US20120061100A1 - Liner hanger - Google Patents
Liner hanger Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20120061100A1 US20120061100A1 US13/262,068 US201013262068A US2012061100A1 US 20120061100 A1 US20120061100 A1 US 20120061100A1 US 201013262068 A US201013262068 A US 201013262068A US 2012061100 A1 US2012061100 A1 US 2012061100A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- shaft
- lead screw
- leadscrew
- liner hanger
- pipes
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B23/00—Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing, or removing tools, packers or the like in the boreholes or wells
- E21B23/01—Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing, or removing tools, packers or the like in the boreholes or wells for anchoring the tools or the like
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
- E21B33/02—Surface sealing or packing
- E21B33/03—Well heads; Setting-up thereof
- E21B33/04—Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/02—Subsoil filtering
- E21B43/10—Setting of casings, screens, liners or the like in wells
Definitions
- This invention concerns a liner hanger for use in wellbores.
- a borehole is drilled to a predetermined depth. Then the drill bit is retrieved, and a section of pipes is assembled from pipes that are threaded together at their ends.
- the section known as a casing, is inserted into the borehole and typically cemented to the formation by pumping cement into the annular space between the casing and the formation. The cement is allowed to cure, and a smaller diameter drill bit is inserted through the casing to drill a new section through the formation to a second predetermined depth.
- the next section of pipes called a ‘liner’, is inserted through the casing to a depth where the top of the liner overlaps the lower part of the existing casing.
- the liner is suspended from the casing using a liner hanger.
- the liner may in turn be cemented to the formation, and the process may be repeated until the wellbore has reached its intended depth.
- casing refers to an upper section of pipes, usually cemented to the formation
- liner refers to a lower section of pipes.
- casing and liner as both comprise strings of pipes, and as the liner of one section will be the casing of the next.
- the liner hanger is mounted at the top of the new string of pipes, and will have to carry the weight of it, which often is several tens of tons. It is usual to dimension the elements for a weight of 150 tons.
- the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liner hanger that can be attached to an existing casing for a shorter or longer period of time, without it necessarily being cemented.
- Another objective of the invention is to provide a liner hanger that can be set without rotating the entire section of pipes that is suspended from it.
- Yet another purpose of the invention is to avoid leakage to occur in the annular space between existing and new casing as the rubber becomes old.
- a liner hanger to be placed in an existing casing with a flexible expansion seal and a metallic gripping element disposed on inclined surfaces such that they are moved radially when a leadscrew nut is moved axially relative to an inner, hollow shaft, the lead screw nut being moved axially when a lead screw is rotated therein, and the lead screw being disposed around the inner, hollow shaft 150 .
- FIG. 1 is a partial cross section through a liner hanger according to the invention.
- FIG. 1 is a partial cross section through a liner hanger according to the invention.
- the liner hanger has an inner, hollow shaft 150 disposed within an outer housing.
- the shaft 150 is at one of its ends, to the left on FIG. 1 , connected to a lead screw having outer threads on a torque transmitting sleeve 110 .
- the lead screw can have conventional Acme-threading, and is disposed within a lead screw nut 130 having corresponding internal threading.
- the lead screw is part of the outer housing of the liner hanger.
- the lead screw is rotated in the nut 130 by an external drive shaft 120 which is rotation locked using first latching dogs 121 in the sleeve 110 , while second latching dogs 141 are rotation locked to the lead screw nut 130 .
- the external drive shaft rotates the first latching dogs 121 relative to the second latching dogs 141 , and thus the lead screw on the sleeve 110 relative to the lead screw nut 130 .
- the lead screw nut 130 is axially slidably disposed around the inner shaft 150 .
- the nut 130 will be moved axially along the shaft 150 .
- the drive shaft is rotated such that the lead screw nut 130 is moved downward relative to the inner, hollow shaft 150 , i.e. to the right in FIG. 1 .
- the lead screw nut 130 will push against the other parts of the outer shell, which, starting from the lead screw nut, are in order: Belleville springs 160 , expandable seal 180 , Belleville springs 170 and a slip section having slips 190 .
- the slips 190 are disposed on inclined surfaces that are pulled closer to each other by the axial displacement. Thereby, the slips will be moved radially outward and be the first elements to engage the wall of the well.
- the seal 180 will expand radially until it engages the wall of the well and seals the annular space between the shaft 150 and the existing casing (not shown).
- the seal 180 which conventionally is made from a rubber blend, has been disposed in the well for a while, its characteristics are expected to change, and it is expected to seal less well.
- the purpose of the Belleville springs 160 and 170 is to preload the seal 180 , such that it continues to seal after this occurs.
- the Belleville springs can e.g. be preloaded with a force around 200 kN. Depending on the rubber blend and well conditions, it is expected that the force from (the less compressed) Belleville springs is half of the original force after a while. However, the seal will still seal. If the seal was not compressed by the Belleville springs, a leak would have been expected at this point in time.
- the inner, hollow shaft 150 is in one of its ends connected to the external drive shaft through milled out grooves and the second latching dogs 141 .
- the shaft 150 is preferably provided with pipe threads. Thereby, the liner hanger can be threaded to the upper part of a new section of pipes before the entire assembly is lowered into the well. The shaft 150 thereby becomes part of the new section of pipes.
- the slips 190 When the slips 190 has a firm grip in the casing and the seal 180 engages the inner surface of the casing, the new section of pipes is suspended from the shaft 150 , and the weight is removed from the second dogs 141 .
- the part 140 can be used to release the latching dogs in different ways, e.g. by moving a ring over inclined faces of the dogs to retract them from their latching position.
- the first latching dogs 121 are not subject to any substantial axial load in the above description. As long as they provide the required rotational locking, nothing prevents them from being pulled axially out from the sleeve 110 when the liner hanger is attached to the existing casing.
- the new section of pipes can optionally be cemented to the formation, be penetrated and/or be treated like other steel pipes in the well.
Abstract
Liner hanger to be placed in an existing casing with a flexible expansion seal (180) and a metallic gripping element (190) disposed on inclined surfaces such that they are moved radially when a leadscrew nut (130) is moved axially relative to an inner, hollow shaft (150). The lead screw nut is moved axially when a lead screw is rotated therein, and the lead screw is rotatably disposed around the inner, hollow shaft (150).
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- This invention concerns a liner hanger for use in wellbores.
- 2. Related and Prior Art
- For retrieving oil and/or gas, hydro carbons, from subterranean formations, a borehole is drilled to a predetermined depth. Then the drill bit is retrieved, and a section of pipes is assembled from pipes that are threaded together at their ends. The section, known as a casing, is inserted into the borehole and typically cemented to the formation by pumping cement into the annular space between the casing and the formation. The cement is allowed to cure, and a smaller diameter drill bit is inserted through the casing to drill a new section through the formation to a second predetermined depth. The next section of pipes, called a ‘liner’, is inserted through the casing to a depth where the top of the liner overlaps the lower part of the existing casing. In this position, the liner is suspended from the casing using a liner hanger. The liner may in turn be cemented to the formation, and the process may be repeated until the wellbore has reached its intended depth. For practical reasons, the term ‘casing’ as used herein refers to an upper section of pipes, usually cemented to the formation, and the term ‘liner’ as used herein refers to a lower section of pipes. However, there is no clear distinction between a ‘casing’ and a ‘liner’ as both comprise strings of pipes, and as the liner of one section will be the casing of the next.
- The liner hanger is mounted at the top of the new string of pipes, and will have to carry the weight of it, which often is several tens of tons. It is usual to dimension the elements for a weight of 150 tons.
- The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liner hanger that can be attached to an existing casing for a shorter or longer period of time, without it necessarily being cemented.
- Another objective of the invention is to provide a liner hanger that can be set without rotating the entire section of pipes that is suspended from it.
- Yet another purpose of the invention is to avoid leakage to occur in the annular space between existing and new casing as the rubber becomes old.
- According to the invention, this is solved by a liner hanger to be placed in an existing casing with a flexible expansion seal and a metallic gripping element disposed on inclined surfaces such that they are moved radially when a leadscrew nut is moved axially relative to an inner, hollow shaft, the lead screw nut being moved axially when a lead screw is rotated therein, and the lead screw being disposed around the inner,
hollow shaft 150. - When the new section is suspended from the
inner shaft 150, which does not rotate, it is still simple to rotate thesleeve 110. - The invention will be disclosed in greater detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, where similar reference numerals refer to similar elements, and where:
-
FIG. 1 is a partial cross section through a liner hanger according to the invention. -
FIG. 1 is a partial cross section through a liner hanger according to the invention. The liner hanger has an inner,hollow shaft 150 disposed within an outer housing. Theshaft 150 is at one of its ends, to the left onFIG. 1 , connected to a lead screw having outer threads on atorque transmitting sleeve 110. The lead screw can have conventional Acme-threading, and is disposed within alead screw nut 130 having corresponding internal threading. The lead screw is part of the outer housing of the liner hanger. The lead screw is rotated in thenut 130 by anexternal drive shaft 120 which is rotation locked using first latchingdogs 121 in thesleeve 110, while second latchingdogs 141 are rotation locked to thelead screw nut 130. The external drive shaft rotates the first latchingdogs 121 relative to the second latchingdogs 141, and thus the lead screw on thesleeve 110 relative to thelead screw nut 130. - The
lead screw nut 130 is axially slidably disposed around theinner shaft 150. Thus, when the lead screw is rotated in thelead screw nut 130, thenut 130 will be moved axially along theshaft 150. When the liner hanger is set, the drive shaft is rotated such that thelead screw nut 130 is moved downward relative to the inner,hollow shaft 150, i.e. to the right inFIG. 1 . - Thereby, the
lead screw nut 130 will push against the other parts of the outer shell, which, starting from the lead screw nut, are in order: Bellevillesprings 160,expandable seal 180, Bellevillesprings 170 and a slipsection having slips 190. - The
slips 190 are disposed on inclined surfaces that are pulled closer to each other by the axial displacement. Thereby, the slips will be moved radially outward and be the first elements to engage the wall of the well. When the lead screw is rotated further, theseal 180 will expand radially until it engages the wall of the well and seals the annular space between theshaft 150 and the existing casing (not shown). - When the
seal 180, which conventionally is made from a rubber blend, has been disposed in the well for a while, its characteristics are expected to change, and it is expected to seal less well. The purpose of the Bellevillesprings seal 180, such that it continues to seal after this occurs. The Belleville springs can e.g. be preloaded with a force around 200 kN. Depending on the rubber blend and well conditions, it is expected that the force from (the less compressed) Belleville springs is half of the original force after a while. However, the seal will still seal. If the seal was not compressed by the Belleville springs, a leak would have been expected at this point in time. - The inner,
hollow shaft 150 is in one of its ends connected to the external drive shaft through milled out grooves and the second latchingdogs 141. In its other end, theshaft 150 is preferably provided with pipe threads. Thereby, the liner hanger can be threaded to the upper part of a new section of pipes before the entire assembly is lowered into the well. Theshaft 150 thereby becomes part of the new section of pipes. - When the hanger is to be attached to the lower or outer end of the existing casing, the entire weight of a section of pipes, possibly in the order of hundreds of tons, will thereby be suspended from the
second dogs 141 and theshaft 150, while thesleeve 110 with the lead screw is rotated around theshaft 150. Hence, it is not necessary to rotate a mass of several tens of tons to set the liner hanger. - When the
slips 190 has a firm grip in the casing and theseal 180 engages the inner surface of the casing, the new section of pipes is suspended from theshaft 150, and the weight is removed from thesecond dogs 141. When the external drive shaft is to be removed, thepart 140 can be used to release the latching dogs in different ways, e.g. by moving a ring over inclined faces of the dogs to retract them from their latching position. - The first latching
dogs 121 are not subject to any substantial axial load in the above description. As long as they provide the required rotational locking, nothing prevents them from being pulled axially out from thesleeve 110 when the liner hanger is attached to the existing casing. - When the drive shaft is pulled back and the new section of pipes is suspended from the liner hanger, the new section of pipes can optionally be cemented to the formation, be penetrated and/or be treated like other steel pipes in the well.
Claims (4)
1-4. (canceled)
5. A liner hanger to be placed in an existing casing, the liner hanger comprising an inner, hollow shaft, having, in a first end, grooves configured to receive second latching dogs for latching to an external drive shaft and having, in a second end, threading for connecting a section of pipes, wherein the inner shaft is supported coaxially in an outer housing comprising a flexible expansion seal and a radially movable metallic gripping element disposed on inclined surfaces configured to be moved axially by a leadscrew nut which is axially movable relative to the inner shaft, and wherein the leadscrew nut is provided with lead screw threading on an inner surface, characterized in that
the inner shaft is rotation locked relative to the outer housing,
that the liner hanger further comprises a torque transmitting sleeve rotatably disposed around, and axially locked relative to, the inner shaft, and
that the torque transmitting sleeve has external lead screw threads disposed in the lead screw nut and additional grooves adapted to first latching dogs for rotational locking against a separate part of the external drive shaft.
6. The liner hanger according to claim 5 , wherein the flexible expansion seal is preloaded by spring elements.
7. A method for suspending a section of pipes from an existing casing, comprising:
connecting an inner hollow shaft to a section of pipes,
suspending the shaft from a drive shaft using second latching dogs and corresponding grooves,
lowering the inner shaft until its upper end overlaps the lower end of the casing,
rotating a leadscrew on a torque transmitting sleeve around the inner hollow shaft using first latching dogs rotatably fixed to the leadscrew, the leadscrew having threads engaging corresponding threads on a lead screw nut rotationally locked to the shaft, thereby moving the leadscrew nut axially along the shaft, the leadscrew nut causing a metallic gripping element and an expandable seal to engage the inner surface of the casing,
transferring the weight of the section of pipes from the second latching dogs to the metallic gripping element,
releasing the latching dogs, and
retracting the drive shaft axially from the assembly comprising the inner hollow shaft.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NO20091317A NO333731B1 (en) | 2009-04-01 | 2009-04-01 | hanger |
NO20091317 | 2009-04-01 | ||
PCT/NO2010/000124 WO2010114389A1 (en) | 2009-04-01 | 2010-03-31 | Liner hanger |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20120061100A1 true US20120061100A1 (en) | 2012-03-15 |
Family
ID=42828502
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/262,068 Abandoned US20120061100A1 (en) | 2009-04-01 | 2010-03-31 | Liner hanger |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20120061100A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2414626A4 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2757115A1 (en) |
NO (1) | NO333731B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2010114389A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9428998B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-08-30 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated setting tool |
US9523258B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-12-20 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated cementing plug release system |
US9528346B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-12-27 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated ball release system |
US9777569B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2017-10-03 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Running tool |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102373892B (en) * | 2011-12-03 | 2014-04-30 | 中国石油集团西部钻探工程有限公司 | Expansion liner hanger |
CN104747109A (en) * | 2013-12-31 | 2015-07-01 | 中国石油化工集团公司 | Pressurization expansion mechanism used for expansion hanger |
CN109403896B (en) * | 2017-08-17 | 2021-03-23 | 中国石油化工股份有限公司 | Recoverable two-way anchoring screen pipe hanger and recoverable two-way anchoring screen pipe system |
CN110017110B (en) * | 2018-01-08 | 2021-03-23 | 中国石油化工股份有限公司 | Embedded slip liner hanger |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3171490A (en) * | 1961-01-03 | 1965-03-02 | Midway Fishing Tool Co | Liner hanger and setting tool therefor |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5058671A (en) * | 1990-08-13 | 1991-10-22 | Lindsey Completion Systems, Inc. | Pipe insert assembly |
-
2009
- 2009-04-01 NO NO20091317A patent/NO333731B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2010
- 2010-03-31 US US13/262,068 patent/US20120061100A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2010-03-31 WO PCT/NO2010/000124 patent/WO2010114389A1/en active Application Filing
- 2010-03-31 EP EP10759087.9A patent/EP2414626A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2010-03-31 CA CA2757115A patent/CA2757115A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3171490A (en) * | 1961-01-03 | 1965-03-02 | Midway Fishing Tool Co | Liner hanger and setting tool therefor |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9428998B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-08-30 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated setting tool |
US9523258B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-12-20 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated cementing plug release system |
US9528346B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2016-12-27 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated ball release system |
US9777569B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2017-10-03 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Running tool |
US9970251B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2018-05-15 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated setting tool |
US10221638B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2019-03-05 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated cementing plug release system |
US10246965B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2019-04-02 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated ball release system |
US10422216B2 (en) | 2013-11-18 | 2019-09-24 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Telemetry operated running tool |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2414626A1 (en) | 2012-02-08 |
NO20091317L (en) | 2010-10-04 |
WO2010114389A1 (en) | 2010-10-07 |
CA2757115A1 (en) | 2010-10-07 |
NO333731B1 (en) | 2013-09-02 |
EP2414626A4 (en) | 2017-04-26 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: I-TEC AS, NORWAY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BRAEKKE, KRISTOFFER;REEL/FRAME:027229/0163 Effective date: 20111108 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |