Christopher A Potter

US Patent:

20160040495, Feb 11, 2016

Filed:

Jul 31, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/814995

Inventors:

- Houston TX, US
Charles H. Dewey - Houston TX, US
Shantanu N. Swadi - Cypress TX, US
Walter E. Friedl - The Woodlands TX, US
Lijun Song - Sugar Land TX, US
Ashley Bernard Johnson - Cambridge, GB
Christopher Kang Potter - The Woodlands TX, US
Alan Fairweather - Aberdeen, GB

International Classification:

E21B 29/00
E21B 10/42

Abstract:

Milling systems, tools, and methods include using a mill with a barrier to promote re-circulation of debris and cuttings to the face of the mill. The face of the mill may include cutting elements. A barrier may obstruct the flow of cuttings and debris away from the face to re-circulate the cutting and debris to promote re-milling of the cuttings and debris by the cutting elements of the face of the mill. The barrier may include a hydraulic barrier formed by fluid expelled from nozzles in or above the mill. A secondary attrition system uphole of the mill may also be used to stage conditioning and re-sizing of cuttings and debris. After debris and cuttings pass through the barrier, the secondary attrition system may re-mill the cuttings and debris to a finer size before allowing the cuttings and debris to pass into the wellbore annulus for transport to the surface.

US Patent:

20160040496, Feb 11, 2016

Filed:

Jul 31, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/815174

Inventors:

- Houston TX, US
Charles H. Dewey - Houston TX, US
Shantanu N. Swadi - Cypress TX, US
Walter E. Friedl - The Woodlands TX, US
Christopher Kang Potter - The Woodlands TX, US
Alan Fairweather - Aberdeen, GB

International Classification:

E21B 29/00
E21B 10/42

Abstract:

Milling systems, tools, and methods include using a mill with secondary attrition system to re-mill cuttings and other debris away from the face of the mill. The secondary attrition system may be located uphole of the mill may be used to stage conditioning and re-sizing of debris. After debris is generated by the mill, the secondary attrition system may re-mill the debris to a finer size before allowing the debris to pass out of the sleeve. The debris may be re-milled by secondary cutting elements while within an annular gap positioned radially between the sleeve and a drive shaft for the mill. The annular gap may have a variable width as a result of a tapered outer surface of the drive shaft and/or a tapered inner surface of the sleeve. The variable width may cause debris to be re-milled into increasingly finer sizes.