Granted Patent B2

US 12,385,329 · App. 18/571,307 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Inventors: Leping Yu (Pearland, TX); Weichen Lai (Pearland, TX); Akhil Bahl (Richmond, TX); Jie Zhang (Pearland, TX)

Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation

E21B17/07E21B17/023E21B17/043E21B23/00E21B17/04

Abstract

Claims (51)

1. A contraction joint, comprising:

an upper tubular member;

a mandrel comprising: an upper mandrel comprising a recess; and a lower mandrel,

wherein the upper tubular member is capable of moving uphole and downhole to change a length of the contraction joint;

a nipple housing connected to the upper tubular member;

a support sleeve disposed around the upper mandrel;

an activation dog disposed within the support sleeve, the activation dog comprising an activation profile;

a lock housing disposed in an annular space between the nipple housing and the mandrel, the lock housing connecting the upper mandrel to the lower mandrel; and

a stroke locking mechanism disposed within the lock housing, the stroke locking mechanism comprising a stroke locking mechanism profile that engages the nipple housing,

wherein, in a locked position, the lock housing is affixed to the support sleeve with a shear mechanism, the stroke locking mechanism is supported by the support sleeve, and the stroke locking mechanism profile and the activation profile prevent the nipple housing from moving.

2. The contraction joint of claim 1 ,

wherein application of tension through the upper tubular member shears the shear mechanism and shifts the support sleeve and the activation dog uphole, causing the activation dog to drop into the recess of the upper mandrel, and the stroke locking mechanism to drop from the support sleeve into an unlocked position,

wherein application of a compression force to the upper tubular member pushes the upper tubular member and the nipple housing downhole to achieve contraction functionality of the contraction joint.

3. The contraction joint of claim 1 , further comprising an anti-rotation mechanism disposed in the nipple housing and affixed to the lower mandrel.

4. The contraction joint of claim 1 , further comprising at least one cable coiled around at least a portion of the lower mandrel.

5. The contraction joint of claim 4 , further comprising a cable shroud disposed around the lower mandrel to protect the at least one cable.

6. The contraction joint of claim 1 , further comprising an end cap disposed at an upper end of the upper mandrel.

7. The contraction joint of claim 1 , further comprising a tension shoulder disposed between an end of the lock housing and a stop of the lower mandrel.

8. The contraction joint of claim 1 , further comprising a collet disposed in the annular space between the nipple housing and the lock housing.

9. A system, comprising:

an upper completion;

a lower completion; and

the contraction joint of claim 1 , wherein the contraction joint further comprises: a top sub connected to the upper tubular member; and a bottom sub connected to the lower mandrel,

wherein the upper completion is connected to the top sub, and

wherein the lower completion is connected to the bottom sub.

10. A method, comprising:

running a well completion comprising the contraction joint of claim 1 to a downhole location,

wherein the stroke locking mechanism of the contraction joint is in the locked position during the running step;

applying tension through the upper tubular member,

shearing the shear mechanism;

shifting the support sleeve and the activation dog uphole, causing the activation dog to drop into the recess of the upper mandrel, and the stroke locking mechanism to drop from the support sleeve into an unlocked position,

applying a compression force to the upper tubular member to push the upper tubular member and the nipple housing downhole to achieve contraction functionality of the contraction joint.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

initiating a production operation after the applying the compression force step,

wherein, during the production operation, production fluid flows uphole through the mandrel and into a bore of the upper tubular member to a surface location.

12. The method of claim 10 , the contraction joint further comprising an anti-rotation mechanism.

13. The method of claim 10 , the contraction joint further comprising at least one cable coiled around at least a portion of the lower mandrel.

14. The method of claim 13 , the contraction joint further comprising a cable shroud disposed around the lower mandrel to protect the at least one cable.

15. The method of claim 10 , the contraction joint further comprising an end cap disposed at an upper end of the upper mandrel.

16. The method of claim 10 , the contraction joint further comprising a tension shoulder disposed between an end of the lock housing and a stop of the lower mandrel.

17. The method of claim 10 , the contraction joint further comprising a collet disposed in the annular space between the nipple housing and the lock housing.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

resetting the contraction joint by:

applying tension through the upper tubular member and the nipple housing to achieve a locked position through the collet; and

applying compression to the upper tubular member to move a profile of the nipple housing to a lower side of the collet to initiate a stroking motion.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising repeating the resetting step.

20. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein the well completion further comprises: an upper completion; and a lower completion,

wherein the contraction joint further comprises: a top sub connected to the upper tubular member; and a bottom sub connected to the lower mandrel,

wherein the upper completion is connected to the top sub, and

wherein the lower completion is connected to the bottom sub.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (30)