Apparatus and method for orienting and setting a hydraulically-actuatable tool in a borehole

A bypass valve for controlling the flow of fluid in a drill string, said valve comprising:

• a valve body having a generally cylindrical side wall and longitudinal fluid passageway;
• a sleeve retained in said valve body having a generally cylindrical side wall and a first and a second fluid port formed through said wall at longitudinally spaced-apart locations;
• a piston in said sleeve mounted for reciprocal movement between a first position, a final position, and an intermediate position between said first and said final positions, said piston closing said first fluid port when moved from said first position to said intermediate position and closing said second fluid port when moved from said intermediate position to said final position;
• means for retaining said piston in said first position within said sleeve until a predetermined flow rate of the fluid is conducted through the drill string;
• means for conducting the fluid through said side wall of said valve body when said piston is in said first position and in said intermediate position.

A bypass valve comprising:

• a valve body having a generally cylindrical outer wall and a longitudinally aligned fluid passageway;
• a tubular sleeve retained in said valve body having a longitudinal fluid passageway in fluid communication with said passageway of said valve body;
• an annular chamber between said sleeve and said valve body;
• an aperture in said outer wall of said valve body, said aperture intersecting said annular chamber to permit fluid in said chamber to pass outside said valve body;
• a first radial port formed in said sleeve and interconnecting said annular chamber and said fluid passageway of said sleeve;
• a second radial port formed in said sleeve at a location spaced apart longitudinally from said first radial port, said second radial port interconnecting said annular chamber and said fluid passageway of said sleeve;
• a piston mounted for reciprocal movement in said sleeve, said piston moveable between a first position, an intermediate position and a final position and having a fluid passageway in fluid communication with said fluid passageway of said sleeve;
• wherein said piston closes said first radial port when said piston moves from said first position to said intermediate position and;
• wherein said piston closes said second radial port when said piston moves from said intermediate position to said final position.

A bypass valve for use in a drill string comprising:

• a valve body having a longitudinal fluid passageway therethrough;
• a tubular sleeve assembly retained in said valve body and having an internal piston-engaging surface;
• a first annular chamber formed between said valve body and said sleeve assembly;
• first seal means for sealing said first annular chamber;
• a fluid port formed through said valve body into said first annular chamber;
• a piston disposed in said sleeve assembly, said piston having a longitudinal throughbore formed therein;
• opposing annular shoulders on said piston and said sleeve assembly, said opposing shoulders forming a second annular chamber between said sleeve assembly and said piston;
• a spring disposed about said piston in said second annular chamber;
• releasable means for retaining said piston at a first position relative to said sleeve assembly until drilling fluid is conducted through said valve at a predetermined flow rate;
• a first plurality of radial ports formed in said sleeve assembly between said piston-engaging surface and said first annular chamber;
• a second plurality of radial ports formed in said sleeve assembly between said piston-engaging surface and said first annular chamber, said second plurality of ports being spaced apart longitudinally from said first plurality of ports;
• wherein said first and second plurality of radial ports are open when said piston is in said first position;
• means for causing said retaining means to release said piston and for causing said piston to move longitudinally from said first position to a second position, said piston closing said first plurality of radial ports but not said second plurality of radial ports when in said second position.

A method of setting a hydraulically-actuatable mechanism and commencing drilling in a single trip of a drill string comprising the steps of:

• assembling a drill string having a MWD subassembly capable of detecting downhole parameters and communicating the detected data to the surface of the borehole, a bypass valve for directing the flow of drilling fluid through the drill string, a cutter assembly and the hydraulically-actuatable mechanism;
• running the assembled drill string in the borehole and positioning the hydraulically-actuatable mechanism at a predetermined location;
• sensing the orientation of the drill string using the MWD subassembly;
• orienting the drill string in the desired orientation;
• exerting a fluid pressure through the drill string to set the hydraulically-actuatable mechanism;
• lowering and rotating the drill string to release the cutter assembly from the hydraulically-actuatable mechanism and to commence drilling.