# US 10,871,054 B2 · Closeable sleeve assembly and method of use > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,054 B2 - Document ID: US10871054B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/159,237 - Filed: 2018-10-12 - Published: 2019-04-18 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-12 - Assignees: Kobold Corporation - Applicants: Kobold Corporation - Inventors: Mark Andreychuk; Allan Petrella; Per Angman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871054B2 ## CPC - E21B 34/14: operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} - E21B 23/00: Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells (setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10) - E21B 34/102: {with means for locking the closing element in open or closed position (E21B34/105 and E21B34/108 take precedence)} - E21B 34/12: operated by movement of casings or tubings - E21B 2200/06: Sleeve valves - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A sleeve assembly has a sleeve axially moveable within a housing, the sleeve being positively locatable within a wellbore for reliable axial shifting of the sleeve between an uphole position and a downhole position. Stops and shoulders, which delimit the shifting of the sleeve between open and closed positions, are located in an annulus between the sleeve and the housing. Uphole and downhole ends of the sleeve and the housing have opposing ramps formed thereon. Locating shifting tools run through the sleeve assembly are engageable only in a locating profile in the sleeve and cannot engage in the annular stops or in gaps formed in the bore, uphole and downhole of the sleeve, as the ramps act to guide the locating tool therethrough. As the uphole and downhole sleeve ramps converge toward either of the uphole or downhole housing ramps during shifting thereof, debris is diverted into the bore allowing the sleeve to shift fully uphole or downhole. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sleeve assembly comprising: a tubular sleeve housing having a housing bore formed therethrough, the housing having one or more ports formed therethrough; and a shifting profile formed in an inner surface of the housing bore, the shifting profile having an uphole shoulder and a downhole shoulder; and an axially shiftable tubular sleeve, housed within the housing bore of the sleeve housing and forming a sleeve annulus therebetween, the sleeve having a bore formed therethrough; a locating profile formed in an interior of the sleeve, adapted for engaging a shifting locator therein; annular uphole and downhole stops formed on an exterior of the sleeve and extending into the sleeve annulus for engaging the uphole and downhole shoulders of the shifting profile for delimiting the axial movement of the sleeve between a closed position, wherein the sleeve blocks the ports, and an open position, wherein the sleeve is shifted axially away from the ports; and opposing ramps formed on uphole ends of the sleeve and the housing and on downhole ends of the sleeve and the housing, the opposing ramps guiding the shifting locator into and out of the housing bore and the sleeve bore when the shifting locator is disengaged from the locating profile. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sleeve assembly of claim 1, wherein a shift length of the sleeve within the shifting profile is equal to or greater than a length of the locating profile. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sleeve assembly of claim 1, wherein: the uphole and downhole ends of the housing are beveled outwardly for forming the housing bore increasing a diameter of the housing bore adjacent the uphole and downhole ends of the sleeve for forming the uphole and downhole housing ramps; and the uphole and downhole ends of the sleeve are beveled outwardly for increasing a diameter of the sleeve bore at uphole and downhole ends of the uphole and downhole sleeve ramps, the sleeve ramps converging toward the housing ramps. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sleeve assembly of claim 1, wherein when the sleeve is shifted to the open or the closed position, debris is displaced into the sleeve bore, the housing bore or both as the uphole or downhole sleeve ramps converge on the uphole or downhole housing ramps respectively. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sleeve assembly of claim 1 further comprising uphole and downhole locking mechanisms in the sleeve annulus for acting between the housing and the sleeve to lock the sleeve in the closed or open positions when shifted thereto. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The sleeve assembly of claim 5, wherein the shifting profile's uphole shoulder is formed by the uphole locking mechanism, and wherein the shifting profile's downhole shoulder is formed by the downhole locking mechanism. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The sleeve assembly of claim 5, wherein the locking mechanisms are detents. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The sleeve assembly of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a sealing interface about the ports, the sealing interface having a length at least equal to the shift length. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The sleeve assembly of claim 1 further comprising one or more shear screws for retaining the sleeve to the housing in an initial closed position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The sleeve assembly of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises an axial recess uphole from the ports and uphole from the uphole end of the sleeve, the sleeve being spaced from the uphole shoulder the length of the axial recess and retained to the housing in an initial closed position, an initial uphole axial movement of the sleeve therein releasing the sleeve to permit shifting downhole a first time. ### Claim 11 A method for locating a shifting tool in a sleeve, the sleeve being axially moveable within a housing for shifting the sleeve axially therein between uphole and downhole positions, comprising: running the shifting tool downhole, through a bore of the sleeve, to below a downhole end of the sleeve; pulling the shifting tool uphole, the shifting tool being guided uphole past a downhole housing ramp and into the downhole end of the sleeve by a downhole sleeve ramp formed thereon; continuing to pull the shifting tool uphole to engage in the sleeve axially moving the locating shifting tool and, sleeve engaged therewith, between the uphole and downhole positions, wherein uphole and downhole stops in an annulus between the sleeve and the housing engage uphole and downhole shoulders therein, the annular stops and annular shoulders acting between the sleeve and the housing to delimit the axial movement of the sleeve; pulling the shifting tool uphole out of the bore of the sleeve by disengaging the shifting tool from the sleeve; and pulling the shifting tool uphole to move from an uphole end of the sleeve by an uphole sleeve ramp and into a bore in the housing guided by an uphole housing ramp formed at an uphole end of the housing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 when the sleeve is shifted to an uphole position and the shifting tool in the sleeve is to be moved downhole out of the sleeve further comprising: disengaging the shifting tool from the sleeve; and moving the shifting tool from the sleeve and guided by the downhole sleeve ramp and into the bore in the housing therebelow by the downhole housing ramp formed at an downhole end of the housing to below the downhole end of the sleeve; and continuing to move the locating shifting tool downhole through the bore of the housing therebelow. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the sleeve is retained to the housing in an initial uphole position prior to shifting downhole a first time, comprising: pulling the shifting tool and sleeve engaged therewith uphole into an axial recess in the housing, the axial recess being uphole of the sleeve in the uphole position, for disengaging the sleeve from the housing; and thereafter axially moving the locating shifting tool downhole for axially shifting the sleeve to the downhole position, the annular stops and annular shoulders acting between the sleeve and the housing to delimit the axial movement of the sleeve. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: displacing debris into the sleeve bore, a housing bore or both when the uphole sleeve ramp converges toward the uphole housing ramp when the sleeve is shifted to the uphole position, the annular stops and annular shoulders acting between the sleeve and the housing to delimit the axial movement of the sleeve; and displacing debris into the sleeve bore, the housing bore or both when the downhole sleeve ramp converges toward the downhole housing ramp when the sleeve is shifted to the downhole position, the annular stops and annular shoulders acting between the sleeve and the housing to delimit the axial movement of the sleeve. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein engaging the shifting tool and sleeve comprises engaging a shifting locator of the shifting tool with a locating profile in the sleeve; and when the sleeve is shifted to a downhole position and the shifting tool is to be pulled uphole out of the sleeve bore further comprising: disengaging the shifting locator from the locating profile; pulling the shifting tool uphole for move the shifting tool from the uphole end of the sleeve; and guiding the shifting locator out of the sleeve bore and int the housing bore by the opposing ramps. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein when shifting tool is to be run downhole out of the sleeve bore further comprising: disengaging the shifting locator from the locating profile; moving the shifting tool downhole from the downhole end of the sleeve; and guiding the shifting locator out of the sleeve bore and into the housing bore by the opposing ramps. ### Claim 17 A sleeve assembly comprising: a tubular sleeve housing having a housing bore formed therethrough, the housing having one or more ports formed therethrough; and a shifting profile formed in an inner surface of the housing bore, the shifting profile having an uphole shoulder and a downhole shoulder; and an axially shiftable tubular sleeve adapted for axial shifting movement by a shifting tool guided therethrough, the sleeve housed within the housing bore and forming a sealed sleeve annulus therebetween, the sleeve having a sleeve bore formed therethrough; annular uphole and downhole stops formed on an exterior of the sleeve and extending into the sleeve annulus for engaging the uphole and downhole shoulders of the shifting profile for delimiting the axial movement of the sleeve when the shifting tool shifts the sleeve between a closed position, wherein the sleeve blocks the ports, and an open position, wherein the sleeve is shifted axially away from the ports; and opposing housing and sleeve ramps formed on opposing uphole ends of the sleeve and housing bore and on opposing downhole ends of the sleeve and housing bore, the opposing ramps guiding the shifting tool into and out of the housing bore and the sleeve bore. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the uphole and downhole ends of the housing are beveled outwardly for forming the housing bore, increasing a diameter of the housing bore adjacent the uphole and downhole ends of the sleeve for forming the uphole and downhole housing ramps; and the uphole and downhole ends of the sleeve are beveled outwardly for increasing a diameter of the sleeve bore at uphole and downhole ends of the uphole and downhole sleeve ramps, the sleeve ramps converging toward the housing ramps. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein when the sleeve is shifted to the open or the closed position, debris is displaced into the sleeve bore, the housing bore or both as the uphole or downhole sleeve ramps converge on the uphole or downhole housing ramps respectively. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17 further comprising uphole and downhole locking mechanisms in the sleeve annulus for acting between the housing and the sleeve to lock the sleeve in the closed or open positions when shifted thereto. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The sleeve assembly of claim 20 wherein, the shifting profile's uphole shoulder is formed by the uphole locking mechanism, and wherein the shifting profile's downhole shoulder is formed by the downhole locking mechanism. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The sleeve assembly of claim 20, wherein the locking mechanisms are detents. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the housing comprises a sealing interface about the ports, the sealing interface having a length at least equal to a shift length of the sleeve. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17 further comprising one or more shear screws for retaining the sleeve to the housing in an initial closed position. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17, wherein the housing further comprises an axial recess uphole from the ports and uphole from the uphole end of the sleeve, the sleeve being spaced from the uphole shoulder the length of the axial recess and retained to the housing in an initial closed position, an initial uphole axial movement of the sleeve therein releasing the sleeve to permit shifting downhole a first time. ### Claim 26 (depends on 17) The sleeve assembly of claim 17, further comprising a locating profile formed in an interior of the sleeve and having a length between uphole and downhole locator stops, the locating profile adapted for receiving a shifting locator of the shifting tool therein for engaging the shifting tool and the sleeve; and wherein a shift length of the sleeve along the shifting profile is equal to or greater than a length of the locating profile. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The sleeve assembly of claim 26, wherein the opposing ramps guide the shifting locator into and out of the housing bore and the sleeve bore when the shifting locator is disengaged from the locating profile. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The sleeve assembly of claim 23, wherein the sealing interface has a length greater than the shift length to allow the use of additional sealing members.