Down-hole Window Locator and Guide Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack a reliable and cost-effective means to locate and reenter multiple lateral well bores after the removal of a whip stock in oil and gas exploration, necessitating a solution for window location and reentry guidance in main well bores.
Innovation Solution
A down-hole assembly comprising a running tool with a window locator and a guide member, featuring a wedged-shaped outer surface for diverting tools through windows, allowing for the precise location and reentry of lateral well bores, including multiple windows, without dislodging guide members or requiring caliper logs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods are used to locate and reenter lateral well bores after whip stock removal, then the process requires multiple separate operations including caliper logs and guide member installation, but this increases operational complexity, time, and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the window locating function and the reentry guiding function into a single integrated down-hole assembly. The running tool includes a window locator that identifies the window position, and the guide member with wedge-shaped outer surface that directs tools through the window, both as part of one deployable unit rather than separate operations requiring caliper logs and separate guide installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The down-hole assembly serves multiple functions: it locates the window in the casing, provides a guide for reentry tools, and can be removed after use. The window locator identifies window positions, the guide member directs tools through the window into lateral wells, and the entire assembly can be deployed and removed as needed, making it a universal solution for multiple lateral well reentry operations.
2Reliability
If a guide member is installed to enable reentry through windows, then reliable tool diversion is achieved, but the guide member may be dislodged by drill bits or mill bits during reaming operations
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member features a concave inner surface that is curved to receive and guide tools. This concave geometry, combined with the wedge-shaped outer surface, creates a configuration where tools are guided along a curved path through the window rather than through a straight or angular interface, reducing the likelihood of tools catching or dislodging the guide member during reaming operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member acts as an intermediary element between the main well bore and the lateral well bore. Its wedge-shaped outer surface interfaces with the window opening while its concave inner surface interfaces with the down-hole tools, mediating the transition and guiding tools through the window without direct contact between the tools and the window edges that could cause dislodging.
3Measurement precision
If the window locator extends outward to engage the casing wall for accurate window location, then precise positioning is achieved, but the running tool diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The window locator is designed with a pivoting arm that can rotate from a retracted position (where it does not extend outward) to an extended position (where it engages the casing wall). This dynamic configuration allows the running tool to navigate the well bore with a smaller effective diameter when the locator is retracted, while still achieving accurate window location when the locator is extended to engage the casing wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The window locator head is positioned within the running tool body when not in use, similar to a nested doll configuration. The pivoting arm can be stored inside or along the outer periphery of the running tool, allowing the tool to maintain a compact diameter while still providing the extended engagement capability needed for accurate window location when required.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable and cost-effective reentry and remedial work in lateral well bores, restoring well configuration, allowing drill bits, mill bits, and tools to be run in and out without dislodging the guide member, and facilitates reaming without dropping the concave member, with easy removal post-work.
Implementation Method 1
The guide member may have a wedged-shaped outer surface for diverting a down-hole tool through the window and into the lateral well bore
Data Source
AI summary
A down-hole assembly used to locate an existing window in a main cased well bore and guide equipment through the window and into a lateral well bore after removal of a whip stock. The down-hole assembly includes a running tool with a convex section detachably connected to a concave section of a guide member. The running tool includes a window locator that locates the window. The window locator may contain a selectively reciprocating shear rod operatively associated with a stop/shear block to enable the window locator to locate a plurality of lateral well windows in a main well bore. The guide member includes an inclined or wedge shaped portion for guiding tools or equipment through the window and into the lateral well bore so that remedial work can be carried out.