Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The cementing of a liner or a casing in a well is done to, among other things; prevent flow in an annular space between the liner or casing and the open borehole. It is common to perform several cementing operations within a single deep well. When additional drilling is required after a cementing operation has been completed in one section of the well, the cementing wiper plugs, landing collar and cement located at the bottom of the section of the well just cemented need to be drilled through before the drill bit can begin drilling into the earth formation again. Drilling through a landing collar can damage or dull a drill bit, can generate undesirable debris within the wellbore, and can delay drilling progress in the earth formation. Systems and methods that alleviate the foregoing concerns are well received in the industry. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       [0002]    Disclosed herein is a runnable member catcher. The catcher includes a body fixedly attachable within a tubular, the body defines inner radial dimensions that are smaller than portions of the body that are fixedly attached the body to the tubular, the body is configured to be structurally weakened upon exposure to an activation fluid to facilitate removal of the body. 
         [0003]    Further disclosed herein is a method of removing a runnable member catcher. The method includes, exposing the runnable member catcher to an activation fluid, weakening the runnable member catcher with the activation fluid and drilling or milling out the runnable member catcher. 
         [0004]    Further disclosed herein is a runnable member catching system. The system includes a tubular and a body fixedly attachable within the tubular and defining a seat sealingly engagable with a member runnable thereagainst, the body is configured to be structurally weakened upon exposure to an activation fluid to facilitate removal of the body. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  depicts a cross sectional view of a runnable member catching system disclosed herein; and 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  depicts a cross sectional view of the runnable member catching system of  FIG. 1  with a runnable member engaged therewith. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures. 
         [0009]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2  an embodiment of a runnable member catching system disclosed herein is illustrated at  10 . The system includes a tubular  14  and a catcher  16  comprising in this embodiment of a body  18 , an insert  22  and a sleeve  24 , although in some embodiments the catcher  16  may be comprised of fewer parts such as the body  18  only, for example, which alternatively could have a tubular shape. The body  18  is fixedly attached to the tubular  14  by the insert  22 . The insert  22  may be a split ring, as shown herein, that engages in a recess  26  in an inner surface  30  of walls  34  of the tubular  14  and a recess  38  in an outer surface  42  of the body  18 . Alternately, the insert  22  may be engaged with one or both of the body  18  and the tubular  14  by other means such as threadable engagement, for example. The sleeve  24  is fixedly attached to the body  18  and is sealably engaged within the tubular  14 . The body  18  has a seat  50  that has a smaller radial dimension than that of the tubular  14 , and is sealingly engagable by a runnable member  54  shown in  FIG. 2  as a wiper plug. The body  18  and optionally, the sleeve  24  and the insert  22  are made of a material that is structurally weakened in response to being exposed to an activation fluid. This weakening allows for easier removal of the body  18 , the sleeve  24  and the insert  22  by processes such as drilling or milling, for example. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment of the system  10 , the body  18 , the insert  22  and the sleeve  24  are manufactured from a high strength controlled electrolytic metallic material and are degradable when exposed to an activation fluid such as brine, acid, aqueous fluid or combinations of one or more of these. For example, a variety of suitable materials and their methods of manufacture are described in United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0135953 (Xu et al.), the entire Patent Publication of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
         [0011]    The runnable member catching system  10  is employable in applications to allow the runnable member  54  to be caught at a known location within the tubular  14  where the catcher  16  is positioned. An example of such an application is during a downhole cementing operation wherein cement is pumped down through the tubular  14  and back up in an annular space  55  defined between the tubular  14  and an open borehole  56  in an earth formation  57 . Such an operation includes using the runnable member  54  to separate cement  58  from another fluid such as by leading introduction of the cement  58  or following the conclusion of the cement  58 . The runnable member  54  being a wiper plug that includes a seal  62  that sealingly engages with the inner surface  30  of the walls  34  while being run therethrough, thereby separates the cement  54  from fluid on an opposing side of the wiper plug  54  therefrom. A second wiper plug  65  is configured to slidingly sealingly engage with a smaller tubular (not shown) possible located upstream of the tubular  14 . The second wiper plug  65  being also configured to sealingly engage with a bore  67  in the wiper plug  54 . In  FIG. 2  the wiper plug  54  is shown in a position after having been caught by the body  18 , also known in this application as a landing collar, and is sealingly engaged at the seat  50 . The seal  62  is engaged with the inside of the sleeve  24  and has moved downstream beyond ports  66  in the sleeve  24 . Fluid is then able to flow around the wiper plug  54  by flowing through the ports  66  and through an annular space  70  defined between the sleeve  24  and the tubular  14 , then through openings  74  in the body  18 . In this manner the cement  58  is able to be pumped past the wiper plug  54  and the runnable member catching system  10 . Another wiper plug (not shown) may then follow the cement  58  until it abuts with the wiper plug  54  thereby halting any additional flow of the cement  58 . 
         [0012]    In some embodiments the activation fluid may be electrically conductive thereby helping to establish an electrochemical reaction to facilitate degradation of the catcher  16  components. In some applications the activation fluid can be pumped to the catcher  16  and can even be the fluid separated from the cement  58  by the runnable member  54 . 
         [0013]    While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Technology Category: 0