US-20260125961-A1 - TUBING ANCHOR CATCHER OPERATED BY MANDREL AXIAL MOVEMENT

US20260125961A1US 20260125961 A1US20260125961 A1US 20260125961A1US-20260125961-A1

Abstract

A tubing anchor catcher includes: a mandrel for connection to a tubing string and a slip cage, the mandrel supported in a main bore of the slip cage by a J-lock mechanism. The J-lock mechanism configures the tool between run in, set and run out positions simply by moving the mandrel axially through the slip cage, without any rotation of the string/mandrel required from surface.

Inventors

Vern Hult
Emery Stoesser

Assignees

EVOLUTION OIL TOOLS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20231002

Claims (9)

1 . A tubing anchor catcher comprising: a mandrel for connection to a tubing string, the mandrel having upper and lower ends each configured for connection into a tubing string, an enlargement on the upper end, an enlargement on the lower end and therebetween a smaller diameter necked region on the outer surface of the mandrel; a slip cage assembly carried on the mandrel necked region; and a J-slot mechanism between the mandrel and the slip cage assembly, the J-slot mechanism including a J-slot including a pathway of slots and a control pin over which the pathway of slots ride and wherein the J-slot mechanism is selectable between at least a run in position, a tubing anchoring position, a tubing catching position and a run out position relative by axial movement upwardly or downwardly of the mandrel through the slip cage.
2 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1 wherein the mandrel further comprises: an upper frustoconical surface between the necked region and the enlargement on the upper end; and the slip cage further comprises: a cylindrical housing; a plurality of upper slips carried on an upper end of the cylindrical housing; and a plurality of drag blocks biased outwardly carried on the cylindrical housing, the plurality of drag blocks being biased outwardly to cause relative movement between the slip cage and the mandrel; and wherein the pathway of slots of the J-slot mechanism is on the mandrel and the control pin extends inwardly from the slip cage and engages in the pathway of slots.
3 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 2 wherein the pathway of slots comprises: a run in position axially extending slot and a run out position axially extending slot each configured to retain the upper slips in a retracted position, to thereby position the tubing anchor in the run in position and the run out position, respectively; and an intermediate axially extending slot configured to allow the upper frustoconical surface to move under and expand the plurality of upper slips to thereby position the tubing anchor in the catching position.
4 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 2 , wherein the mandrel further comprises: a lower frustoconical surface between the necked region and the enlargement on the lower end; and the slip cage further comprises: a plurality of lower slips carried on a lower end of the cylindrical housing; wherein the pathway of slots includes: a first axially extending slot configured to retain the upper slips in a position spaced from the upper frustoconical surface, to thereby position the tubing anchor in the run in position; a second axially extending slot joined by a first deflection surface to the first axially extending slot and the second axially extending slot configured to allow the lower frustoconical surface to move under and expand the plurality of lower slips to thereby position the tubing anchor catcher in the tubing anchoring position; a third axially extending slot joined by a second deflection surface to the second axially extending slot and the third axially extending slot configured to allow the upper frustoconical surface to move under and expand the plurality of upper slips to thereby position the tubing anchor catcher in the catching position; and, a fourth axially extending slot joined by a third deflection surface to the third axially extending slot and the fourth axially extending slot configured to retain the lower slips in a position spaced from the lower frustoconical surface, to thereby position the tubing anchor catcher in the run out position.
5 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1 , further comprising an annular indented area on the necked region in communication with the pathway of slots and the annular indented area being configured to permit full rotation of the mandrel within the slip cage.
6 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 4 , further comprising an annular indented area on the necked region positioned adjacent the lower frustoconical surface and wherein the second axially extending slot is in communication with the annular indented area such that the mandrel can fully rotate within the slip cage, when the tubing anchor catcher is in the tubing string tensioning position.
7 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 5 , further comprising a bearing between the lower frustoconical surface and the mandrel, the bearing accommodating rotation of the mandrel within the lower frustoconical surface.
8 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical housing includes a wall portion between each of the plurality of upper slips, the wall portion having a thickness less than the upper slips, such that the wall portion defines a fluid bypass.
9 . The tubing anchor catcher of claim 1 , further comprising a shear mechanism between the mandrel and the enlargement on the lower end, the shear mechanism configured to permit the enlargement on the lower end to be moveable relative to the mandrel.

Description

FIELD The present invention relates to a wellbore tool and in particular to a tubing anchor catcher. BACKGROUND Various types of tubing anchor catchers have been devised for anchoring the tubing string and catching a string in the event that the tubing string is severed above the tubing anchor catcher. SUMMARY In accordance with a broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tubing anchor catcher comprising: a mandrel for connection to a tubing string, the mandrel having upper and lower ends each configured for connection into a tubing string, an enlargement on the upper end, an enlargement on the lower end and therebetween a smaller diameter necked region on the outer surface of the mandrel; a slip cage assembly carried on the mandrel necked region; and a J-slot mechanism between the mandrel and the slip cage assembly, the J-slot mechanism including a J-slot including a pathway of slots and a control pin over which the pathway of slots ride and wherein the J-slot mechanism is selectable between at least a run in position, a tubing anchoring position, a tubing catching position and a run out position relative by axial movement upwardly or downwardly of the mandrel through the slip cage. It is to be understood that other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all within the present invention. Furthermore, the various embodiments described may be combined, mutatis mutandis, with other embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to the drawings, several aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in detail in the figures, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side, isometric view of a tubing anchor catcher. FIG. 2a (i) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 1 in a run in position (Pos 1) in a wellbore; FIG. 2a (ii) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 2a (i) in a tension anchoring position (Pos 2) in a wellbore; FIG. 2a (iii) is a side elevation view of the mandrel of the tubing anchor catcher of FIGS. 2a (i) and 2a (ii) showing the direction of mandrel movement required to move the tubing anchor catcher from Pos 1 to Pos 2 and the path through which the control pin of the outer slip cage moves through the control slots on the mandrel; FIG. 2b (i) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 1 in a wellbore, the tubing anchor catcher is in an anchoring, tensioning position (Pos 2), which is the same as FIG. 2a (ii); FIG. 2b (ii) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 2b (i) in an anchor catching position (Pos 3) in a wellbore; FIG. 2b (iii) is a side elevation view of the mandrel of the tubing anchor catcher of FIGS. 2b (i) and 2b (ii) showing the direction of mandrel movement and the path for moving the tubing anchor catcher from Pos 2 to Pos 3; FIG. 2c (i) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 1 in a transitional position near to Pos 3, but where the upper slips are not yet expanded; FIG. 2c (ii) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 2c (i) in a run out position (Pos 4) in a wellbore; FIG. 2c (iii) is a side elevation view of the mandrel of the tubing anchor catcher of FIGS. 2c (i) and 2c (ii) showing the direction of mandrel movement for moving the tubing anchor catcher from Pos 3 to Pos 4 and the path through which the control pin moves through the control slots during this movement; FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 1 in a run in position (Pos 1); FIG. 4 is a side, isometric view of another tubing anchor catcher; FIG. 5a (i) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 4 in a run in position (Pos 1A); FIG. 5a (ii) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 5a (ii) in a tension anchor/rotation position (Pos 2A) in a wellbore; FIG. 5a (iii) is a side elevation view of the mandrel of the tubing anchor catcher of FIGS. 5a (ii) and 5a (ii) showing the direction of mandrel movement required to move the tubing anchor catcher from Pos 1A to Pos 2A and the path through which the control pin of the outer slip cage moves by the indicated movement through the control slots of the mandrel; FIG. 5b (i) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher in a wellbore in a tension anchor/rotation position (Pos 2A), which is the same as FIG. 5a (ii); FIG. 5b (ii) is a side elevation view of the tubing anchor catcher of FIG. 5b (i) in an anchor catching position (Pos 3A) in a wellbore;