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NO-20260329-A1 - ANCHOR WITH MULTIPLE ARMS FOR MINIMAL ROTATION OF LATCH DURING GUIDED ORIENTATION

NO20260329A1NO 20260329 A1NO20260329 A1NO 20260329A1NO-20260329-A1

Inventors

  • STEELE DAVID J

Assignees

  • HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES INC

Dates

Publication Date
20260311
Application Date
20260311
Priority Date
20231108

Claims (15)

  1. 1. CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A system comprising: an anchor comprising a plurality of slots; and a latch comprising a key, wherein while the latch undergoes latch translation, the key is adapted to translate into a slot of the plurality of slots.
  2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein: the anchor further comprises a plurality of guides, and while the latch undergoes the latch translation, the key makes contact with a guide of the plurality of guides.
  3. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the latch undergoes latch rotation, and wherein the latch rotation is caused by: the latch translation; and the contact between the key and the guide.
  4. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein: the anchor further comprises a plurality of arms formed by the plurality of slots, the anchor further comprises a shroud, and the shroud circumferentially surrounds the plurality of arms.
  5. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein: the key comprises a lip adapted to allow the key to traverse past the shroud, while the key is traversing the shroud, the key undergoes key depression, and after traversing the shroud, the key is not undergoing key depression.
  6. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein: the plurality of arms comprises a plurality of shoulders, respectively, and while the latch undergoes the latch translation, the key is adapted to contact a shoulder of the plurality of shoulders.
  7. 7. A system comprising: an anchor comprising a first slot and a second slot; and a latch comprising a first key and a second key, wherein while the latch undergoes latch translation, the first key and the second key are adapted to translate into the first slot and the second slot, respectively.
  8. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein: the anchor further comprises a first guide and a second guide, and the latch undergoes the latch translation, the first key and the second key make contact with the first guide and the second guide, respectively.
  9. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the latch undergoes latch rotation, and wherein the latch rotation is caused by: the latch translation; the contact between the first key and the first guide; and the contact between the second key and the second guide.
  10. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the latch translation stops when the first key engages a bottom of the first slot and the second key engages a bottom of the second slot.
  11. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein: the latch rotation causes the latch to be at a known orientation, and the first key engaging with the bottom of the first slot and the second key engaging with the bottom of the second slot, causes the latch to be at a known axial location.
  12. 12. The system of claim 7, wherein: the anchor further comprises a first arm and a second arm formed by the first slot and the second slot, the anchor further comprises a shroud, and shroud circumferentially surrounds the first arm and the second arm.
  13. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein: the first key comprises a first lip adapted to allow the first key to traverse past the shroud, the second key comprises a second lip adapted to allow the second key to traverse past the shroud, while the first key is traversing the shroud, the first key and the second key undergo key depression, and after traversing the shroud, the first key and the second key are not undergoing key depression.
  14. 14. The system of claim 12, wherein: the first arm comprises a first shoulder, and the second arm comprises a second shoulder.
  15. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein while the latch undergoes the latch translation, the first key and the second key are adapted to contact the first shoulder and the second shoulder, respectively.

Description

[0001] ANCHOR WITH MULTIPLE ARMS FOR MINIMAL ROTATION OF LATCH [0002] DURING GUIDED ORIENTATION [0004] BACKGROUND [0005] The oil and gas industry may use boreholes as fluid conduits to access subterranean deposits of various fluids and minerals which may include hydrocarbons. A drilling operation may be utilized to construct the fluid conduits which are capable of producing hydrocarbons disposed in subterranean formations. Boreholes may be incrementally constructed as tapered sections, which sequentially extend into a subterranean formation. [0006] The widest diameter sections may be located near the surface of the earth while the narrowest diameter sections may be disposed at the toe of the well. For example, starting at the surface of the earth, borehole sections may include any combination of a conductor borehole, one or more surface boreholes, one or more intermediate boreholes, a pilot borehole, and/or a production borehole. The diameter of the foregoing borehole sections may sequentially decrease in diameter from the conductor borehole to the production borehole. [0007] One or more tools and/or machines may be statically fixed in a borehole. [0008] Additional tools may be used to fix the tools and/or machines into the borehole using one or more procedures needed for those tools. [0011] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0012] These drawings illustrate certain aspects of some examples of the present disclosure and should not be used to limit the disclosure. [0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example drilling environment. [0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example borehole with a latch and anchor. [0015] FIG. 3A is a diagram of an example latch and anchor, prior to contact. [0016] [0008] FIG. 3B is a diagram of an example latch and anchor when a key is in contact with a guide. [0017] FIG. 3C is a diagram of an example latch and anchor interlocking. [0018] FIG. 4A is a diagram of a latch and anchor when a key is moving towards a shoulder. [0019] FIG. 4B is a diagram of a latch and anchor improperly engaging. [0020] FIG. 4C is a diagram of a key jammed into an anchor. [0021] FIG. 5A is a diagram of a latch and anchor when the latch is approaching the anchor. [0022] FIG. 5B is a diagram of a latch and anchor when the keys are in sliding contact with the guides. [0023] FIG. 5C is a diagram of a latch and anchor when the keys are sliding down the slots of the anchor. [0024] FIG. 6A is a diagram of an example anchor with a shroud. [0025] FIG. 6B is a diagram of an example latch approaching a shroud of an anchor. [0026] FIG. 6C is a diagram of keys sliding under the shroud of an anchor. [0027] FIG. 6D is a diagram of keys in slots after traversing a shroud. [0028] FIG. 7A is a diagram of an example latch approaching an anchor with multiple arms and shoulders. [0029] FIG. 7B is a diagram of keys contacting shoulders. [0030] FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example anchor with a shroud around the tips of the arms. [0031] FIG. 9A is a diagram of an example anchor with slots of varying depths. [0032] FIG. 9B is a diagram of a latch with varying key depths and an anchor with varying slot depths. [0033] [0025] FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example system with an aligner disposed uphole from an anchor. [0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0036] — Overview and Advantages — [0037] In general, this application discloses one or more embodiments of methods and systems for providing a latch and anchor mechanism (in a borehole) which requires minimal rotation of the latch to engage the anchor. [0039] Generally, for latch and anchor mechanisms, a latch and anchor may be aligned using a key and slot system. That is, a key may protrude on a latch while a slot may provide a gap on the anchor. For the latch and anchor to properly interlock, the key (of the latch) must align with the slot (of the anchor) before the two components may fully engage each other. In borehole environment, the alignment is dependent upon the rotation (e.g., angle) and geometry of the latch and anchor (e.g., each component must be within some threshold similar angle, less than 1° apart, less than 0.5° apart, etc.) [0040] In conventional latch and anchor mechanisms, a single key may be provided on the latch while a single slot may be provided on the anchor. While such a system ensures alignment at a single angle, a latch may have to rotate ±180° (or nearly 360°, depending on the configuration) for the key and slot to align. To cause this rotation, one or more guides may be placed at the leading edge of the anchor to rotate the latch before engaging the anchor. Consequently, rotation of the latch may cause torsional stress to be statically loaded on the latch (and/or any tools additionally attached to the latch). Such stress may be undesirable as the latch (and/or any tools affixed thereto) (i) may not be designed to accept such stresses, (ii) wear out more quickly, (iii) requir