Downhole plug assembly

• US 10,648,263 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Markel, Daniel C., Leonardi, Tauna Lea
• Primary Examiner(s): Bomar, Shane
• Application Number:
  US15/383,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20180171744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/01 for anchoring the tools or the like E21B23/02 - E21B23/06 take precedence; anchoring of drives in the borehole E21B4/18
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1212 including a metal-to-metal seal element

Abstract

A technique includes running a plug assembly inside a tubing string of a well; deploying an untethered object in the tubing string; and communicating the untethered object into a passageway of the plug assembly to land the untethered object in a seat of the plug assembly. The passageway has a maximum cross-sectional dimension that is larger than a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the untethered object. The technique includes using the landed untethered object to form a fluid barrier in the tubing string.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

running a plug assembly inside a tubing string of a well;

setting the plug assembly, wherein the setting comprises pushing a seal retainer inside a body of the plug assembly and using a ratcheting mechanism to lock the position of the seal retainer relative to the position of the body;

deploying an untethered object in the tubing string;

communicating the untethered object into a passageway of the plug assembly to land the untethered object in a seat of the plug assembly, the passageway having a maximum cross-sectional dimension that is larger than a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the untethered object,

wherein the untethered object is entirely contained within the passageway of the plug assembly when landed in the seat of the plug assembly; and

using the landed untethered object to form a fluid barrier in the tubing string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the untethered object into the passageway comprises receiving the untethered object in the seat to form a non-interference fit with the untethered object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the untethered object comprises an activation ball having an outer diameter, communicating the untethered object into the passageway comprises communicating the activation ball into the passageway of the plug assembly having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the activation ball, and the seat comprises a restriction in the passageway.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein running the plug assembly inside the tubing string comprises running a plug assembly comprising a material constructed to degrade in a time interval less than one month.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein deploying the untethered object comprising a material constructed to degrade in a time interval less than the time interval in which the material of the plug assembly degrades.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a stimulation operation in the well, wherein performing the stimulation operation comprises diverting fluid using the fluid barrier.

7. A plug assembly usable with a well, comprising:

a tubular main body;

a sealing ring to circumscribe the main body; and

a tubular seal retainer to be axially translated inside a central passageway of the body to cause the sealing ring to be energized against a wall of a tubing string surrounding the sealing ring and be energized against the main body,

wherein the seal retainer of the plug assembly is adapted to be engaged by a setting tool to compress the sealing ring between the seal retainer and the main body to exert radial and axial forces on the sealing ring.

8. The plug assembly of claim 7, wherein the main body comprises a seat to receive an untethered object to form a fluid barrier inside the tubing string.

9. The plug assembly of claim 7, wherein the seal retainer comprises an outer spirally extending thread, the main body comprises an inner spirally extending thread, and the spirally extending thread of the seal retainer is adapted to engage the spirally extending thread of the body.

10. The plug assembly of claim 9, wherein the seal retainer comprises at least one axially extending slot to adapt the spirally extending threads to engage each other in a ratcheting connection.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a tubing string;

a conveyance mechanism;

a plug assembly to be run downhole inside the tubing string using the conveyance mechanism, wherein the plug assembly comprises;

a tubular main body;

a sealing ring to circumscribe the main body; and

a tubular seal retainer to be axially translated inside a central passageway of the body to cause the sealing ring to be energized against a wall of a tubing string surrounding the sealing ring and be energized against the main body; and

a setting tool to force the seal retainer of the plug assembly against the sealing ring to radially expand the sealing ring to energize the sealing ring against the tubing string and axially translate the sealing ring to energize the sealing ring against the main body.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the main body comprises a seat to receive an untethered object to form a fluid barrier, wherein the seat forms a non-interference fit between the untethered object and the seat.