Run and retrieval wear bushing and tool
View Patent ↗A wear bushing has a lower portion that is landed on a casing hanger in a wellhead housing. The wear bushing is mounted to the running tool, which is joined to a drill string. With running-in keys locked on the tool, the wear bushing is lowered down the well into the wellhead housing. The wear bushing is landed on the casing hanger and anti-rotation pins are pressed upward as they contact a seal assembly. The wear bushing is rotated until the anti-rotation pins align and fall into slots. With the anti-rotation pins in the slots, the running tool is released from the wear bushing by opposite rotation, and the running tool may then be run deeper into the well. The wear bushing is extracted using a retrieval tool. The retrieval tool is axially positioned relative to the wear bushing such that tool retrieval teeth engage a wear bushing retrieval ring so that the wear bushing can be extracted from the casing hanger.
1. A downhole assembly for a well, comprising in combination:
a wellhead housing having an axial bore with an upward facing shoulder;
a wear bushing including a tubular member having an axial bore with an internal recess;
a plurality of radially movable running-in keys mounted in the wear bushing, the running-in keys being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
a tool having threaded upper and lower ends for securing into a drill string;
a plurality of support ridges on the tool, the support ridges being spaced circumferentially apart from each other; wherein
the wear bushing is secured to the tool by rotating the tool and wear bushing relative to each other as necessary to align the support ridges with the keys, enabling the tool to support the wear bushing until the wear bushing lands on the shoulder, and wherein
the wear bushing is released from the tool by rotating the tool relative to the wear bushing to disengage the support ridges from the keys, enabling the drill string to be lowered further into the well.
2. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool further comprises a plurality of axially extending channels located between the support ridges.
3. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the tool has a set of retrieval teeth; and
the wear bushing includes a set of retrieval teeth for engaging the retrieval teeth of the tool to retrieve the wear bushing.
4. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool includes retrieval teeth for engaging retrieval teeth of a retrieval ring of the wear bushing, whereby the retrieval teeth of the tool will ratchet over the retrieval ring when the tool is moved downward relative to the wear bushing and will engage the retrieval ring when the tool is moved upward relative to the wear bushing.
5. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a separate retrieval tool having retrieval teeth, and wherein the wear bushing includes a set of retrieval teeth for engaging the retrieval teeth of the separate retrieval tool.
6. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the running-in keys include a horizontal slot; and
the support ridge is sized to fit in the slot of the keys.
7. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool further includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart recesses sized to accept the keys.
8. The downhole assembly of claim 7 , wherein:
each of the keys includes an axially extending chamfer; and
each of the recesses includes a lateral edge having a bevel for mating with the chamfer, the chamfer and bevel allowing the tool to be rotated to slide the keys out of the recesses when releasing the tool.
9. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the tool includes a plurality of blades, and
at least two of the plurality of blades include the support ridge.
10. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the tool further includes a plurality of blades, a plurality of axially extending channels located between the blades, support ridges on at least two of the plurality of blades, and grooves on the blade above the support ridges forming retrieval teeth; and
the wear bushing includes a retrieval ring having retrieval teeth for engaging the retrieval teeth of the tool, whereby the only profile that will engage the ring is that of the tool retrieval teeth.
11. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a casing hanger landed in the wellhead housing, the upward facing shoulder being on the casing hanger;
a seal assembly between the wellhead housing and the casing hanger landed therein; and
a spring-biased anti-rotation pin on the wear bushing for engaging the seal assembly in the wellhead housing and preventing rotation of the wear bushing relative to the casing hanger.
12. The downhole assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the wear bushing includes a retrieval ring having retrieval teeth for engaging retrieval teeth of a tool; and
the tool is free of any profile to engage the retrieval ring.
13. A downhole assembly for a well, comprising in combination:
a wellhead housing having an axial bore with an upward facing shoulder;
a wear bushing including a tubular member having an axial bore with an internal recess;
a plurality of radially movable running-in keys mounted in the wear bushing, the running-in keys being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
a retrieval ring having retrieval teeth mounted in the wear bushing, the retrieval ring being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
a first tool having threaded upper and lower ends for securing into a drill string;
a plurality of support ridges on the first tool, the support ridges being spaced circumferentially apart from each other to engage the keys; wherein
the wear bushing is adapted to be released from the first tool by rotating the first tool relative to the wear bushing to disengage the support ridges from the keys, enabling the drill string to be lowered further into the well;
the first tool being free of any profile that mates with the retrieval ring, enabling the first tool to be pulled upward through the wear bushing without retrieving the wear bushing;
a second tool having threaded upper and lower ends for securing into a drill string in lieu of the first tool; and
a plurality of grooves on the second tool forming retrieval teeth for engaging the retrieval ring, as the second tool is pulled upward through the wear bushing.
14. The downhole assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first tool further comprises a plurality of axially extending channels located between the support ridges.
15. The downhole assembly of claim 13 , whereby the second tool retrieval teeth will ratchet over the retrieval ring when moved downward relative to the wear bushing and will engage the retrieval ring when moved upward relative to the wear bushing.
16. The downhole assembly of claim 13 , wherein:
each of the running-in keys include a horizontal slot; and
the support ridge is sized to fit in the slots of the keys.
17. The downhole assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first tool further includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart recesses sized to accept the keys.
18. The downhole assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second tool is free of any profile to engage the keys.
19. A downhole assembly for a well, comprising in combination:
a wellhead housing having an axial bore with an upward facing shoulder;
a wear bushing including a tubular member having an axial bore with an internal recess;
a plurality of radially movable running-in keys mounted in the wear bushing, the running-in keys being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
a retrieval ring having retrieval teeth mounted in the wear bushing, the retrieval ring being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
a tool having threaded upper and lower ends for securing into a drill string;
a plurality of support ridges on the tool, the support ridges being spaced circumferentially apart from each other for engaging the keys, enabling the tool to support the wear bushing until the wear bushing lands on the shoulder, and wherein
the wear bushing is adapted to be released from the tool by rotating the tool relative to the wear bushing to disengage the support ridges from the keys, enabling the drill string to be lowered further into the well; and
a plurality of grooves on the tool forming retrieval teeth for mating with the retrieval ring as the tool is pulled upward through the wear bushing, enabling the wear bushing to be retrieved.
20. A method of implementing a wear bushing in a wellhead housing having an axial bore with an upward facing shoulder, comprising the steps of:
(a) mounting a plurality of radially movable running-in keys to the wear bushing, the running-in keys being movably biased to protrude into the axial bore;
(b) providing a tool having a plurality of support ridges, the support ridges being spaced circumferentially apart from each other;
(c) securing the wear bushing to the tool by rotating the tool and wear bushing relative to each other as necessary to align the support ridges with the keys;
(d) connecting the tool into a drill string, lowering the tool and the wear bushing into the wellhead, and landing the wear bushing on the shoulder; and then
(e) rotating the tool relative to the wear bushing to disengage the support ridges from the keys, and lowering the drill string further into the well and performing drilling operations with the drill string.
21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising after step (e), pulling the tool upward through the wear bushing without retrieving the wear bushing.
22. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
mounting retrieval teeth to the wear bushing;
providing the tool with retrieval teeth; and
after step (e), pulling the tooth upward and engaging the retrieval teeth of the tool with the retrieval teeth of the retrieval ring and retrieving the wear bushing.
23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising this step of:
mounting retrieval teeth to the wear bushing;
providing a separate retrieval tool having retrieval teeth;
after step (e), retrieving the first mentioned tool without retrieving the wear bushing;
subsequently mounting the retrieval tool into the drill string and lowering the retrieval tool through the wear bushing and performing drilling operations with the drill string; and then,
retrieving the drill string and while pulling the retrieval tool upward with the drill string, engaging the retrieval teeth of the retrieval tool with the retrieval teeth of the wear bushing and retrieving the wear bushing.