METHOD OF INTERSECTING A FIRST WELL BORE BY A SECOND WELL BORE
First Claim
1. A method for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the method comprising:
- drilling a second well bore that has a distal end proximal to the first, cased well bore to be intersected;
disposing a mill guiding device in the second well bore near a casing of the first, cased well bore, the mill guiding device being configured to direct a mill of a milling assembly away from a central axis of the second well bore and towards the first, cased well bore;
inserting the milling assembly into the second well bore;
operating the mill of the mill assembly and guiding the milling assembly along the mill guide and into the casing of the first well bore; and
removing material from the casing of the first well bore until the first, cased well bore and the second well bore are fluidly connected.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In some general aspects, methods for intersecting a first, cased well bore include drilling a second well bore that has a distal end proximal to the first, cased well bore to be intersected, disposing a mill guiding device in the second well bore near a casing of the first, cased well bore, the mill guiding device being configured to direct a mill of a milling assembly away from a central axis of the second well bore and towards the first, cased well bore, inserting the milling assembly into the second well bore, operating the mill of the mill assembly and guiding the milling assembly along the mill guide and into the casing of the first well bore, and removing material from the casing of the first well bore until the first, cased well bore and the second well bore are fluidly connected.
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Citations
66 Claims
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1. A method for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the method comprising:
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drilling a second well bore that has a distal end proximal to the first, cased well bore to be intersected; disposing a mill guiding device in the second well bore near a casing of the first, cased well bore, the mill guiding device being configured to direct a mill of a milling assembly away from a central axis of the second well bore and towards the first, cased well bore; inserting the milling assembly into the second well bore; operating the mill of the mill assembly and guiding the milling assembly along the mill guide and into the casing of the first well bore; and removing material from the casing of the first well bore until the first, cased well bore and the second well bore are fluidly connected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the method comprising:
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forming a second well bore that extends to a region of the first, cased well bore to be intersected; arranging a mill guiding device in the second well bore near a casing coupling of a casing of the first, cased well bore; inserting a milling assembly into the second well bore; guiding the milling assembly along the mill guiding device and operating a mill of the mill assembly so that the mill first removes material from an upper surface of the casing coupling; and removing material from the casing coupling and the adjacent casing until the first, cased well bore and the second well bore are fluidly connected. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the method comprising:
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forming a second well bore that extends to a region of the first, cased well bore to be intersected; inserting a milling assembly into the second well bore, the milling assembly comprising a mill guide, a mill, and a mill alignment device to align the mill and the mill guide as the mill advances along the mill guide; operating the mill and guiding the mill along the mill guide and into a casing of the first, cased well bore; and removing material from the casing until the first, cased well bore and the second well bore are fluidly connected. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. (canceled)
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32. (canceled)
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33. (canceled)
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34. (canceled)
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35. (canceled)
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36. (canceled)
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37. (canceled)
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38. A system for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the system comprising:
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a drilling assembly that is configured to drill a second well bore having a distal end proximal to the first, cased well bore, the drilling assembly comprising; a drill string; and a drill bit disposed at an end of the drill string; a milling assembly comprising; a mill drill string; and a mill disposed at an end of the mill drill string, the mill having a mill drill bit that is configured to cut and remove material from a casing wall of the first, cased well bore; and a mill guiding device that is configured to direct the mill drill bit towards the casing wall of the first, cased well bore. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A system for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the system comprising:
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a drilling assembly that is configured to drill a second well bore having a distal end proximal to a casing coupling of the first, cased well bore, the drilling assembly comprising; a drill string; and a drill bit disposed at an end of the drill string; a milling assembly comprising; a mill drill string; and a mill disposed at an end of the mill drill string, the mill having a mill drill bit that is configured to rest along a surface of a casing coupling of the first, cased well bore and cut and remove material from a casing wall of the first, cased well bore and the casing coupling of the first, cased well bore; and a mill guiding device that is configured to direct the mill drill bit towards the casing wall of the first, cased well bore. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A system for intersecting a first, cased well bore, the system comprising:
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a drilling assembly that is configured to drill a second well bore having a distal end proximal to the first, cased well bore, the drilling assembly comprising; a drill string; and a drill bit disposed at an end of the drill string; a milling assembly comprising; a mill drill string; and a mill disposed at an end of the mill drill string, the mill having a mill drill bit that is configured to cut and remove material from a casing wall of the first, cased well bore; and a mill guiding device that is configured to direct the mill drill bit towards the casing wall of the first, cased well bore, the mill guiding device comprising alignment features that are configured to limit the relative motion of the mill drill bit relative to the mill guiding device as the mill drill bit moves longitudinally along the mill guiding device. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. (canceled)
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58. (canceled)
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59. (canceled)
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60. (canceled)
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61. (canceled)
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62. (canceled)
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63. (canceled)
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64. (canceled)
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65. (canceled)
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66. (canceled)
Specification