This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 or 365 to China, Application No. 202010138227.8, filed Mar. 3, 2020. The entire teachings of the above application(s) are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to the technical field of oil and gas field developments, and, in particular, to a metal-based dissolvable ball seat, a setting system, and a setting method.
In the volumetric fracturing technology for horizontal wells, it is an important operation to conduct a segmented packing of the oil well casing. The main tools for the segmented packing include dissolvable bridge plug and dissolvable locating ball seat. In fracturing with the dissolvable bridge plug, the operation cycle is significantly shortened. However, in the field, rubber that is not completely degraded often presents in the returned residues, which impairs cleanliness of the wellbore. In addition, there is a risk that the rubber cannot be completely dissolved after fracturing of a long horizontal section, which leads to blockage of the wellbore. For the dissolvable locating ball seat, a matched working barrel should be attached to the casing in advance, which limits the flexibility of upgrading. In addition, a wellbore shrinkage is involved, which is disadvantageous for later upgrading and leads to the risk of jamming.
An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a metal-based dissolvable ball seat, a setting system and a setting method, so as to eliminate the necessity of attaching a matched working barrel in advance.
The above objective of the present disclosure can be achieved by adopting the following technical solutions.
The present disclosure provides a metal-based dissolvable ball seat, comprising: a mandrel, a tail base, a sliding body, a slip and a sealing ring, wherein the tail base is coupled to a lower end of the mandrel so that the mandrel can be disengaged from the tail base under a predefined shearing force; the sliding body is disposed to sleeve the mandrel and located above the tail base; the slip is disposed outside the mandrel and between the tail base and the sliding body, and the slip is slidably abutted against the tail base and the sliding body respectively; the slip and the sliding body are slidably abutted against each other through a first conical surface structure, and/or the slip and the tail base are slidably abutted against each other through a second conical surface structure; the sealing ring is coupled to the slip, and is able to move along an axial direction of the mandrel together with the slip; the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is configured so that when the sliding body and the tail base are approaching each other, the slip is opened up and the sealing ring is expanded outward, and when the sliding body and the tail base are close to each other to a predefined position, the sliding body and the slip are locked to each other.
In a preferred embodiment, a substrate of the slip, the sliding body and the tail base are all made of dissolvable metal materials.
In a preferred embodiment, the first conical surface structure comprises a first outer conical surface provided on the sliding body and a first inner conical surface provided on the slip and matching with the first outer conical surface, the first outer conical surface is tapered from top to bottom.
In a preferred embodiment, the first outer conical surface is a circular conical surface.
In a preferred embodiment, a taper angle of the first outer conical surface is in a range from 3° to 7°.
In a preferred embodiment, the taper angle of the first outer conical surface is one of 3°, 3.5°, 4°, 4.9°, 5°, 5.1°, 6°, 6.4° or 7°.
In a preferred embodiment, the slip and the tail base are slidably abutted against each other through a guide groove structure, which comprises a guide groove provided on the tail base and extended from inside to outside and a guide protrusion provided on the slip and matching with the guide groove.
In a preferred embodiment, the guide groove extends in a radial direction of the mandrel.
In a preferred embodiment, a cross section of the guide groove is rectangular.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing ring is disposed above the slip, and the sealing ring is provided with a second inner conical surface matching with the first outer conical surface.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing ring is made of a dissolvable metal material.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing ring is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy or a lithium-magnesium alloy.
In a preferred embodiment, dissolution rates of the tail base, the sliding body, a substrate of the slip and the sealing ring descend in sequence.
In a preferred embodiment, the slip comprises a plurality of slip petals distributed circumferentially around an axis of the mandrel.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the slip petals comprises a substrate, and a slip block fixed to the substrate for engaging with a wellbore.
In a preferred embodiment, the number of the slip petals is in a range from 6 to 8.
In a preferred embodiment, the slip comprises at least one hoop hooping the slip petals.
In a preferred embodiment, at least one columnar pin is provided on the slip petal, a columnar hole matching with the columnar pin is provided on the sealing ring, and the columnar pin is accommodated in the columnar hole.
In a preferred embodiment, the tail base is in threaded connection with the mandrel.
In a preferred embodiment, a lower end of the sliding body is provided with a sliding body horse-tooth buckle, and the tail base is provided with a tail base horse-tooth buckle matching with the sliding body horse-tooth buckle to lock the sliding body and the tail base.
In a preferred embodiment, an upper portion of the sliding body is provided with a cylindrical portion.
In a preferred embodiment, when the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is placed into a well, a maximum outer diameter of the sliding body is larger than that of the sealing ring, and/or a maximum outer diameter of the tail base is larger than that of the sealing ring.
In a preferred embodiment, an upper portion of the sliding body is provided with a ball seat hole, which is a conical ball seat hole tapered from top to bottom.
In a preferred embodiment, an upper portion of the sliding body is provided with a ball seat hole, which is a spherical crown-shaped ball seat hole.
In a preferred embodiment, the sliding body is provided with a plurality of first through holes.
In a preferred embodiment, a diameter of the first through hole is in a range from 5 mm to 10 mm.
In a preferred embodiment, the tail base is provided with a plurality of second through holes.
In a preferred embodiment, a diameter of the second through hole is in a range from 5 mm to 10 mm.
In a preferred embodiment, the second conical surface structure comprises a second outer conical surface provided on the tail base, and a third inner conical surface provided on the slip and matching with the second outer conical surface, the second outer conical surface being gradually expanding from top to bottom.
In a preferred embodiment, the second outer conical surface is a circular conical surface, and a taper angle of the second outer conical surface is in a range from 3° to 7°.
In a preferred embodiment, a top surface of the sliding body is provided with an annular boss.
The present disclosure provides a setting system, comprising: a setting tool and the metal-based dissolvable ball seat described above; the setting tool comprises a setting tool outer barrel abutted against an upper end of a sliding body in the metal-based dissolvable ball seat, and a setting tool push rod connected to an upper end of a mandrel in the metal-based dissolvable ball seat, wherein the setting tool outer barrel is configured to apply a downward pushing force to the sliding body, and the setting tool push rod is configured to apply an upward pulling force to the mandrel.
In a preferred embodiment, the setting system further comprises an extrusion sleeve which is disposed between the setting tool outer barrel and the sliding body, and which has an upper end in threaded connection with the setting tool outer barrel and a lower end abutted against an upper end face of the sliding body.
In a preferred embodiment, the setting system further comprises an adapter which is disposed in the extrusion sleeve, and which has a lower end in threaded connection with an upper end of the mandrel and an upper end in threaded connection with the setting tool push rod.
The present disclosure provides a setting method working with the metal-based dissolvable ball seat described above, comprising:
S100, driving the sliding body to approach the tail base, so that the slip is opened up and the sealing ring is expanded outward by the first conical surface structure and/or the second conical surface structure;
S200, causing the slip to open up to be anchored to an inner wall of a wellbore, causing the sealing ring to expand to form a sealing contact with the inner wall of the wellbore, and causing the sliding body and the slip to be locked to each other;
S300, causing the mandrel to be disengaged from the tail base under an upward pulling force and lifted out of the wellbore; and
S400, putting a dissolvable ball into the wellbore, and causing the dissolvable ball to move to form a sealing fit with an upper portion of the sliding body.
In a preferred embodiment, a lower end of the sliding body is provided with a sliding body horse-tooth buckle, and the tail base is provided with a tail base horse-tooth buckle matching with the sliding body horse-tooth buckle to lock the sliding body and the tail base; and in step S200, the sliding body and the tail base are locked by engaging the sliding body horse-tooth buckle and the tail base horse-tooth buckle, so as to lock the sliding body and the slip to each other.
In a preferred embodiment, the slip and the sliding body are slidably abutted against each other through a first conical surface structure, which comprises a first outer conical surface provided on the sliding body, and a first inner conical surface provided on the slip and matching with the first outer conical surface, the first outer conical surface being tapered from top to bottom; a taper angle of the first outer conical surface is in a range from 3° to 7°; and in step S200, the sliding body and the slip are locked to each other by a friction force between the first outer conical surface and the first inner conical surface.
In a preferred embodiment, the tail base is in threaded connection with the mandrel; and in step S300, the mandrel is disengaged from the tail base by breaking a threaded connection structure between the tail base and the mandrel.
The present disclosure has the following characteristics and advantages.
After the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is delivered to the designed position in the wellbore, the mandrel and the tail base are fixed relative to each other because they are connected together. With the relative movement between the sliding body and the tail base, the slip is driven to open up to be anchored to an inner wall of the wellbore. At the same time, the sealing ring expands outward to abut against the inner wall of the wellbore to form a sealing fit. When the sliding body and the tail base are close to each other to a predefined position, the sliding body and the slip are locked to complete the setting.
A pulling force on the mandrel is increased to reach a predefined shearing force, so that the mandrel is disengaged from the tail base. Then, a dissolvable ball can be put into the wellbore to be in sealing fit with an inner wall of the sliding body, thereby completing the segmented packing of the wellbore. After the fracturing, the dissolvable ball and metal-based dissolvable ball seat are dissolved gradually, resulting in a full-bore.
The setting position of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat in the wellbore is more flexible, without the need to place the matched working barrel in advance, and the wellbore is not subjected to shrinkage or enlargement, which is advantageous for later operation, and advantageous for achieving full-bore and for upgrading towards infinite-stage fracturing.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments.
A description of example embodiments follows.
The technical solutions of the embodiments in the present disclosure will be clearly and comprehensively described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is apparent that the embodiments as described are merely some, rather than all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure without creative efforts should fall within the scope of this disclosure.
The present disclosure provides a metal-based dissolvable ball seat as illustrated in
The metal-based dissolvable ball seat does not include a rubber sleeve, and the tail base 5, the sliding body 2 and the body of the slip 4 are all made of dissolvable metal so that the dissolution rate is high, which can reduce the generation of lumps and facilitate the operation on long horizontal sections.
After the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is delivered to a designed position in a wellbore, the mandrel 1 and the tail base 5 are fixed relative to each other because they are connected together, the tail base 5 can apply an upward force to the slip 4, and the sliding body 2 can apply a downward force to the slip 4. With the relative movement between the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5, the slip 4 is driven to open up to be anchored to an inner wall of the wellbore. At the same time, the sealing ring 3 expands outward to abut against the inner wall of the wellbore to form a sealing fit. When the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 are close to each other to a predefined position, the sliding body 2 and the slip 4 are locked to complete the setting. A pulling force on the mandrel 1 is increased to reach a predefined shearing force, so that the mandrel 1 is disengaged from the tail base 5. Then, a dissolvable ball may be put into the wellbore to be in sealing fit with an inner wall of the sliding body 2, thereby completing the segmented packing of the wellbore. After the fracturing, the dissolvable ball and metal-based dissolvable ball seat are dissolved gradually, resulting in a full-bore. The setting position of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat in the wellbore is more flexible, without the need to place the matched working barrel in advance, and the wellbore is not subjected to shrinkage or enlargement, which is advantageous for later operation. Because the setting position of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat in the wellbore is flexible, the selection of the packing position in the wellbore is also flexible, and the number of the layers, the lengths and the distribution of the layers in separate layer fracturing can be set more flexibly, which is advantageous for achieving full-bore and for upgrading towards infinite-stage fracturing.
In utilizing the metal-based dissolvable ball seat, an upper end of the mandrel 1 is connected to the setting tool. After the setting tool is ignited, an upward pulling force is applied to the mandrel 1, and a downward pushing force is applied to the sliding body 2, so that the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 move relative to each other. When the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 approach each other along the axial direction 10 of the mandrel, the slip 4 and the sealing ring 3 are applied with outward pushing forces by the first conical surface structure 60 and/or the second conical surface structure 80.
At least one of the first conical surface structure 60 and the second conical surface structure 80 is included in order to apply the outward pushing forces to the slip 4 and the sealing ring 3 when the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 approach each other.
In the case where the slip 4 and the sliding body 2 are slidably abutted against each other through the first conical surface structure 60, when the sliding body 2 moves downward relative to the slip 4, as illustrated in
In the case where the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are slidably abutted against each other through the second conical surface structure 80, when the tail base 5 moves upward relative to the slip 4, as illustrated in
In the case where the slip 4 and the sliding body 2 are slidably abutted against each other through the first conical surface structure 60, and the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are slidably abutted against each other through the second conical surface structure 80, when the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 approach each other, as illustrated in
Referring to
As illustrated in
Further, the sealing ring 3 is made of a dissolvable metal material with a high ductility, and when the outer wall of the sealing ring 3 is abutted against the inner wall of the wellbore, a metal sealing is formed, which is beneficial in ensuring an excellent sealing. In addition, the sealing ring 3 can be dissolved quickly after the fracturing, thus reducing the generation of lumps. Specifically, the sealing ring 3 may be made of magnesium-aluminum alloy or lithium-magnesium alloy. Preferably, an axial thickness H of the sealing ring 3 meets: 8 mm≤H≤15 mm.
Further, according to the actual operation conditions, dissolvable metal materials with different dissolution rates may be selected for different components, e.g., the dissolution rates of the tail base 5, the sliding body 2, a substrate 411 of the slip 4 and the sealing ring 3 may descend in sequence. Usually, the purpose of the dissolvable ball seat is to ensure that the fracturing can bear a high pressure, and after the fracturing operation, the dissolvable ball seat can be quickly dissolved with a high efficiency, thereby improving the operation efficiency and shortening the wellbore treatment period after the fracturing operation. According to the actual operation conditions and the characteristics of each component of the tool, the inventor specifies the tail base 5, which is not for pressure bearing but mainly for achieving a setting movement, to dissolve most quickly to ensure an instant dissolution after the setting. For the sliding body 2, the substrate and the sealing ring 3 which bear a high pressure, according to their respective volumes and pressure-bearing characteristics, the sliding body 2 and the substrate 411, which are larger in volume, are specified to be dissolved quickly, while the sealing ring 3, which is smaller in volume and acts as the main pressure-bearing component, is specified to be dissolved slowly, thereby ensuring that the whole dissolvable ball seat can be dissolved efficiently on the premise of ensuring the pressure-bearing.
The self-weight of the sliding body 2 will produce a downward force, in addition, in the process of placing the ball seat into the wellbore, there is a risk that sliding body 2 and mandrel 1 might be disengaged due to a unknown force such as a collision with other structure in the wellbore, which leads to a relative approaching movement between the sliding body 2 and the tail base 5 prematurely. In order to avoid the premature disengagement between the sliding body 2 and mandrel 1, a shear pin may be provided between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1. The shear pin is provided along a radial direction of the mandrel 1 to pass through the sliding body 2 and is connected to the mandrel 1, so that by means of the shear pin, the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1 can be prevented from being disengaged from each other when being placed into the well. After the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is placed to the designed position in the wellbore, an upward pulling force is applied to the mandrel 1 and a downward pushing force is applied to the sliding body 2 by the setting tool, so that the shear pin is sheared off, the sliding body 2 is disengaged from the mandrel 1, and moves downward by the setting tool.
By providing the shear pin between sliding body 2 and mandrel 1, the problem of the premature disengagement between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1 can be alleviated. However, it is difficult to accurately control the disengagement between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1. On one hand, the shear pin is usually assembled manually, thus there may be an error of improper tightness. If the shearing force of the shear pin is improperly set or the machining accuracy of the shear pin is not enough, the shear pin may not be sheared off under the designed condition, resulting in a difficult disengagement or a premature disengagement between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1, and the overall operation of the tool may fail. On the other hand, after the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is set, the mandrel 1 needs to be disengaged from the tail base 5 under the predefined shearing force, that is, the disengagement between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1 and the disengagement between the tail base 5 and the mandrel 1 should be carried out step by step, and the disengagement between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1 comes first, i.e., there is a timing requirement for those disengagements, which greatly increases the difficulty in control, increases the implementation difficulty of providing the shear pin between the sliding body 2 and the mandrel 1, and reduces the operation reliability.
For this reason, the inventor has improved the first conical surface structure 60. As illustrated in
In the case where the slip 4 and the sliding body 2 are slidably abutted against each other through the first conical surface structure 60, the slip 4 and the tail base 5 may be slidably abutted against each other through the second conical surface structure 80. However, in order to further improve the operation stability of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat, the inventor proposes another embodiment of the structure of slidable abutment between the slip 4 and the tail base 5: the inner wall of the slip 4 is generally tapered from top to bottom, and the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are slidably abutted against each other through a guide groove structure 70, which comprises a guide groove 71 provided in the tail base 5 and extending from inside to outside, and a guide protrusion 72 provided on the slip 4 and matching with the guide groove 71. The guide groove structure 70 guides the slip 4 to slide relative to the tail base 5.
Further, the guide groove 71 extends along the radial direction of the mandrel 1, the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are kept in abutment through the guide groove structure 70, and the slip can slide along the radial direction of the mandrel 1 relative to the tail base. The movement of the slip 4 along the radial direction of the mandrel 1 relative to the tail base 5 avoids the slip 4 moving along the axial direction 10 of the mandrel relative to the tail base 5. In this way, in the setting process, the sliding body 2 moves downward relative to the tail base 5 to drive the slip 4 to expand outward. In this process, there is a climbing movement between the slip 4 and the sliding body 2, while there is no climbing movement between the slip 4 and the tail base 5, that is, the climbing movement is reduced and constraint on the outward expansion of the slip 4 is alleviated. It is therefore advantageous in avoiding that the slip 4 fails to be put in place due to failure in the climbing movement, and the operation stability of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat is improved, making the metal-based dissolvable ball seat excellent in adaptability to various processes and in techno-economic efficiency.
The cross section of the guide groove 71 can be of various shapes, e.g., semicircular, trapezoidal or rectangular. Preferably, the cross section of the guide groove 71 is rectangular.
The slip 4 is for anchoring to the wellbore under a force from inside to outside. The slip 4 may adopt an integral structure, and provided with a plurality of axial grooves circumferentially distributed. Under the force from inside to outside, the integral type slip breaks at the axial grooves and separates into a plurality of blocks, each moving outward to be anchored to the wellbore. The integral type slip has higher requirements on the depth and length of the grooves, and the breaking force needs to be accurately controlled.
The slip 4 can also adopt a split structure, as illustrated in
Further, the slip petal 41 comprises a substrate 411, and a slip block 412 for anchoring to the inner wall of the wellbore. The slip block 412 is fixed to the substrate 411 which is made of dissolvable metal. Preferably, the slip block 412 has 5 to 6 teeth thereon. More preferably, the teeth are ceramic teeth so as to have a higher strength and be anchored to the wellbore more firmly. The number of the slip petals 41 may be in a range from 6 to 8. Before being placed into the well, a spacing between two adjacent slip petals 41 may be 1 mm to 2 mm.
In order to avoid loosening of the slip petals 41 when being placed into the well, the slip 4 may comprise at least one hoop 42 hooping the slip petals 41. In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In other embodiments, as illustrated in
The slip 4 in the metal-based dissolvable ball seat has a single-slip structure, which is advantageous in shortening the whole length of the metal-based dissolvable ball seat and more reliably placing the metal-based dissolvable ball seat into the horizontal well, as compared with the double-slip structure having two slip mechanisms disposed along the axial direction of the ball seat.
As illustrated in
In placing the metal-based dissolvable ball seat into the well, the top of the sliding body 2 is abutted against the mandrel 1, the slip 4 is abutted against the sliding body 2, and the relative positions of the sliding body 2, the mandrel 1, the slip 4 and the sealing ring 3 are kept fixed. In this state, a maximum outer diameter of the sliding body 2 is larger than the outer diameter of the sealing ring 3, and/or a maximum outer diameter of tail base 5 is larger than the outer diameter of the sealing ring 3, so as to reduce the abrasion of the sealing ring 3 in the process of placement into the well. Specifically, an outer diameter of the sliding body cylindrical portion 23 of the sliding body 2 may be 2 mm to 3 mm larger than that of the sealing ring 3, or an outer diameter of a tail base cylindrical portion of the tail base 5 may be 2 mm to 3 mm larger than that of the sealing ring 3.
In order to allow the mandrel 1 to be disengaged from the tail base 5 under a predefined shearing force, the tail base 5 is in threaded connection with the mandrel 1, and a strength of the threaded connection determines the magnitude of the shearing force. When the force applied to the tail base 5 by the mandrel 1 increases to the predefined shearing force, the threaded connection structure can be broken by shearing, so that the mandrel 1 is disengaged from the tail base 5, and the constraint between the tail base 5 and the mandrel 1 are removed, resulting in a relative movement and achieving the release of the mandrel 1 and the tail base 5. An appropriate shearing force can be set by setting a thread pitch or the number of threads of the threaded connection structure. Specifically, the threaded connection structure comprises a tail base thread 52 provided on the tail base 5 and a mandrel lower thread 12 provided on the lower end of the mandrel 1, and the tail base thread 52 is engaged with the mandrel lower thread 12. By using the threaded connection structure, it is simple to achieve shearing and the setting is more reliable.
In order that the sliding body 2, the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are locked to each other when the sliding body 2 and tail base 5 are close to each other to a predefined position, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the lower end of the sliding body 2 is provided with a sliding body horse-tooth buckle 22, and the tail base 5 is provided with a tail base horse-tooth buckle 51 which is matching with the sliding body horse-tooth buckle 22. As illustrated in
The upper end of the mandrel 1 is provided with a mandrel upper thread 11 for threaded connection with a setting tool. The sliding body 2 has a hollow structure with an axis coincided with the axis of the mandrel 1. The upper portion of the sliding body 2 is provided with a ball seat hole 21, through which the mandrel 1 passes, and a variable-diameter shoulder 13 of the mandrel 1 is abutted against the inner wall of the ball seat hole 21 for positioning, and preventing the sliding body 2 from sliding upward along the mandrel 1 when going down the well. After the setting, the mandrel 1 is taken out of the sliding body 2 with the setting tool, and the ball seat hole 21 receives the dissolvable ball which is abutted against the inner wall of the ball seat hole 21 to form a sealing. In some embodiments, as illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sliding body 2 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 24, so that the sliding body 2 has a porous structure, which has the following effects: firstly, decreasing the volume and weight of the ball seat and reducing the dissolution residues; and secondly, increasing the surface area for dissolution, so that the dissolving agent can enter into the ball seat for dissolution, and the dissolution rate is increased. As illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the tail base 5 is provided with a plurality of second through holes 53, so that the tail base 5 has a porous structure, which has the following effects: firstly, decreasing the volume and weight of the ball seat and reducing the dissolution residues; and secondly, increasing the surface area for dissolution, so that the dissolving agent can enter into the ball seat for dissolution, and the dissolution rate is increased. As illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in
The case where the slip 4 and the sliding body 2 are slidably abutted against each other through the first conical surface structure 60 has been described above.
In the case where the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are slidably abutted against each other through the second conical surface structure 80, the second conical surface structure 80 comprises a second outer conical surface 81 provided on the tail base 5 and a third inner conical surface 82 provided on the slip 4 and matching with the second outer conical surface 81. The second outer conical surface 81 expands gradually from top to bottom. In this case, as illustrated in
In the case where the slip 4 and the tail base 5 are slidably abutted against each other through the second conical surface structure 80, the sealing ring 3 may be disposed below the slip 4. When the slip 4 moves downward, the sealing ring 3 is pushed to move downward on the second outer conical surface 81, and the sealing ring 3 gradually expands outward.
Preferably, as illustrated in
The present disclosure provides a setting system, comprising a setting tool 90 and the metal-based dissolvable ball seat described above. As illustrated in
In order to facilitate the connection between the setting tool 90 and the metal-based dissolvable ball seat, a joint structure may be provided between the setting tool outer barrel 92 and the sliding body 2, and between the setting tool push rod 94 and the mandrel 1, respectively.
An extrusion sleeve 91 is disposed between the setting tool outer barrel 92 and the sliding body 2, an upper end of the extrusion sleeve 91 is in threaded connection with the setting tool outer barrel 92, and a lower end of the extrusion sleeve 91 is abutted against the upper end face of the sliding body 2. In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The setting system further comprises an adapter 93 disposed in the extrusion sleeve 91, a lower end of the adapter 93 is in threaded connection with the upper end of the mandrel 1, and the upper end of the adaptor 93 is in threaded connection with the setting tool push rod 94.
In other words, the setting tool outer barrel 92 is in threaded connection with the extrusion sleeve 91, the setting tool push rod 94 is in threaded connection with the adapter 93, and the adapter 93 is in threaded connection with the mandrel 1.
When the setting system works with the metal-based dissolvable ball seat illustrated in
An ignition of propellant provides a pushing force, the setting tool push rod 94 provides an upward pulling force to the mandrel 1 and in turn the tail base 5 through the adapter 93, and the setting tool outer barrel 92 applies a downward pushing force to the sliding body 2 through the extrusion sleeve 91. The pushing force and pulling force applied can overcome the friction force between the sliding body 2 and the slip 4, and the sliding body 2 makes an axial climbing movement along the slip 4. The sealing ring 3 and the slip 4 start to expand simultaneously under the radial force, such that the outer diameter of the sealing ring 3 keeps increasing and starts to contact the wellbore and the slip 4 opens up uniformly in all directions. The sliding body 2 continues moving downward, such that the sealing ring 3 is tightly attached to the inner wall of the wellbore to form a metal sealing, the slip 4 bites into the wellbore tightly to form an anchoring, and the sliding body horse-tooth buckle 22 and the tail base horse-tooth buckle 51 are locked up. After the sliding body 2 moves to the set position, the mandrel 1 is disengaged from the tail base 5 under the upward pulling force. The mandrel 1 is lifted out of the wellbore along with the setting tool push rod 94, and the sliding body 2, the sealing ring 3, the slip 4 and the tail base 5 become an integrity to form a setting ball seat left in the wellbore.
The dissolvable ball is put into the wellbore and seated in the ball seat hole 21 of the sliding body 2, then a fracturing operation is performed. After the fracturing operation, liquid containing electrolyte is injected into the wellbore, and the dissolvable ball and the metal-based dissolvable ball seat are gradually dissolved to form a full-bore.
This setting system is advantageous in achieving segmented packing, multi-cluster fracture initiation, full-bore upgrading and drilling-free production after fracturing, and is excellent in adaptability to processes and in techno-economic efficiency.
The present disclosure provides a setting method working with the metal-based dissolvable ball seat described above. As illustrated in
S100, driving the sliding body 2 to approach the tail base 5, so that the slip 4 is opened up and the sealing ring 3 is expanded outward by the first conical surface structure 60 and/or the second conical surface structure 80;
S200, causing the slip 4 to open up to be anchored to the inner wall of the wellbore, causing the sealing ring 3 to expand to form a sealing contact with the inner wall of the wellbore, and causing the sliding body 2 and the slip 4 to lock to each other;
S300, causing the mandrel 1 to be disengaged from the tail base 5 under an upward pulling force and lifted out of the wellbore; and
S400, putting a dissolvable ball 95 into the wellbore, and causing it to move to form a sealing fit with the upper portion of the sliding body 2.
Specifically, in step S100, the force driving the sliding body to approach the tail base may be provided by the setting tool 90. In step S300, the mandrel 1 may be lifted out of the wellbore along with the setting tool 90.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the tail base 5 is in threaded connection with the mandrel 1. In step S300, the disengagement of mandrel 1 from the tail base 5 is achieved by breaking the threaded connection structure between the tail base 5 and the mandrel 1. Specifically, the setting tool 90 applies an upward pulling force to the mandrel 1 and a downward pushing force to the sliding body 2, thereby exerting a shearing force on the threaded connection structure between the tail base 5 and the mandrel 1. When the shearing force reaches a predefined amplitude, the threaded connection structure is broken, therefore the mandrel 1 is disengaged from the tail base 5, and the mandrel 1 can be lifted out of the wellbore along with the setting tool 90.
In order to achieve the relative locking between the sliding body 2 and the slip 4 in step S200, as illustrated in
In another embodiment, as illustrated in
The teachings of all patents, published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Those described above are only a few embodiments of the present disclosure, and persons skilled in the art can make various modifications or variations to the embodiments of the present disclosure according to the contents disclosed in the application document without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the embodiments encompassed by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010138227.8 | Mar 2020 | CN | national |
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