DEBURRING MILL TOOL FOR WELLBORE CLEANING

• US 20140116712A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Bansal, Ram K., Bailey, Thomas F., Meeks, Arthur Warren, Haq, Mohammed Aleemul, Xiao, Bin, Mihalj, Miroslav, Kippie, David Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,435,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/311
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/322 cutter shifted by fluid pressure E21B10/345 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/325 the cutter being shifted by a spring mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 29/005 with a radially-expansible cutter rotating inside the pipe, e.g. for cutting an annular window
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 37/00 Methods or apparatus for cleaning boreholes or wells E21B21/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 37/02 Scrapers specially adapted therefor

Abstract

A wellbore cleaning tool for removing irregularities along the inner surface of a wellbore tubular may include a top sub, a cutting assembly, and a bottom sub. The tool is operable to remove irregularities, such as debris, burrs, and jagged edges, along the inside of the wellbore tubular, and thereby provide a clean, inner surface finish. The tool may be actuated into a retracted position, an extended position, and/or a deactivated position.

Claims

1. A wellbore tool, comprising:

a top sub;

a cutting assembly comprising;

a mandrel in fluid communication with the top sub;

a piston disposed external to the mandrel;

a cutting member selectively movable into at least one of a retracted position and an extended position using the piston; and

a bottom sub operable to close fluid flow through the tool.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the mandrel includes one or more ports to provide fluid communication between a flow bore of the mandrel and the piston.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the piston is coupled to the mandrel using one or more releasable members.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein the piston includes a tapered surface movable into engagement with a tapered surface of the cutting member to move the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

5. The tool of claim 1, further comprising one or more keys for transmitting torque from the mandrel to at least one of the piston and the cutting member.

6. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a locking member operable to prevent movement of the piston in an opposite direction after the piston moves in a first direction to actuate the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

7. The tool of claim 1, wherein the bottom sub includes a seat for receiving an extrudable closure member for closing fluid flow through the tool.

8. The tool of claim 1, further comprising one or more biasing members for biasing the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

9. A method of operating a wellbore tool, comprising:

lowering the tool into a tubular using a work string;

rotating a cutting assembly of the tool to remove irregularities from an inner surface of the tubular, wherein the cutting assembly comprises a mandrel, a piston, and a cutting member; and

actuating the cutting member into at least one of a retracted position and an extended position using the piston, wherein the piston is disposed external to the mandrel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising supplying pressurized fluid through one or more ports of the mandrel actuate the piston.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising releasing one or more releasable members to move the piston relative to the mandrel and actuate the cutting member.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving a tapered surface of the piston into engagement with a tapered surface of the cutting member to move the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting torque from the mandrel to at least one of the piston and the cutting member using one or more keys.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising using a locking member to prevent movement of the piston in an opposite direction after the piston moves in a first direction to actuate the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising flowing a closure member into engagement with a seat of the bottom sub to close fluid flow through the tool.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising extruding the closure member through the seat to open fluid flow through the tool.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising biasing the cutting member into at least one of the retracted position and the extended position.

18. A wellbore tool, comprising:

a top sub; and

a cutting assembly comprising;

a mandrel in fluid communication with the top sub;

a sleeve coupled to the mandrel; and

a cutting member selectively movable into a rotationally decoupled position using the sleeve.

19. The tool of claim 18, wherein the top sub is in engagement with the cutting member to transmit torque from the top sub to the cutting member.

20. The tool of claim 19, wherein the sleeve is disposed in a bore of the mandrel, and includes a seat for receiving a closure member to close fluid flow through the bore of the mandrel.

21. The tool of claim 20, further comprising an outer sleeve axially coupled to the sleeve by one or more keys, wherein the outer sleeve is coupled to the cutting member.

22. The tool of claim 21, wherein the cutting member is movable out of engagement with the top sub using the outer sleeve to rotationally decouple the cutting member from the top sub.

23. The tool of claim 22, wherein the sleeve is movable using pressurized fluid to move the outer sleeve via the one or more keys to move the cutting member out of engagement with the top sub.

24. A method of operating a wellbore tool, comprising:

lowering the tool into a tubular using a work string;

rotating a cutting assembly of the tool to remove irregularities from an inner surface of the tubular, wherein the cutting assembly comprises a mandrel, a sleeve, and a cutting member; and

rotationally decoupling the cutting member from the mandrel using the sleeve.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the tool includes a top sub for transmitting torque to the cutting member.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising flowing a closure member onto a seat of the sleeve to close fluid flow through the bore of the mandrel.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the cutting assembly further comprises an outer sleeve axially coupled to the sleeve by one or more keys, wherein the outer sleeve is coupled to the cutting member.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising moving the cutting member out of engagement with the top sub using the outer sleeve to rotationally decouple the cutting member from the top sub.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising moving the sleeve using pressurized fluid to move the outer sleeve via the one or more keys to move the cutting member out of engagement with the top sub.

30. A wellbore tool locking assembly, comprising:

a housing having a groove;

a piston movable relative to the housing; and

a locking element coupled to the piston, wherein the piston is movable in one direction from a first position where the locking element is disposed in the groove to a second position where the locking element is removed from the groove, and wherein the locking element prevents movement of the piston in an opposite direction when removed from the groove.

31. The assembly of claim 30, wherein the locking element is a flexible member that deflects radially inward when being moved out of the groove.

32. The assembly of claim 31, wherein the flexible member extends radially outward when removed from the groove.

33. The assembly of claim 32, wherein the flexible member engages the housing when removed from the groove to prevent movement of the piston in the opposite direction.

34. The assembly of claim 33, wherein the groove is formed at an end of the housing.

35. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the groove is a dovetail shaped groove.