LOCKING ARRANGEMENT TO STORE SETTING FORCES
A locking arrangement to store setting forces including a housing, one or more recesses in the housing, one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses, and an incremental setting force holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members. A backlash reduction arrangement including a housing, one or more recesses in the housing, one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses, and an incremental holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members. The one or more jam members positioned within the housing to assure that at least one of the jam members will engage the incremental holding configuration with substantially no backlash. A method for setting a downhole tool.
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In the hydrocarbon recovery industry there are many tools that are actuated remotely by mechanical force, hydraulic force, hydrostatic force, etc. Each of these forces function well for the intended purpose of actuation. In situations where the force is to be removed from the tool actuated thereby, and the tool intended to remain actuated, various arrangements have been used to retain or lock the actuation force into the tool actuated. One prior art device commonly used is a body lock ring. One of ordinary skill in the art will be very familiar with body lock rings as they are oft used in the industry. While the rings work reliably and simply and are therefore ubiquitous, more modern actuations can sometimes require greater precision in actuation force retention. Precision in the actuation force retaining characteristics of a body lock ring can be improved by utilizing a finer thread but load carrying capacity is proportionally reduced as the thread size diminishes. Higher load applications are consequently limited to retention with less precision. In view of the constant desire for increased precision in all arts, including the hydrocarbon recovery art, a force retention arrangement having greater precision while also providing significant load capacity would be well received by the art.
SUMMARYA locking arrangement to store setting forces including a housing, one or more recesses in the housing, one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses, and an incremental setting force holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members. The one or more jam members positioned within the housing to assure that at least one of the jam members will engage the incremental setting force holding configuration with substantially no backlash.
A backlash reduction arrangement including a housing, one or more recesses in the housing, one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses, and an incremental holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members. The one or more jam members positioned within the housing to assure that at least one of the jam members will engage the incremental holding configuration with substantially no backlash.
A method for setting a downhole tool including urging an incremental setting force holding configuration to move relative to a housing with a setting force initiator. The housing having one or more jam members disposed thereat and in operable communication with the holding configuration, engaging at least one of the one or more jam members with the holding configuration, releasing the setting force initiator, and maintaining the setting force on the downhole tool with the holding configuration engaged with the one or more jam members of the housing.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:
Referring to
The housing 12 includes one or more receptacles 16 therein that are each sized to operably communicate with a jam member 18. In the Figure, the jam member 18 is illustrated as a ball but it is to be understood that this is exemplary only and that other configurations of jam member 18 are substitutable therefore. For example, the jam member 18 could be configured as a rod with an ogive to interact with the thread 14. What is required is a configuration that will allow the passage of the thread in one direction whether that passage be axial (requiring momentary retraction of the jam member(s) 18) or rotational on the part of the thread, and then an inhibition of axial movement of the thread in a direction opposite the force setting direction. Focusing upon the configuration of a ball as illustrated for purposes of discussion of the operation of the Locking Arrangement disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that four balls 18 are illustrated in
Referring to
In another embodiment of the arrangement 10, the balls 18 are positioned along a helix angle themselves. The angle may be the same as that of the thread 14 or may be somewhat different than the angle of the thread 14. For purposes of clarity we will assume that the helix angle of the balls 18 is the same as that of the thread. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having been exposed to the foregoing that with the balls arranged in such condition is unlikely to yield any reduction in backlash. This is true but with the balls positioned as illustrated in
In yet another embodiment, referring to
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.
Claims
1. A locking arrangement to store setting forces comprising:
- a housing;
- one or more recesses in the housing;
- one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses;
- an incremental setting force holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members, the one or more jam members positioned within the housing to assure that at least one of the jam members will engage the incremental setting force holding configuration with substantially no backlash.
2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are balls.
3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are configured as a rod and an ogive.
4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more recesses include a biasing member to urge the jam member out of the recess and into operable communication with the incremental setting force holding configuration.
5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the biasing member is a resilient member.
6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the biasing member is a spring.
7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the incremental setting force holding configuration is a threaded member.
8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the incremental setting force holding configuration is a ratcheting member.
9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the incremental setting force holding configuration includes a thread having a flank half angle on a flank opposing the direction of setting force of about 20 degrees or less, including negative angles.
10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are arranged orthogonally about the housing.
11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are arranged helically about the housing.
12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11 wherein the one or more jam members arranged helically are offset from a common helix angle among them.
13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 12 wherein the offset is effected with one of the one or more jam members to one side of the common helix angle and the next jam member of he one or more jam members is offset to an opposite side of the common helix angle.
14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are arranged in a regular pattern about the housing.
15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more jam members are arranged in an irregular pattern about the housing.
16. A backlash reduction arrangement comprising:
- a housing;
- one or more recesses in the housing;
- one or more jam members in operable communication with one or more of the recesses;
- an incremental holding configuration receivable at the housing and placable in operable communication with one or more of the one or more jam members, the one or more jam members positioned within the housing to assure that at least one of the jam members will engage the incremental holding configuration with substantially no backlash.
17. A method for setting a downhole tool comprising:
- urging an incremental setting force holding configuration to move relative to a housing with a setting force initiator, the housing having one or more jam members disposed thereat and in operable communication with the holding configuration;
- engaging at least one of the one or more jam members with the holding configuration;
- releasing the setting force initiator
- maintaining the setting force on the downhole tool with the holding configuration engaged with the one or more jam members of the housing.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the engaging is by gravity.
19. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the engaging is by biasing member.
20. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the maintaining is without backlash.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 11, 2008
Publication Date: Jan 14, 2010
Applicant: BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED (HOUSTON, TX)
Inventor: Michael H. Johnson (Katy, TX)
Application Number: 12/171,435
International Classification: E21B 23/00 (20060101); E21B 21/02 (20060101);