# US 12,110,747 B2 · Casing shoe with flow operated diverter valve > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,747 B2 - Document ID: US12110747B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/366,784 - Filed: 2023-08-08 - Published: 2024-02-29 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2022-08-23 - Assignees: Downhole Products Limited - Applicants: Downhole Products Limited - Inventors: Darko Arsoski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110747B2 ## CPC - E21B 17/14: Casing shoes {for the protection of the bottom of the casing} - E21B 34/10: operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole - E21B 34/14: operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A shoe for use with a casing or liner string includes: a tubular body; a nose: mounted to an end of the tubular body, and having: a plenum formed therein, a front port extending longitudinally from the plenum to an exterior of the nose, and a side port extending transversely from the plenum to the exterior of the nose; and a valve repeatedly shiftable between a deployment position where the front port is open and the side port is closed and a cleaning position where the front port is closed and the side port is open. The valve shifts to the deployment position in response to forward flow through the shoe being less than a threshold flow rate. The valve shifts to the cleaning position in response to the forward flow through the shoe being greater than the threshold flow rate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A shoe for use with a casing or liner string, comprising: a tubular body; a nose: mounted to an end of the tubular body, and having: a chamber formed therein, a front port extending longitudinally from the chamber to an exterior of the nose, and a side port extending transversely from the chamber to the exterior of the nose; and a valve repeatedly shiftable between a deployment position where the front port is open and the side port is closed and a cleaning position where the front port is closed and the side port is open and comprising a piston disposed in the chamber and movable between the positions, wherein: the valve is configured to shift to the deployment position in response to forward flow through the shoe being less than a threshold flow rate, the valve is configured to shift to the cleaning position in response to the forward flow through the shoe being greater than the threshold flow rate, the piston has a cap portion formed at an end thereof, the cap portion has an aperture formed therein adjacent to a periphery thereof, the piston covers an inlet of the side port in the deployment position, and a solid portion of the cap portion covers an inlet of the front port in the cleaning position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein the valve further comprises: a retainer connected to the nose; and a spring biasing the piston toward engagement with the retainer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The shoe of claim 2, wherein: the piston further has: a flange portion having a diameter and having a fit with an inner surface of the nose adjacent to the chamber; a stem portion having a diameter reduced relative to the flange diameter; and a shoulder formed at the junction of the flange portion and the stem portion, and the cap portion is formed at an end of the stem portion distal from the shoulder. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein: an interface between the flange portion and the nose is seal-less, and an interface between the cap portion and the nose is seal-less. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein: the flange portion carries a pair of seals for sealing an interface between the flange portion and the nose, and the cap portion carries a pair of seals for sealing and interface between the cap portion and the nose. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein: the cap portion has annular inner and outer rims protruding from a face thereof for engagement with the nose in the cleaning position, and the inner and outer rims straddle the aperture. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein the aperture is a hole. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein the aperture is an arcuate slot. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The shoe of claim 3, wherein the spring is disposed between the shoulder and the nose. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein the body has a blade protruding from an outer surface thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The shoe of claim 10, wherein the nose has a blade protruding from an outer surface thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein: the body has a threaded coupling formed at a rearward end thereof for assembly as part of a casing or liner string; and the nose is mounted to the body by threaded couplings. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein the nose and the valve are each made from PDC drillable materials. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein: the piston further has a flange portion fit with an inner surface of the nose adjacent to the chamber, an interface between the flange portion and the nose is seal-less, and an interface between the cap portion and the nose is seal-less. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein: the piston further has a flange portion fit with an inner surface of the nose adjacent to the chamber, the flange portion carries a pair of seals for sealing an interface between the flange portion and the nose, and the cap portion carries a pair of seals for sealing and interface between the cap portion and the nose. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein: the cap portion has annular inner and outer rims protruding from a face thereof for engagement with the nose in the cleaning position, and the inner and outer rims straddle the aperture. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The shoe of claim 1, wherein the aperture is an arcuate slot.