Abstract:
An anchoring system including a housing; a chamber defined by the housing; and one or more telescopic assemblies disposed in contact with a wall of the housing and responsive to pressure within the chamber and a method for anchoring a tool in a wellbore.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    In the hydrocarbon industry, many tools are needed and are required to be anchored in a wellbore that may be oriented from vertically to horizontally and anywhere in between. To meet the need to hold the variety of tools needed to enhance wellbore production, many kinds of anchors have been developed over the years. One common type of anchoring arrangement uses slips and a source of energy to urge the slips into a casing wall or open hole to anchor a component that may be attached to the anchor or may be connectable therewith at a later time. While known anchors function well for their intended purposes, the hydrocarbon production industry is ever changing and new challenges are constantly being encountered regarding all parts of the recovery of the target fluids. For this reason, the art is always receptive to new devices and methods that provide additional options for the arsenal in the quest for energy. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    An anchoring system including a housing; a chamber defined by the housing; and one or more telescopic assemblies disposed in contact with a wall of the housing and responsive to pressure within the chamber. 
         [0003]    A method for anchoring a tool in a wellbore including running an anchoring system including a housing; a chamber defined by the housing; and one or more telescopic assemblies disposed in contact with a wall of the housing and responsive to pressure within the chamber into the wellbore; pressuring on the one or more telescopic assemblies; extending the one or more assemblies radially of the housing; and contacting the one or more assemblies with a structure in which the system is to be set. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an anchoring system connected to a downhole tool; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of circumscribed area  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a further enlarged view of circumscribed area  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an alternate embodiment having a piston between a fluid pressure chamber and a selective pressure source; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a telescopic assembly as described herein; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 3  but including a representation of a release mechanism. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a telescopic anchoring system  10  is illustrated connected to a downhole tool  12 , which in this case is illustrated to be a whipstock. It is to be appreciated that other tools could be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. The anchoring system  10  includes a housing  14  defining a fluid chamber  16 . Fluid in the chamber  16  is to have energy transferring access to one or more telescopic assemblies  18 . In one embodiment and as illustrated, the access is direct fluid access to the one or more assemblies  18 . While eight are shown, it is noted that more or fewer may be used at will with consequent lengthening or shortening of the housing  14  being permissible if desired. The access may be effected by having the one or more assemblies actually define a portion of the chamber  16  as in  FIG. 1 , may be through a channel  20  as in  FIG. 2 , or some other arrangement that provides energy transfer from the pressure in the fluid to the one or more telescopic assemblies  18 . Energy transfer, it is to be understood can be from direct fluid contact with the one or more assemblies  18  or through a piston like interface between the one or more assemblies and the fluid itself 
         [0012]    Still referring to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment for providing the fluid pressure to the chamber  16  is illustrated to be a hydraulic line  22  from a remote pressure source. The remote source may be at the surface or some other location. Regardless of where the pressure comes from, it is provided to the chamber  16  and will hence act on the one or more telescopic assemblies  18 . Upon a pressure increase in the chamber  16 , and assuming no restraint (discussed hereunder), the telescopic assemblies  18  will begin to extend radially outwardly of the housing  14  and ultimately into contact with a tubular structure more radially outwardly disposed than the housing  14 , that tubular structure being an open hole or a casing or other placed tubing. It is to be appreciated that although the discussion herein is directed to a radially outward extension of the one or more assemblies  18 , they could be configured to telescope radially inwardly by reversing their orientation and providing the pressure source at a more radially outward position thereby acting on the one or more telescopic assemblies  18  in a radially inward direction. 
         [0013]    In conditions where the system  10  is naturally centralized such as is sometimes possible in a vertical wellbore section, the one or more assemblies  18  are relatively likely to extend at roughly the same rate and contact the structure at roughly the same time. Where however, the system  10  is not centralized, either naturally or by other selective means, it is likely that one or more of the one or more assemblies will extend before others of the one or more assemblies simply because of resistance to such extension by the structure where that structure is closer to the housing  14  than at other locations on the housing. In such cases, the assemblies  18  that are not encumbered by early contact with the structure will extend first until they either make contact with the structure or until they have reached their individual maximum extension position. 
         [0014]    After this, the otherwise inhibited assemblies will extend under increasing pressure from the chamber  16  and resultingly anchor the system  10 . 
         [0015]    In order to make the extension mechanism understood, reference is made to  FIGS. 2 and 3  where one of the telescopic assemblies  18  is illustrated progressively enlarged. As illustrated, the telescopic assembly  18  comprises a double telescopic configuration. It is to be appreciated however that any number of telescopic sections may be employed from one to any number limited only by practicality. It will be appreciated that the illustrated configuration is provided by way of example only. The assembly  18  includes a cap  24  that may be configured to engage a receptive opening  26  in housing  14  by adhesive, threaded, fused, welded, etc. means. It is intended that in one embodiment, the cap  24  be fluid sealed to the housing  14 , which may be accomplished by fully adhering or welding the cap  24  to the housing  14  or by using a seal such as an o-ring at a threaded interface. A metal-to-metal seal is also possible with appropriately configured thread flanks the construction of which is known to the art. 
         [0016]    Slidingly disposed within the cap  24  is an intermediate extender  28  that provides for additional total radial extension of the assembly than would be possible if the intermediate extender  26  were not employed. As noted earlier however, it is to be appreciated that the number of intermediate extenders  28  is not limited to one but additional extension can be achieved and is contemplated herein through the use of additional intermediate extenders with successively smaller diameters relative to the cap  24 . 
         [0017]    Again slidingly disposed is the anchor extender  30 , which slides on the intermediate extender  28 , in this embodiment. Each of the sliding surfaces will include a fluid seal of some kind such as an o-ring  32  (most easily visible in  FIG. 3 ). In the condition so described the assemblies  18  are functional but further there are additional features that can be used together or individually in any combination. These include ratchet surfaces  34  that can be included between the intermediate extenders  28  and the cap  24 , between the intermediate extenders  28  and the anchor extender  30  or both as desired. These surfaces allow one-way movement of the extender components relative to the cap  24  or each other so that upon deployment of the assemblies  18  the ratchet surfaces will allow movement in one direction but not in the other direction. Such a configuration is useful if the anchoring arrangement is intended to be permanent and the fluid pressure supply is intended to be temporary. Another feature of the assemblies  18  is a castellated contact end  36  for increasing engagement friction with a structure to which the system is to become anchored. Moreover, because it is contemplated that the system  10  will be used additionally in open hole wellbores, the anchor extender  30 , in one embodiment includes a concavity  38  illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Where the structure with which the anchor extender  30  is intended to engage is relatively soft material, the extender  30  will tend to core its way into the material, such as the formation, thereby providing enhanced anchoring and resistance to rotation of the system  10 . This is helpful in many situations but particularly where a whipstock is mounted to the anchor system  10  due to rotational stress put on the whipstock by a mill being deflected there from. 
         [0018]    In another embodiment, and referring to  FIG. 4 , an anchoring system  110  is illustrated having a housing  114  defining a fluid chamber  116  similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 1  and having one or more telescopic assemblies just as are shown in  FIG. 1  but not shown in  FIG. 4 . Distinct however from the  FIG. 1  embodiment is a piston arrangement  140 . This arrangement includes a piston  142  that is sealedly slidable relative to the housing  114  for the purpose of affecting fluid pressure of fluid within the chamber  116  of the housing  114 . Through the affecting of the fluid pressure in chamber  116  the telescopic assemblies are deployed identically to that described above. 
         [0019]    The embodiment of  FIG. 4  provides several optional operational features that are not provided in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . In one of these, the piston  142  is endowed with a ratcheting profile  144  that may be one way permanently configured or may be configured for both way movement based upon a selective overpull rating to move the profile in a direction opposite to that of setting of the anchor system. The ratcheting profile would be engagable with a body lock ring  146  or other complementary profile configured for the desired purpose. The existence of the ratcheting feature allows for pressure supplied from a remote source to be eliminated without the telescopic assemblies becoming unsupported. In the event that the ratcheting feature is subject to withdrawal by overpull, the anchor system can still be unset if desired. Since the piston  142  is sealedly slidable within the housing  114 , this embodiment further allows for a reduced pressure to be generated within chamber  116  to tend to draw the telescopic assemblies away from the set position providing that the embodiment has assemblies  18  configured without ratchet surfaces  34 , which would otherwise inhibit such movement. 
         [0020]    Also depicted in  FIG. 4  is another possible feature of the arrangement. This is a lower pressure chamber  148 . This chamber  148  may be encompassed within housing  114  or may be configured as shown in a separate sub  150  as illustrated. The chamber  148  may be set at a pressure anywhere from under the hydrostatic pressure where the system is to be set to whatever vacuum can be achieved therein by a vacuum device to be effective. In one particular example, the chamber  148  may be an atmospheric pressure chamber. In each of these possible cases, because the pressure in the lower pressure chamber  148  is less than hydrostatic pressure in the wellbore at the location of deployment of the system  110 , there will be a force acting on the piston  142  in the direction of setting of the telescopic assemblies to maintain a bias therein to further extend the assemblies if for some reason over time the tightness of the initial set is reduced. This can happen, for example, if the anchor extenders  30  continue to core into the formation due to vibration. In such event, the piston bias due to the lower pressure chamber  148  will cause the assemblies  18  to extend further and reestablish contact pressure against the formation. Further it is to be understood that while in some applications an applied pressure will be used similar to that of the  FIG. 1  embodiment (this time it is applied to the top of the piston), the  FIG. 4  embodiment may not require additional pressure applied from a remote location. In the event that the pressure differential between the lower pressure chamber  148  and the hydrostatic pressure is sufficient, no additional applied pressure would be necessary. It will be appreciated that a combination of additional applied pressure and resultant force from the lower pressure chamber  148  can be used in some embodiments. 
         [0021]    Each of the iterations of the anchoring system described herein can have additional utility in creating biases relative to orientation of the system itself and therefore by association in whatever tool is attached thereto. In the case of a whipstock, such biasing capability may be employed to ensure that the uphole point of the whipstock  160  (see  FIG. 1 ) is placed in contact with an inside surface of whatever structure the system and whipstock are set in. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that ensuring that the tip  160  be so located avoids problems associated with the mill  162  (see  FIG. 1 ) landing on the tip  160  as opposed to the face  164  of the whipstock as is generally intended in whipstock use. 
         [0022]    In order to make use of the selective biasing feature of the anchoring system disclosed herein, one or more of the one or more telescopic assemblies  18  are to be selectively and releasably restrained. In one embodiment, restraint  168  is affected by a shear pin in one or more of the one or more telescopic assemblies  18 . Restraining selective ones of the assemblies facilitates earlier deployment of the unrestrained assemblies whereby the attitude of the system can be adjusted to a desired outcome. Using the whipstock embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  as an example, it would be helpful to deploy the assembly  18  marked “A” first followed by deployment of the assembly marked “B” in order to cause tip  160  to be positioned most beneficially against a wall of the structure in which the system is set opposite from the wall of the structure that will be milled by the mill  162  deflecting off face  164 . In this example, assembly A deployed before assembly B, which then would be deployed before one or more of the other assemblies that might be present. This requires that different release values are necessary for the restraint  168  in order to cause them to release at different times. In this embodiment, it is likely that assembly A would not be restrained at all so that there would be no impediment to its deployment. Assembly B would then be restrained to an intermediary value and the other assemblies  18  such as might be used in this embodiment for anchoring reliability reasons will be restrained until a higher deployment force is attained. 
         [0023]    Although retrieval has been mentioned with respect to the  FIG. 4  embodiment only thus far, it is noted that retrieval can be achieved in the other embodiments as well providing that they are not permanently set due to ratchet surfaces that do not release. In each case, a reduction in the pressure differential between the chamber  16  and the annulus pressure will result setting force being substantially removed from the telescopic assemblies. One configuration for equalizing this pressure differential is a burst disk that may be burst using over pressure or a mechanical or electrical impetus to rupture the disk. In the event that the assemblies did not core into the structure in which they were originally set, retrieval should at this point be a simple affair. If on the other hand coring did occur at initial set or over time, cycling movement of the anchor system to urge the assemblies out of the cores is anticipated to effect retrieval. 
         [0024]    While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.