Whipstock with hinged taperface
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorMatthew Bradley Stokes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided, in one aspect, is a whipstock. The whipstock may include a tubular having a longitudinal passageway extending along a length thereof, the tubular having a tapered face extending along at least a portion of the length; a support structure movably coupled to the tubular and extendable across the tapered face, wherein the support structure is operable to move from a first closed position closing the longitudinal passageway and a second open position exposing the longitudinal passageway; and a locking mechanism in the tubular for releasably holding the support structure in the first position.
Claims20
A whipstock, comprising:
- a tubular having a longitudinal passageway extending along a length thereof, the tubular having a tapered face extending along at least a portion of the length;
- a support structure movably coupled to the tubular and extendable across the tapered face, wherein the support structure is operable to move from a first closed position closing the longitudinal passageway and a second open position exposing the longitudinal passageway;
- and
- a locking mechanism in the tubular for releasably holding the support structure in the first position.
A method of using a whipstock in a wellbore, the method comprising:
- placing a whipstock downhole into a wellbore, wherein the whipstock includes:
- a tubular having a longitudinal passageway extending along a length thereof, the tubular having a tapered face extending along at least a portion of the length;
- a support structure movably coupled to the tubular and extendable across the tapered face, wherein the support structure is operable to move from a first closed position closing the longitudinal passageway and a second open position exposing the longitudinal passageway;
- and
- a locking mechanism in the tubular for releasably holding the support structure in the first position;
- running a milling tool downhole into the wellbore and riding the milling tool up along the support structure;
- releasing the locking mechanism to release the support structure and expose the longitudinal passageway;
- running a retrieval tool downhole into the wellbore;
- engaging the whipstock with the retrieval tool;
- and
- retrieving the whipstock from within the wellbore.
A well system, comprising:
- a main wellbore;
- a lateral wellbore extending from the main wellbore;
- and
- a whipstock placed within the lateral wellbore, wherein the whipstock includes:
- a tubular having a longitudinal passageway extending along a length thereof, the tubular having a tapered face extending along at least a portion of the length;
- a support structure movably coupled to the tubular and extendable across the tapered face, wherein the support structure is operable to move from a first closed position closing the longitudinal passageway and a second open position exposing the longitudinal passageway;
- and
- a locking mechanism in the tubular for releasably holding the support structure in the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.