Whipstock Connector Lug Pocket Interface for Window Mill
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing systems for joining a window mill to a whipstock in the drilling and completion industry are time-consuming and inefficient, requiring precise alignment and connection of shear bolts at the rig floor.
Innovation Solution
A window cutting system featuring a window mill with a body, connector member, and blades supporting cutting elements, along with a whipstock connector that includes radially inwardly projecting lugs received by lug pockets on the blades, allowing for a detachable and efficient connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a shear bolt is passed through the lug hole and connected with the window mill at the rig floor, then the window mill is securely connected to the whipstock, but the connection process becomes time-consuming and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is divided into separate components: the whipstock with lug holes and the window mill with corresponding threaded holes. This segmentation allows each component to be prepared independently and connected quickly through simple alignment and bolt insertion, eliminating the time-consuming alignment process while maintaining secure connection through the threaded fastening mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded holes are pre-formed in the window mill body at manufacturing stage, and the lug holes are pre-positioned in the whipstock. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex alignment and connection procedures at the rig floor, as components only need to be brought into rough alignment and secured with bolts, significantly reducing connection time while maintaining reliability
2Manufacturing precision
If the threaded hole and lug hole are aligned at the rig floor, then the shear bolt can be passed through to connect the window mill, but the alignment process is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The connection interface is segmented into the whipstock with lug holes and the window mill with threaded holes. This segmentation allows each component to have pre-positioned connection features that require minimal alignment during assembly, reducing both alignment time and precision requirements while maintaining secure connection through the threaded fastening mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded holes are pre-formed in the window mill body at manufacturing stage with precise positioning relative to the blades and cutting elements. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex alignment procedures at the rig floor, as components only need to be brought into rough alignment and secured with bolts, significantly reducing alignment time while maintaining manufacturing precision
Data Source
AI summary
A window cutting system includes a window mill having a body including a connector member, a tip portion, and a plurality of blades arranged between the connector member and the tip portion. Each of the plurality of blades supports a plurality of cutting elements. A lug pocket is formed in at least one of the plurality of blades adjacent the plurality of cutting elements. A whipstock connector detachably coupled to the window mill. The whipstock connector including an outer surface and an inner surface, and at least one lug projecting radially inwardly from the inner surface. The at least one lug is selectively received by the lug pocket to connect the whipstock connector to the window mill.