Researchers Submit Patent Application, "Cutting Insert for Initiating a Cutout", for Approval (USPTO 20150376966)
By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Politics & Government Week -- From
Washington, D.C.
, VerticalNews journalists report that a patent application by the inventors Balasubramanian, Nagarajan (
Houston, TX
); Xia, Sike (
Pearland, TX
), filed on June 12, 2015, was made available online on January 7, 2016.
No assignee for this patent application has been made.
News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "When drilling an oil and gas well, one or more casing strings are installed and cemented in a wellbore as drilling progresses to increasing depths. The casing strings may provide stability to limit cave-ins in unstable formations, and may isolate the wellbore from the surrounding formation. As a result, the casing strings can seal off high-pressure zones from the surface and prevent fluid loss or contamination of production zones. The casing strings may also provide a smooth internal surface for installing production equipment.
"Once the oil and gas well is no longer commercially viable, the well may be abandoned, or slot recovery may be performed to use the wellbore as a kickoff point for sidetracking and the formation of a lateral borehole. Removal of a portion of a casing string for well abandonment or slot recovery operations may include performing a section milling operation. Section mill blades are in a retracted or inactive state when the milling tool is tripped into the wellbore. Upon reaching a desired depth, the section mill blades are expanded into a radially outward, active state that engages the casing. As the milling tool and milling blades are rotated in the wellbore, the blades make a circumferential cut in the casing string. The tool string is then urged downhole while rotation continues so as to axially mill away a desired length of the casing string."
As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, VerticalNews correspondents also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent application: "According to one or more embodiments, a cutting insert may include a turning portion for initiating a cutout and cutting radially into a workpiece. The cutting insert may also include a milling portion that extends the cutout by cutting axially along the workpiece. In some embodiments, a cutting insert may include a first portion having features arranged to cut radially into a workpiece, and a second portion having features arranged to mill axially along a workpiece. In further example embodiments, a cutting insert for initiating a cutout may include a cutout initiation portion configured to initiate a cutout by cutting radially into a workpiece. The cutting insert may also include a milling portion configured to extend the cutout by face milling axially along the workpiece.
"A method of forming a movable blade is also disclosed according to one or more embodiments herein. A first type of cutting insert may be coupled to a cutout initiation region of the movable blade. A second type of cutting insert may then be coupled to the movable blade, outside of the cutout initiation region. The first type of cutting insert may be used in turning operations to cut radially into a workpiece. The second type of cutting insert may be used in milling operations to cut axially along a workpiece.
"According to another embodiment, a section mill may include a moveable blade. The movable blade may include a cutting insert with a turning portion coupled thereto. Another example section mill may include a body and a movable blade coupled thereto. The movable blade may include cutting inserts that define cutout initiation and face milling regions of the movable blade.
"Methods of milling casing may, in some embodiments, include inserting a mill into a wellbore while a movable blade of the mill is in a retracted position. The movable blade may include a turning portion and a milling portion. The mill may be activated and the movable blade expanded radially outward, which may cause the turning portion to contact casing lining the wellbore. A cutout may also be initiated in the casing by rotating the movable blade and causing the turning portion to cut radially into the casing. The cutout may be extended in the casing by using the milling portion to cut axially along the casing. Another example method of milling casing includes inserting a mill into a wellbore while at least one movable blade is in a retracted position. The at least one movable blade includes a cutout initiation region and a milling region. A radial cutout is initiated in the casing by the cutout initiation region when rotating the at least one movable blade and expanding the at least one movable blade radially outwardly. The cutout is extended by using the at least one milling region to cut axially along the casing.
"This summary is provided to introduce some features and concepts that are further developed in the detailed description. Other features and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. This summary is therefore not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
"In order to describe various features and concepts of the present disclosure, a more particular description of certain subject matter will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict just some example embodiments and are not to be considered to be limiting in scope, nor drawn to scale for each embodiment contemplated hereby, various embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
"FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example downhole milling system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a bottomhole assembly for performing section milling, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example section mill, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 4-1 is a perspective view of an example milling insert for initiating a cutout in downhole casing, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIGS. 4-2 is a top view of the milling insert of FIG. 4-1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIGS. 4-3 to 4-6 are various side views of the milling insert of FIG. 4-1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 5-1 is a perspective view of an example milling insert for initiating a cutout in downhole casing and for section milling, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 5-2 is a top view of the milling insert of FIG. 5-1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 5-3 is a side view of the milling insert of FIG. 5-1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIGS. 6 to 10 are side views of additional examples of milling inserts for initiating a cutout in downhole casing and for section milling, in accordance with additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another example of a milling insert for initiating a cutout in a downhole casing and for section milling, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIGS. 12-1 to 12-4 are partial cross-sectional views of a section mill blade used in a section milling process for initiating a cutout in downhole casing and for section milling, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 13 is a side view of an example section mill blade, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 14 is a side view of another example section mill blade, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
"FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of an example section mill, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and
"FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of another example section mill, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure."
For additional information on this patent application, see: Balasubramanian, Nagarajan; Xia, Sike. Cutting Insert for Initiating a Cutout. Filed June 12, 2015 and posted January 7, 2016. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=5564&p=112&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=20151231.PD.&OS=PD/20151231&RS=PD/20151231
Keywords for this news article include: Energy, Patents, Oil & Gas, Oil And Gas.
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