Mechanized slot drilling
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsErnesto Rafael FONSECA OCAMPOS, Duncan Charles MACDONALD, Francisco Jose CHACIN, Anastasia DOBROSKOK, Yinghui LIU, Benjamin MOWAD, Mark William DYKSTRA
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for providing access to surfaces within a formation is provided, the method including: providing a wellbore from a first surface location to a second surface location; inserting into the wellbore a cylindrical cutting assembly connected to at least two wellbore tubulars, one of the wellbore tubular extending to each of the first surface location and the second surface location; and rotating the radial cylindrical cutting element.
Claims21
A system for providing access to surfaces within a formation comprising:
- a cylindrical cutting assembly having a first end and a second end:
- a cutting element positioned radially around a circumference of the cylindrical cutting assembly;
- a means for to rotating the cutting element around the cutting assembly;
- and
- a means for moving the cutting assembly through a wellbore wherein the cutting assembly is biased against one side of the wellbore.
A method to provide a slotted opening within a formation, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a wellbore from a first surface location to a second surface location;
- inserting into the wellbore a cylindrical cutting assembly connected to at least two wellbore tubulars, one of the wellbore tubular extending to each of the first surface location and the second surface location;
- and
- rotating the radial cylindrical cutting element.
A method for providing a slotted opening in a formation comprising:
- providing a wellbore within a formation having two essentially parallel legs and a connecting section connecting the two essentially parallel legs;
- providing a rotatable tubular in each of the two essentially parallel legs:
- passing a cutting element between the two rotatable tubulars through the connecting section of the wellbore by causing the cutting element to wrap around one rotatable tubular as it is unwrapping from the other;
- and
- creating a slotted opening by biasing the cutting element against the wall of the connecting section as it is passing between the two rotatable tubular.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.