| CPC E21B 47/12 (2013.01) [E21B 7/061 (2013.01); E21B 17/046 (2013.01); E21B 23/02 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
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1. A system for locating a depth of interest, anchoring and orienting a well tool at the depth of interest and recording an angular orientation of the well tool, the angular orientation located laterally of a sub-surface bore beneath the earth's surface, the system comprising:
a casing assembly comprising a plurality of casing lengths and one or more coupling joints, each coupling joint of the one or more coupling joints having a tubular body with two opposing angled guiding ramps projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the tubular body, the two opposing angled guiding ramps converging at a guiding slot, and a plurality of longitudinal recesses adjacent the guiding slot, the plurality of longitudinal recesses for receiving a plurality of spline teeth,
a tool assembly comprising a position pilot joint at a distal end of the tool assembly, distal from the earth's surface, the position pilot joint comprising an anchor sleeve, a guide block and the plurality of spline teeth, the guide block resiliently supported so as to extend radially outwardly from an outer surface of the anchor sleeve, and the plurality of spline teeth attached to a synchronizing mechanism, the synchronizing mechanism for maintaining the plurality of spline teeth in a retracted position so as to be retracted inside the anchor sleeve until each splined tooth of the plurality of spline teeth is aligned with a corresponding longitudinal recess of the plurality of longitudinal recesses of a corresponding coupling joint,
the position pilot joint mounted to a stabilizer joint at a distal end of the stabilizer joint, distal from the earth's surface, the stabilizer joint including an azimuth rod extending from a proximate end of the stabilizer joint that is proximate to the earth's surface, the azimuth rod operatively connected to a core rod of the stabilizer joint so as to actuate a plurality of packers of the stabilizer joint when an axial load exceeding a threshold is applied to the azimuth rod, a free end of the azimuth rod passing through an axial bore of an azimuth joint and received in a slot of the whipstock tool so as to rotate the azimuth rod when torque is applied to the whipstock tool, and
wherein, when the position pilot joint passes through the one or more coupling joints of the casing assembly, the plurality of longitudinal spline teeth and the guide block are each resiliently supported outwardly from the outer surface of the anchor sleeve and in sliding contact with and travelling along the interior surface of the casing assembly,
and when the guide block travels along the angled guiding ramp of a coupling joint of the one or more coupling joints and enters the guiding slot on the interior surface of the tubular body, the position pilot joint, the stabilizer joint and a clutch casing of an azimuth joint correspondingly rotate independently of the rotation of the whipstock tool when a clutch of the azimuth joint is in an unlocked position,
and when the position pilot joint passes through its corresponding coupling joint of the one or more coupling joints, the plurality of longitudinal spline teeth are synchronously and resiliently pushed radially outwardly of the outer surface of the anchor sleeve to engage the corresponding plurality of longitudinal recesses of the corresponding coupling joint,
and wherein, when an increasing axial load on the tool string exceeds the threshold axial load, the core rod of the stabilizer joint actuates the stabilizer packers so as to engage an interior surface of the casing assembly to anchor the whipstock tool at the depth of interest.
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