Horizontal waterjet drilling method
AssigneeACT Operating Company
InventorsMarshall Charles Watson, Joseph Straeter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for completing a lateral channel in a subterranean formation using a flexible hose with a waterjet that may be directed down a well casing and into a waterjet guide. The waterjet guide has a diverter assembly configured to receive and divert the flexible hose in a shortened radius. The diverter assembly includes an inlet curvature and a pivot curvature, where the pivot curvature pivots between stowed and deployed configurations in response to forces provided through a mandrel assembly communicably coupled thereto.
Claims16
A waterjet guide, comprising:
- an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, the elongated housing being configured to re-direct a flexible hose;
- a tube plate disposed within the elongated housing proximate the first end, and a stop plate disposed within the elongated housing proximate the second end;
- a diverter assembly disposed between the tube plate and the stop plate, the diverter assembly having an inlet curvature mounted adjacent the tube plate and a pivot curvature pivotally coupled to the elongated housing;
- a mandrel with a pivot end and a threaded end, the mandrel being slidingly engaged within a barrel defined in the second end of the elongated housing, the pivot end being contactable with the stop plate to cease upward translation of the mandrel within the barrel;
- and
- a pivotable connector coupled to the pivot end of the mandrel and also coupled to the pivot curvature, whereby movement of the mandrel within the barrel forces the pivotable connector to pivot the pivot curvature between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration.
A method of drilling a lateral channel in a subterranean formation adjacent a wellbore, comprising:
- suspending a waterjet guide in the wellbore adjacent the subterranean formation, the waterjet guide having a diverter assembly disposed therein, wherein the diverter assembly has an inlet curvature mounted to the waterjet guide and a pivot curvature pivotally coupled to the waterjet guide;
- actuating the diverter assembly to pivot the pivot curvature into a deployed configuration by engaging a casing isolation device with a first end of a mandrel assembly to transfer an axial force to a second end of the mandrel assembly pivotally coupled to the pivot curvature with a pivotable connector, the casing isolation device being disposed within the wellbore below the waterjet guide;
- directing a flexible hose terminating at a waterjet down the wellbore and into the waterjet guide, wherein the diverter assembly receives and re-directs the flexible hose and waterjet out of the waterjet guide and into the subterranean formation;
- and
- pumping a fluid through the flexible hose and waterjet to create the lateral channel hoisting the waterjet guide within the wellbore to remove the mandrel assembly from contact with the casing isolation device, thereby forcing the pivot curvature to return to a stowed position.
A waterjet guide assembly, comprising:
- a housing having first and second ends;
- a diverter assembly disposed between the first and second ends, the diverter assembly having an inlet curvature mounted to the housing and a pivot curvature pivotally coupled to the housing, wherein the inlet and pivot curvatures are configured to cooperatively form a curved transition surface for a flexible hose when the diverter assembly is in a deployed configuration;
- a mandrel assembly comprising a mandrel at least partially disposed within a barrel defined in the second end of the housing and having a pivot end and a threaded end;
- and
- a pivotable connector pivotally coupled to both the pivot end of the mandrel and the pivot curvature, the pivotable connector being configured to rotate the pivot curvature into the deployed configuration when the threaded end of the mandrel biases a casing isolation device and thereby transmits an axial force to the mandrel and pivotable connector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.