Signal operated tools for milling, drilling, and/or fishing operations
AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorsThomas M. Redlinger, Thomas Koithan, Christopher M. Vreeland, Wesley Don Heiskell, Andrew Antoine, Scott McIntire
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mud motor for use in a wellbore includes: a stator; a rotor, the stator and rotor operable to rotate the rotor in response to fluid pumped between the rotor and the stator; and a lock. The lock is operable to: rotationally couple the rotor to the stator in a locked position, receive an instruction signal from the surface, release the rotor in an unlocked position, and actuate from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to receiving the instruction signal.
Claims23
A disconnect tool for use in a string of tubulars, comprising:
- a tubular mandrel having a threaded inner surface;
- a tubular housing having a plurality of openings formed radially through a wall thereof;
- an arcuate dog disposed in each opening, each dog having an inclined inner surface and a portion of a thread corresponding to the mandrel thread and radially movable between an engaged position and a disengaged position,
- wherein:
- abutment of each dog against the housing wall surrounding the respective opening longitudinally and rotationally couples the dogs and the housing in the engaged position, and
- each thread portion engages the mandrel thread in the engaged position,
- thereby transferring torque between the housing and the mandrel;
- a tubular sleeve longitudinally movable between a locked position and an unlocked position and having an inclined outer surface for engagement with the inclined inner surface of each dog,
- wherein:
- the sleeve engages the dogs with the mandrel thread in the locked position, and
- the mandrel, housing, and sleeve define a flow bore through the disconnect tool;
- a first spring biasing the sleeve toward the locked position;
- second springs, each second spring biasing the respective dog toward the disengaged position;
- and
- an actuator comprising:
- a battery;
- a receiver operable to receive an instruction signal;
- and
- a controller operable to facilitate disengagement of the sleeve from the dogs in response to receipt of the instruction signal.
A method of drilling a wellbore, comprising:
- deploying a drilling assembly in the wellbore, the drilling assembly comprising a drill string, a disconnect tool in an engaged and a locked position, and a drill bit,
- wherein the disconnect tool comprises:
- a tubular mandrel having a threaded inner surface,
- a tubular housing having a plurality of openings formed radially through a wall thereof,
- an arcuate dog disposed in each opening, each dog having an inclined inner surface and a portion of a thread corresponding to the mandrel thread and radially movable between the engaged position and a disengaged position, and
- a tubular sleeve longitudinally movable between the locked position and an unlocked position and having an inclined outer surface for engagement with the inclined inner surface of each dog;
- injecting drilling fluid through the drilling assembly and rotating the bit by exerting torque on the bit, thereby drilling the wellbore,
- wherein:
- engagement of each thread portion with the mandrel thread longitudinally and rotationally couples the housing and the mandrel, and
- the engaged doqs transfer the torque between the housing and the mandrel;
- operating the disconnect tool, thereby releasing the drill bit and a lower portion of the disconnect tool in the wellbore;
- and
- after release, engaging the dog thread portions with the mandrel thread and rotating the drill string and an upper portion of the disconnect tool relative to the lower portion, thereby reconnecting the drilling assembly in the wellbore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.