Claims
- 1. Wellbore apparatus comprising
- a whipstock with a top and a bottom, the whipstock disposed in a wellbore extending down from an earth surface into the earth, the wellbore having an inner surface,
- a mill guide with a body having an upper end, a lower end, and a channel therethrough from the upper end to the lower end, and
- a portion of the lower end of the mill guide disposed between and held between the inner surface of the wellbore and an outer surface of the top of the whipstock,
- the mill guide having a main body having a lower part with a wall thickness, and
- a shoe at the lower end of the mill guide having a wall member whose thickness is less than the thickness of the lower part of the main body of the mill guide for facilitating emplacement of the mill guide between the wellbore's interior surface and the whipstock.
- 2. A method for stabilizing a mill guide in a wellbore extending from an earth surface into the earth, the wellbore having an inner surface, the method comprising
- setting a whipstock at a location in the wellbore, the whipstock having a top and a bottom,
- moving a mill guide down into the wellbore to contact the whipstock, the mill guide having a body with an upper end, a lower end, and a channel therethrough from the upper end to the lower end, wherein the mill guide has a main body having a lower part with a wall thickness, and a shoe at the lower end of the mill guide having a wall member whose thickness is less than the thickness of the lower part of the main body of the mill guide for facilitating emplacement of the mill guide between the wellbore's interior surface and the whipstock, and
- positioning the mill guide so that a portion of the lower end of the shoe is received and held between the inner surface of the wellbore and an outer surface of the top of the whipstock.
- 3. A method for milling within a whipstock set in a wellbore extending from an earth surface down into the earth, the whipstock having a body with a top and a bottom, the whipstock having a concave portion with outer edges defined by rails that approach closer together from the top to the bottom of the whipstock, the method comprising
- introducing a mill guide into the wellbore above the whipstock, the mill guide having a top and a bottom and a channel therethrough from top to bottom,
- moving the mill guide into stabilizing contact with the whipstock and receiving a portion of the mill between the rails of the concave to facilitate mill stabilization and inhibit lateral milling,
- guiding a mill with the mill guide to mill down into the whipstock and through at least a longitudinal portion thereof, the mill having at least a portion thereof in contact with the mill guide while milling the at least a longitudinal portion of the whipstock.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the mill is sufficiently long that when the portion of the mill is received between the rails of the concave at least an upper part of the mill is still in contact with the mill guide.
- 5. Wellbore apparatus comprising
- a whipstock with a top and a bottom, the whipstock disposed in a wellbore extending down from an earth surface into the earth, the wellbore having an inner surface,
- a mill guide with a body having an upper end, a lower end, and a channel therethrough from the upper end to the lower end,
- a portion of the lower end of the mill guide disposed between and held between the inner surface of the wellbore and an outer surface of the top of the whipstock,
- a tubular secured to the mill guide, and
- a mill releasably secured to the tubular.
- 6. The wellbore apparatus of claim 5 further comprising
- slip apparatus for selective preventing mill rotation, and
- selective clutching apparatus for selectively releasing the mill from the slip apparatus for milling.
- 7. The wellbore apparatus of claim 5 further comprising
- the mill guide having a guide barrel portion for guiding the mill.
- 8. The wellbore apparatus of claim 7 further comprising
- a sacrificial element disposed within the guide barrel to inhibit milling of the guide barrel.
- 9. The wellbore apparatus of claim 6 further comprising
- releasable apparatus interconnected with the slip apparatus for releasably holding the slip apparatus in a slip set position.
- 10. The wellbore apparatus of claim 5 wherein the mill has a lower end with ramped milling surfaces.
- 11. The wellbore apparatus of claim 5 wherein the mill comprises
- an outer mill body having a lower body milling surface, and
- an inner pilot mill selectively releasably secured to and within the outer mill.
- 12. The wellbore apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pilot mill has expandable apparatus connected thereto for engaging a member entered by the pilot mill.
- 13. The wellbore apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pilot mill is drivingly connected to the outer mill body.
- 14. Wellbore apparatus comprising
- a whipstock with a top and a bottom, the whipstock disposed in a wellbore extending down from an earth surface into the earth, the wellbore having an inner surface,
- a mill guide with a body having an upper end, a lower end, and a channel therethrough from the upper end to the lower end, and
- a portion of the lower end of the mill guide disposed between and held between the inner surface of the wellbore and an outer surface of the top of the whipstock, the mill guide positioned to guide a mill for milling the whipstock.
- 15. A method for stabilizing a mill guide in a wellbore extending from an earth surface into the earth, the wellbore having an inner surface, the method comprising
- setting a whipstock at a location in the wellbore, the whipstock having a top and a bottom,
- moving a mill guide down into the wellbore to contact the whipstock, the mill guide having a body with an upper end, a lower end, and a channel therethrough from the upper end to the lower end, and
- positioning the mill guide so that a portion of the lower end of the mill guide is received and held between the inner surface of the wellbore and an outer surface of the top of the whipstock and so that the mill guide is disposed to guide a mill for milling the whipstock.
- 16. A method for milling within a whipstock set in a wellbore extending from an earth surface down into the earth, the whipstock having a body with a top and a bottom, the method comprising
- introducing a mill guide into the wellbore above the whipstock, the mill guide having a lower portion,
- moving the mill guide into stabilizing contact with the whipstock, the lower portion of the mill guide in contact with the whipstock, the mill guide having a top and a bottom and a channel therethrough from top to bottom,
- guiding a mill with the mill guide to mill down into the whipstock and through at least a longitudinal portion thereof, the mill having at least a portion thereof in contact with the mill guide while milling the at least a longitudinal portion of the whipstock.
- 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising
- milling down through the bottom of the whipstock thereby opening a path from the wellbore above the whipstock to the wellbore therebelow.
- 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the mill is initially selectively releasably mounted to the mill guide, the mill having an upper end interconnected with a rotatable drill string extending from the mill upward to rotation apparatus at the earth surface.
- 19. The method of claim 16 wherein the whipstock has a central portion containing millable material.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/752,359 filed Nov. 19, 1996, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/655,087, filed Jun. 3, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,051 which is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/414,338 filed Mar. 31, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,461 and which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/542,439 filed Oct. 12, 1995. This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/590,747 filed Jan. 24, 1996. This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/683,611 filed Jul. 15, 1996. All such applications are co-owned and are incorporated fully herein for all purposes.
US Referenced Citations (99)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0733775A |
Sep 1996 |
EPX |
WO 95 33910 A |
Dec 1995 |
WOX |
WO 9745623 |
May 1997 |
WOX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
414338 |
Mar 1995 |
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Continuation in Parts (3)
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Number |
Date |
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752359 |
Nov 1996 |
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Parent |
655087 |
Jun 1996 |
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Parent |
542439 |
Oct 1995 |
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