Downhole plug assembly
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsDaniel C. Markel, Tauna Lea Leonardi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims12
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.
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.