Liner hanger
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsMark A. McGilvray, Jr., James M. Fraser, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved liner hanger comprises a mandrel having a piston housing and a plurality of spring slots disposed on the outer wall surface of the mandrel. Each spring slot having at least one spring disposed therein. The liner hanger also has a slip housing having a plurality of slips operatively associated therewith, a spring adjustment sleeve, and an adjustment sleeve ring. The location of the spring slots on the outer wall surface of the mandrel permits an increase in the number of springs utilized for setting the liner hanger. The spring adjustment sleeve and adjustment sleeve ring permit easy and safe assembly and disassembly of the liner hanger. Additionally, when actuated to move from its run-in position to its set position, springs, slip housing, and slips all move upward.
Claims19
A liner hanger for securing to the inner wall of a wellbore casing and having an initial run-in position and a set position, the liner hanger comprising:
- a mandrel having an inner wall surface defining a bore and an outer wall surface, the outer wall surface having
- at least one slip pocket, a plurality of spring slots, each spring slot having at least one spring disposed therein, and a piston housing, the piston housing having at least one piston disposed therein, wherein the piston is in fluid communication with the bore;
- a slip housing disposed below the piston housing and each of the spring slots, the slip housing being slidingly engaged with the outer wall surface of the mandrel and having at least one slip operatively associated therewith, each of the at least one slips being disposed within a corresponding slip pocket;
- and
- a retainer,
- wherein the slip housing is held in the run-in position by the retainer so that each of the slips is disposed within each of the corresponding slip pockets, and
- wherein actuation of the piston causes the retainer to release the slip housing allowing each of the plurality of springs to move the slip housing upward axially from the run-in position to the set position which causes each of the slips to move upward axially and radially relative to the corresponding slip pockets and the mandrel to engage the inner wall of the wellbore casing.
An improved liner hanger having a run-in position and a set position, the improvement comprising:
- a plurality of spring slots disposed on an outer wall surface of a mandrel, at least one of the plurality of spring slots having at least one spring disposed therein,
- wherein each of the at least one springs is held within the corresponding spring slots by a slip housing and a spring adjustment sleeve disposed on the outer wall surface of the mandrel when the liner hanger is in the run-in position,
- wherein the spring adjustment sleeve includes a shoulder disposed on an inner wall surface of the spring adjustment sleeve, and
- wherein the inner wall surface of the spring adjustment sleeve includes threads for securing the spring adjustment sleeve to the outer wall surface of the mandrel.
A method of setting a liner hanger within a wellbore casing of a well, the method comprising:
- (a) disposing a liner hanger within a wellbore, the liner hanger having an initial run-in position and a set position and the liner hanger comprising
- a mandrel having an inner wall surface defining a bore and an outer wall surface, the outer wall surface having at least one slip pocket, a split ring groove, a plurality of spring slots, each spring slot having at least one spring disposed therein, and a piston housing, the piston housing having at least one piston disposed therein, wherein the piston is in fluid communication with the bore, and
- a slip housing disposed below the piston housing and each of the spring slots, the slip housing being slidingly engaged with the outer wall surface of the mandrel and having at least one slip operatively associated therewith, each of the at least one slips having a gripping wall surface and being slidingly engaged within a corresponding slip pocket,
- wherein the slip housing is held in the run-in position by a retainer so that each of the slips is disposed within each of the corresponding slip pockets;
- (b) actuating the piston through an increase in pressure in the bore of the mandrel, wherein the actuation of the piston releases the retainer so that the slip housing is permitted to move axially along the outer wall surface of the mandrel and each of the springs is permitted to expand in an upward direction;
- and
- (c) expanding in the upward direction each of the springs sufficiently to move the slip housing axially in the upward direction so that each of the plurality of slips move axially in the upward direction causing each of the slips to move in the upward direction and in an outward direction so that the gripping profile surface of each of the slips bites into an inner wall surface of the wellbore casing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.