US-12618307-B2 - Lateral locating assembly having one or more production ports

Abstract

Provided is a lateral locating assembly, a well system, and a method. The lateral locating assembly, in at least one aspect, includes a tubular, as well as a bendable deflection tip coupled to the tubular, the bendable deflection tip configured to move between a straight position and a bent position upon the application of fluid pressure thereto. The lateral locating assembly, according to one or more aspects, further includes one or more production ports coupling an interior of the tubular and an exterior of the tubular, as well as a sliding sleeve positioned about the one or more production ports, the sliding sleeve configured to seal the one or more production ports when in a first position and expose the one or more production ports when in a second position.

Inventors

• Franklin Rodriguez
• Yoann SANTIN

Assignees

• HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20241115

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A lateral locating assembly, comprising: a tubular; a bendable deflection tip coupled to the tubular, the bendable deflection tip configured to move between a straight position and a bent position upon the application of fluid pressure thereto; one or more production ports coupling an interior of the tubular and an exterior of the tubular; and a cover positioned about the one or more production ports, the cover configured to seal the one or more production ports when in a first position and expose the one or more production ports when in a second position.
2. 2 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover is a sliding sleeve, and further including a shroud positioned about the tubular and removably coupled to the sliding sleeve.
3. 3 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the sliding sleeve includes a collet, the collet fixing the sliding sleeve to the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position and releasing the sliding sleeve from the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the second position.
4. 4 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 3 , wherein the shroud includes a first collet groove configured to engage the collet in an expanded state to fix the sliding sleeve to the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position and the tubular includes a second collet groove configured to accept the collet in a collapsed state to release the sliding sleeve from the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the second position.
5. 5 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 3 , further including a snap ring and snap ring groove located in ones of the tubular and the sliding sleeve, the snap ring configured to engage with the snap ring groove when the sliding sleeve is in the second position to fix the sliding sleeve in the second position.
6. 6 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 2 , further including a packer coupled to the tubular uphole of the bendable deflection tip.
7. 7 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 6 , wherein the packer is a swell packer protected by the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position.
8. 8 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 7 , further including one or more swab cups protected by the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position, the one or more swab cups configured to provide a seal until the swell packer fully sets.
9. 9 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 2 , further including one or more shear features releasably coupled to the shroud to hold the sliding sleeve in the first position.
10. 10 . The lateral locating assembly as recited in claim 1 , further including one or more no go blades coupled to a tip of the bendable deflection tip, the one or more no go blades configured to prevent the bendable deflection tip from accessing a main wellbore completion.
11. 11 . A well system, comprising: a main wellbore extending through one or more subterranean formations; a lateral wellbore extending from the main wellbore; and a lateral locating assembly located in the main wellbore proximate an intersection between the main wellbore and the lateral wellbore, the lateral locating assembly including: a tubular; a bendable deflection tip coupled to the tubular, the bendable deflection tip configured to move between a straight position and a bent position upon the application of fluid pressure thereto; one or more production ports coupling an interior of the tubular and an exterior of the tubular; and a cover positioned about the one or more production ports, the cover configured to seal the one or more production ports when in a first position and expose the one or more production ports when in a second position.
12. 12 . The well system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the cover is a sliding sleeve, and further including a shroud positioned about the tubular and removably coupled to the sliding sleeve.
13. 13 . The well system as recited in claim 12 , wherein the sliding sleeve includes a collet, the collet fixing the sliding sleeve to the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position and releasing the sliding sleeve from the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the second position.
14. 14 . The well system as recited in claim 13 , wherein the shroud includes a first collet groove configured to engage the collet in an expanded state to fix the sliding sleeve to the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position and the tubular includes a second collet groove configured to accept the collet in a collapsed state to release the sliding sleeve from the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the second position.
15. 15 . The well system as recited in claim 13 , further including a snap ring and snap ring groove located in ones of the tubular and the sliding sleeve, the snap ring configured to engage with the snap ring groove when the sliding sleeve is in the second position to fix the sliding sleeve in the second position.
16. 16 . The well system as recited in claim 12 , further including a packer coupled to the tubular uphole of the bendable deflection tip.
17. 17 . The well system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the packer is a swell packer protected by the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position.
18. 18 . The well system as recited in claim 17 , further including one or more swab cups protected by the shroud when the sliding sleeve is in the first position, the one or more swab cups configured to provide a seal until the swell packer fully sets.
19. 19 . The well system as recited in claim 12 , further including one or more shear features releasably coupled to the shroud to hold the sliding sleeve in the first position.
20. 20 . The well system as recited in claim 11 , further including one or more no go blades coupled to a tip of the bendable deflection tip, the one or more no go blades configured to prevent the bendable deflection tip from accessing a main wellbore completion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/097,732, filed on Jan. 17, 2023, entitled “LATERAL LOCATING ASSEMBLY HAVING ONE OR MORE PRODUCTION PORTS,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/300,539, filed on Jan. 18, 2022, entitled “DETACHABLE WHIPSTOCK WITH SEALING CAPABILITIES FOR MULTILATERAL SYSTEMS,” commonly assigned with this application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Multilateral wells include one or more lateral wellbores extending from a main wellbore. A lateral wellbore is a wellbore that is diverted from the main wellbore. A multilateral well may include one or more windows or casing exits to allow corresponding lateral wellbores to be formed. A milling assembly deflects upon a whipstock assembly to penetrate part of the casing joint and form the window or casing exit in the casing string, as well as to drill and complete the lateral wellbore. The milling assembly and the whipstock assembly are subsequently withdrawn from the wellbore. Thereafter, a deflector assembly is positioned at a junction between the main wellbore and lateral wellbore, wherein the deflector assembly is used to deflect other completion tools into the lateral wellbore. BRIEF DESCRIPTION Reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a multilateral well according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein; FIG. 2A illustrates a lateral locating assembly designed and manufactured according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, for example shown in a run-in-hole state; FIG. 2B illustrates the lateral locating assembly shown in FIG. 2A in a deflected state; FIGS. 3A through 3F illustrate the lateral locating assembly illustrated in FIG. 2A shown in various positions transitioning from a first run-in-hole state to a final deflected state and then back to the first run-in-hole state; FIG. 4 illustrates a lateral locating assembly designed and manufactured according to one or more alternate embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 5 illustrates another lateral locating assembly designed and manufactured according to one or more alternate embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a multilateral well according to one or more alternative embodiments disclosed herein; FIGS. 7A through 7C illustrate schematic views of a hydraflex lateral locating assembly designed, manufactured and operated according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure in various different operational configurations; FIGS. 8A through 8E illustrate sequential views of the hydraflex lateral locating assembly in various stages of a procedure for entering a lateral wellbore extending from a main wellbore; FIGS. 9A through 10D illustrate are various different views of a whipstock designed, manufactured and/or operated according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure; FIGS. 11A through 11E illustrate one embodiment of a detaching sequence for a whipstock designed, manufactured and/or operated according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure; FIGS. 12A through 12C illustrate one embodiment of a multilateral junction including a mainbore leg and a lateral bore leg engaging with the lower sub and/or one or more seals of the whipstock of FIG. 11E; FIGS. 13A through 13D illustrate various different views (e.g., outside and partial cutaway perspective) of a lateral locating assembly designed, manufactured and/or operated according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure; FIGS. 14A through 14H illustrate various cross-sectional views of another embodiment of a lateral locating assembly at various different deployment states; FIGS. 15A through 15C illustrate various different operational views of a lateral locating assembly engaging with a lateral liner, as might occur when the lateral locating assembly has entered a lateral wellbore and is proceeding to engage with a lateral completion; FIGS. 16A through 16F illustrate different schematic views of a lateral locating assembly traversing through a main wellbore and a lateral wellbore in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure; FIGS. 17A through 17D illustrate different operational views of a multilateral junction designed, manufactured and/or operated according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure; and FIGS. 18 through 33 illustrate a method for forming, accessing, and completing a well system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the drawings and descriptions that follow, like parts are typically marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawn figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the disclosure may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of certain elements may not be shown in th