientation key 40 is stopped in
the mule shoe
key way 23 in the proper orientation, continued down hole pressure is applied
to the tubular member
24 and the orientation key 40 drives the upper part 41 of the tubular sleeve
15 or in this
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embodiment tubular insert 43 downward, which also moves the arched lower
section 44, which is
formed in the tubular insert 43, downward with the resulting change in the
configuration of the
aperture 21, as best seen in Figs. 6 , 7A & 7B.
In this embodiment the outside surface of the tubular insert 43 has sealing
and gripping
surfaces 47 for mating with sealing and gripping surfaces 48 located on the
inside of the tubular
sleeve member 15 when the two sealing and gripping surfaces 47 & 48 are pushed
together. Thus
when the orientation key 40 drives downward on the mule shoe key way 23 it
drives the tubular
insert 43 with the sealing and gripping surfaces 47 into engagement with the
sealing and gripping
surfaces 48 to both seal the tubular insert 43 and the inside surface of the
tubular sleeve member
15. Once the sealing and gripping has occurred continued pressure on the
tubular member 24
releases the tubular member 24 and stab in 54 from the orientation key 40 by
shearing shear pins
56 for the final push to put the sealing member 25 into place against the
seating surface 17 inside
the tubular sleeve member 15 proximate the aperture 21 which has now had the
configuration of
the aperture 21 changed by the arched lower section 44 of the tubular insert
43 being moved down
ward and the sealing gripping surfaces 47 ad 48 are mated. One of the
functions for the adjustment
of the configuration of the aperture 21 is to provide both a sealing
engagement between the sealing
member 25 positioned about the tubular member 24 and the seating surface 17
inside of the tubular
sleeve member 15 proximate the aperture 21 and also between the tubular member
24 and the
aperture 21 by the downward movement by the arched lower section 44 thus
forming a seal at the
junction of the lateral well bore 12 and the main well bore casing 11, as
shown in Fig 8. Even in
some embodiments as shown in Figs. 7A & 7 B, compressible material 61 is
connected about the
aperture 21 of the tubular sleeve member 15 for sealing the tubular member 24
when the aperture
21 is downwardly adjusted by the arched section 44.
In yet other embodiments as shown in Fig. 8 the sealing member 25 has
positioned thereon
a compression seal gasket 49 for forming a compression seal when the sealing
member 25 is
brought into engagement with the seating surface 17 inside the tubular sleeve
member 15 proximate
the aperture 21 as the tubular member 24 is run into the main well bore casing
11.
Another embodiment, as also show in Fig. 8 and 9, shows a elastic tubular seal
50 about
the sealing member 25 of the tubular member 24 which is in fluid communication
by way of a one
way check valve 51, as best seen in Fig. 8, for receiving fluid 70 from the
drill string 53 to expand
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the elastic tubular seal 50. By expanding the elastic tubular seal 50 as the
fluid 70 is received
through the tubular member 24 and drill string 53, the elastic tubular seal 50
expands against the
tubular sleeve member 15 which forms the aperture 21 and against the tubular
sleeve member 15
outside and proximate the aperture 21 for providing a seal which will prevent
well fluid 63 movement
either into or out of the aperture 21 and for holding the tubular member 24
and the tubular sleeve
member 15 together against movement. Once the initial sealing as described
above has been done
then a pressure check of the seal formed between the lateral well bore 12 and
the main well bore
casing 11 can be conducted while all the equipment of the assembly 14 is in
place in the well, as
shown in Fig. 9. This test is done by pressuring up the well fluids 63 or any
other desired fluids in
the well and checking for leaks. If the seal formed is not as desired, then
additional fluid 70 may be
pumped in to expand the elastic tubular seal 50 further until a desired seal
is formed, as shown by
Fig. 8 & 9. As those skilled in the art would appreciate the stab in 54 would
have a cap 57 to allow
the fluid 70 to have a pressure build up to perform this operation. Also those
skilled in the art will
appreciate the benefits of being able to test the seal before removing all the
equipment of the
assembly 14 used to form the seal and not have to reset up and run the sealing
operation again,
if it is not successful. Once the desired sealing is formed, as those skilled
in the art will appreciate
the fluid 70 which was pumped into the elastic tubular seal 50 will set up and
become solid, like a
cement, for forming a very rigid seal. Also as seen in Fig. 8, the stab in 54
is sealed in place by a
well bore seal 58 located in the tubular member 24, which holds until it is
desired to pull the stab in
54 out of the tubular member 24. Also as those skilled in the art will know
the stab in 54 may be
hydraulically disconnected form the tubular member 24 when it is desired to
pull them from the main
well bore casing 11
Once the seal between the lateral well bore 12 and the main well bore casing
11 is
completed the deflection member 16 may be retrieved from the well as shown in
Fig. 11 by running
a drill string 53 with a male retrieving member 52 to engage with the female
retrieving member 35
on the deflection member 16 and then pull the deflection member 16 from inside
the tubular sleeve
member 15 and clear of the window 13. Once the deflection member 16 is removed
from the main
well bore casing 11 as shown in fig. 13 the main well bore casing 11 is
substantially clear and open
for further well operations below the junction of the seal between the main
well bore casing 11 and
the lateral well bore 12. In some cases it will be desired to seal the key
cavity 59 , as shown in Fig.
11, which the key 18 would leave in the cement 65, more securely than with
just cement 65, once
the deflection member 16 and key 18 are removed. In such cases an impervious
plug 60, as shown
21
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in Fig. 12, would be set and sealed in the key cavity 59 using the mule shoe
22 and the mule shoe
key way 23 with a running tool to locate and position the impervious plug 60
in the hole and seal it.
The ability to set this impervious plug 60 in the key cavity 59 points out one
of the benefits of the use
of the assembly 14 of this invention not only for setting the impervious plug
60, but also for reentry
back into the lateral well bore at any later time. This is achieved by the
mule shoe 22 and mule shoe
key way 23 remaining in the main well bore casing 11 to give a point which can
easily and
specifically be located, for example, the key cavity 59. By knowing the exact
distance the key cavity
59 is from the mule shoe key way 23 on the tubular sleeve member 15 it can be
easily found from
the surface of the main well bore casing 11 and the impervious plug 60 put in
place. Those skilled
in the art will realize that this is a useful feature of this invention and
will also realize that the overall
inside diameter of the main well bore casing 11 with the tubular sleeve member
15 left behind in the
main well bore casing 11 would not greatly reduce the inside diameter and thus
allow other well
operations to be conducted further down the main well bore casing 15.
In certain applications the assembly 14 may be run in two separate runs, such
that the
deflection member 16 and tubular sleeve member 15 may be run into the main
well bore casing 11
and used as a standard "Whip Stock " for setting lateral well bore liner 54,
or lateral well bore
screens, etc. and then the tubular member 24 with the sealing member 25
positioned'about the
tubular member 24 may be run into the well on a later run to form the seal
using a tubular member
24, with a "Stab In" 54 to join the lateral well bore 12 and the main well
bore casing 11 as shown in
Fig. 10 without departing from the teachings of this invention.
It should be noted that the key 18 at least in some embodiments, as shown in
Fig. 8, has
a downwardly sloping front face 38 for grabbing on to the sill 20 of the
window 13 and pulling the
tubular sleeve member 15 in to very positive engagement against movement down
hole. Further
it should be noted that key 18 at least in this embodiment may also have
downward sloping back
face 39 for acting as a cam surface to drive the key 18 back into the spring
receiving box 31 upon
the deflector member 16 being removed from the tubular sleeve member 15 after
completion of the
seal operations.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the tubular sleeve
member 15 is sized
to fit into the main well bore casing 11 or other tubular member into which it
may be used and is
sized to receive the deflection member 16 and have the O-ring seal 27 of the
deflection member 16
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WO 02/48504 PCT/GB00/04835
to seal the tubular sleeve members 15 from fluid flow through the inside
diameter of the tubular
sleeve member 15. As those skilled in the art will appreciate the optimum
would be for the inside
diameter of the tubular sleeve 15 to be as large as possible and yet still
receive the benefits of this
invention because the larger the inside diameter of the tubular sleeve 15 the
less the main well bore
casing clearance would be reduced after the seal at the junction of the
lateral well bore 12 and the
main well bore casing 11 is completed and the deflection member 16 is removed.
The method of using the assembly 14 of this invention for forming a seal at
the junction of
a lateral well bore 12 drilled through a window 13 in at least a main well
bore casing 12 comprising
in one embodiment the steps of running a tubular member 24 with a sealing
member 25 positioned
about the tubular member 24 into the main well bore casing 11 which is
functionally and releasablely
connected to a deflector member 16 which is positioned in the tubular sleeve
member 15 having
an aperture 21 through at least one side of the tubular sleeve member 15, and
releasable sealed
in the tubular sleeve member 15 and having an orientation key 18 positioned
thereon. Then as
the tubular sleeve member 15 is gently rotated while being lowered into the
main well bore casing
11, popping outwardly open the orientation key 18 for orientation of the
deflection member 16
in the window 13 which is in the main well bore casing 11 when the orientation
key 18 reaches the
opening of the widow 13. Next the step of the operator letting down on said
tubular member 24
being run into the main well bore casing 11 to allow the popped open
orientation key 18 to guide and
orient the tubular sleeve member 15 and the deflection member 16 into position
by following the sill
20 of the window 13. Once the orientation key 18 reaches the down hole sill 52
or the key way 26
of the window, then fixingly and sealingly setting the tubular sleeve member
15 in the main well bore
casing by continuing to let down on the drill sting 53 which is connected to
the tubular member 24.
by stab in 54 or any other connecting means. Once the tubular sleeve member 15
is fixed and
sealed, then the step of controllable releasing the controllable releasing
member 37 functionally
holding the tubular member 24 and the tubular sleeve member 15 together is
accomplished by
letting down on the tubular member 24. Once released, continue letting down on
the drill string 53
and tubular member 24 and/or any intermediate tubular goods until then the one
orientation key 40
is in place and free for driving downward the tubular sleeve member 15 having
an adjustable upper
part 43 which is in mechanical communication with the aperture 21 for
adjusting the aperture 21 until
said controllably collapsible upper part 43 collapses which seals and sets the
upper part of the
tubular sleeve member 41 in the main well bore casing 11. After the tubular
sleeve member 15 is
sealed and set then continued lowering of the tubular member 24 into the
deflector member 16 in
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WO 02/48504 PCT/GB00/04835
the tubular sleeve member 15 to deflect the tubular member 24 through the
window 13 for seating
the sealing member 25 positioned about the tubular member 24 into seating with
the seating
surface 17 inside the tubular sleeve member 15 proximate the aperture 21 in
the tubular sleeve
member 15. Once the seating of the sealing member 25 with the seating surface
17 has occurred
then pumping fluid 70 into the elastic tubular seal 50 through the tubular
member 24 for sealing the
window 13 and the lateral well bore 12. After the sealing is completed then
pulling the deflector
member 16 out of the tubular sleeve member 15 and out to the main well bore
casing to leave a
substantially clear and clean main well bore 11 with the lateral well bore 12
and main well bore
casing sealed.
Between the steps of pumping fluid 70 into the elastic tubular seal 50 and
pulling the
deflector member 16 out of the tubular sleeve 15, may be the step of pressure
testing the seal by
pressuring up the well with well fluids 63, or other fluid, to check the seal.
If the seal is not as secure
as desired then re-running the step of pumping fluid 70 into the elastic
tubular seal 50 may be done
again to higher pressures, possibly if desired, and a re-pressure testing of
the seal again until the
seal is as desired. All of this rechecking being done while all the equipment
for forming the seal
remains in place, which eliminates any need to reset up the equipment if the
seal had failed.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention and the methods of their use
have been
described for the assembly for forming a seal at the junction of a lateral
well bore drilled through
a window in at least a main well bore casing it will be appreciated that other
embodiments and
methods may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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WO 02/48504 PCT/GB00/04835
PARTS LIST 35. female retrieving member
10. main well bore 36. attachment point
11. main well bore casing 37. releasable connector
member
12. lateral well bore 38. front face
13. window 39. back face
14. assembly 40. orientation key
15. tubular sleeve member 41. upper part of tubular
sleeve
16. deflection member 42. upper part of aperture
17. seating surface 43. upper part of tubular
insert
18. key 44. arched lower section
19. key hole 45. circular packer seal
20. sill 46. fixed compression ring
21. aperture 47. sealing -gripping surface
22. tubular mule shoe 48. sealing gripping surface
23. mule shoe key way 49. compression seal gasket
24. tubular member 50. elastic tubular seal
25. sealing member 51. one way check valve
26. window key way 52. down hole sill (of
window )13
27. O-ring seal 53. drill string
28. packer seal 54. stab in
29. first cam surface 55. lateral liner
30. slip grabbing members 56. shear pins
31. spring receiving box 57. cap
32. first key spring 58. well bore seal
33. second key spring 59. key cavity
34. inclined upper surface 60. impervious plug
2s
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WO 02/48504 PCT/GB00/04835
61, compressible material
62. drill collar
63. welt fluid
64. seal at bottom of tubular member 24
for seal
65. cement
66. male retaining member on drill string
pull out
67. 2nd cam surface
68, up hole end
69. lower part
70 fluid
26
