String supported whipstock for multiple laterals in a single trip and related method
US9493988B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 1, 2013 |
| Grant date | Nov 15, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 20, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21B7/061
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A whipstock is supported adjacent the lower end of a string during the drilling of the lateral. It has no integrated anchor. The BHA is delivered through the string that supports the whipstock. After a lateral is drilled the BHA is retracted and the support string is manipulated to advance the whipstock to a new location for proper orientation with a gyroscopic tool. The BHA is then advanced through the support string for drilling of another lateral in the same trip in the hole. The process can be repeated as many times as needed. Peripheral pads on the lower end of the whipstock push the lower end of the whipstock ramp to the borehole wall for proper tracking of the lateral. The laterals can be in open or cased hole and the support string can have circulation ports near the whipstock to cool the BHA in geothermal wells.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.