Downhole tool

• US 20070034370A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Moyes, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/208
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/1021 with articulated arms or arcuate springs
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a device that relates to a downhole tool. The tool comprising, a tool body having first and second support portions, and at least one extendable assembly pivotally mounted between the first and second support portions. The extendable assembly is reconfigurable between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration by relative movement of the support portions.

Claims

1. A downhole tool, comprising:

a tool body having first and second support portions; and

at least one extendable assembly pivotally mounted between the first and second support portions, wherein the extendable assembly is reconfigurable between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration by relative movement of the support portions.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first and second support portions are axially displacable with respect to each other, such that relative axial movement of the support portions results in reconfiguration of the at least one extendable assembly.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein the relative axial movement of the first and second support portions is achieved by an axial force acting on the tool body.

4. The tool of claim 3, wherein the axial force is provided by fluid pressure acting on the tool body.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein the at least one extendable assembly comprises an engaging member supported between first and second connecting members, the engaging member being pivotally coupled to each of the first and second connecting members.

6. The tool of claim 5, wherein relative convergent movement of the first and second support portions causes the at least one extendable assembly to move towards the extended configuration to bring the engaging member into engagement with a wall portion of the bore and relative divergent movement of the first and second support portions causes the at least one extendable assembly to move towards the retracted configuration to bring the engaging member out of engagement with a wall portion of the bore.

7. The tool of claim 6, wherein the at least one extendable assembly being positioned in the extended configuration engages a bore wall thereby maintaining the tool at a specific location within the bore.

8. The tool of claim 5, wherein one end of the first connecting member is pivotally coupled to the first support portion, and an opposite end of the first connecting member is pivotally coupled to the engaging member and one end of the second connecting member is pivotally coupled to the second support portion, and an opposite end of the second connecting member is pivotally coupled to the engaging member.

9. The tool of claim 8, wherein axes on opposing ends of the first connecting member are substantially parallel to each other and to axes on opposing ends of the second connecting member.

10. The tool of claim 8, wherein a pivot connection between the first connecting member and the first support portion, and a pivot connection between the first connecting member and the engaging member, are laterally offset from a longitudinal axis of the tool and the pivot connection between the first connecting member and the engaging member is further offset from the longitudinal axis of the tool than the offset of the first connecting member and the first support portion.

11. The tool of claim 8, wherein a plurality of extendable assemblies are positioned between the first support portion and the second support portion.

12. The tool of claim 11, wherein the plurality of extendable assemblies are positioned circumferentially about the longitudinal axis of the tool.

13. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a third support portion wherein at least one extendable assembly is pivotally mounted between the second and third support portion.

14. The tool of claim 13, wherein at least one of the extendable assemblies is reconfigurable in response to restraining the mandrel while applying a force to at least one of the support portions.

15. The tool of claim 13, wherein an outer sleeve assembly comprises a ratchet arrangement freely permitting relative movement of the support portions in one direction, and to selectively permit relative movement of the support portions in an opposite direction.

16. The tool of claim 15, wherein the ratchet assembly temporarily locks the at least one extendable assembly in an extended configuration.

17. The tool of claim 15, wherein the ratchet arrangement comprises a ratchet component defining a ratchet profile on an inner surface thereof for engaging a corresponding ratchet profile on an outer surface of the tool mandrel.

18. The tool of claim 17, wherein the ratchet profile is formed on a separate component and the separate component is secured to the outer surface of the tool mandrel.

19. The tool of claim 17, wherein the ratchet assembly further comprises a ratchet mandrel mounted on an outer surface of the tool mandrel, wherein the ratchet mandrel defines an aperture for receiving the ratchet component.

20. The tool of claim 19, wherein the ratchet arrangement is such that the ratchet component is received within the aperture defined within the ratchet mandrel to permit engagement of the ratchet profiles of the ratchet component and the tool mandrel, and the ratchet component is caused to be outwardly displaced from the aperture to disengage the ratchet profiles.

21. The tool of claim 19, wherein the ratchet component is in operable combination with a ratchet reverser element receivable within the aperture of the ratchet mandrel simultaneously with the ratchet component to prevent axial movement of the ratchet component within the aperture.

22. The tool of claim 21, wherein the ratchet reverser element is adapted to be radially displacable from the aperture to permit axial movement of the ratchet component within the aperture.

23. The tool of claim 22, further comprising a release mechanism to release engagement of the ratchet profiles by permitting outward displacement of the ratchet component to disengage the ratchet profiles so that relative axial movement of the ratchet component and tool mandrel is permitted in both axial directions.

24. The tool of claim 23, wherein the outer sleeve assembly comprises an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve, wherein at least a portion the inner sleeve forms part of the ratchet release mechanism.

25. The tool of claim 24, wherein in a first configuration, a portion of the inner sleeve is positioned to circumferentially cover the aperture of the ratchet mandrel and thus prevent outward displacement of the ratchet reverser element and in a second configuration, the inner sleeve is positioned to permit outward displacement of the ratchet reverser element, thus permitting axial movement of the ratchet component within the aperture of the ratchet mandrel, wherein the axial movement causes the ratchet component to be outwardly displaced to disengage the ratchet profiles.

26. The tool of claim 25, wherein the inner sleeve is moved between the first and second configurations by relative axial movement of the inner and outer sleeves.

27. The tool of claim 1, further comprising:

a seal portion movable between a retracted configuration and an extended, sealing configuration.

28. The tool of claim 27, wherein the seal portion when in a sealing configuration engages the wall of a bore within which the tool is positioned thereby preventing or minimizing transmission of fluid between the tool and the bore wall past the seal portion.

29. The tool of claim 28, wherein the seal portion is movable between retracted and sealing configurations in response to the at least one extendable assembly being positioned at its extended configuration thereby securely positioning the tool at a location within a bore before setting the seal portion in its sealing configuration.

30. The tool of claim 1, wherein the tool is a bridge plug tool.

31. A downhole tool string, comprising:

a first tool comprising first and second support portions and at least one extendable assembly pivotally mounted between the first and second support portions, wherein the at least one extendable assembly is reconfigurable between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration by relative movement of the support portions; and

a second tool coupled to the first tool and configurable to transmit a force thereto to cause relative movement of the support portions to reconfigure the at least one extendable assembly of the first tool between the retracted and the extended configurations.

32. The downhole tool string of claim 31, wherein the second tool is a setting tool.

33. The downhole tool string of claim 31, wherein the second tool comprises a hydraulic piston arrangement operable by well bore pressure.

34. The downhole tool string of claim 31, wherein the tool string further comprises a third tool configurable to actuate the second tool to reconfigure the at least one extendable assembly of the first tool.