Sliding sleeve having deformable ball seat

摘要

A sliding sleeve opens with a deployed ball. The sleeve has a seat disposed in the housing, and the seat has segments biased outward from one another with a C-ring or other biasing element. Initially, the seat has an expanded state in the sliding sleeve so that the seats segments expand outward against the housing's bore. When an appropriately sized ball is deployed downhole, the ball engages the expanded seat. Fluid pressure applied against the seated ball moves the seat into the inner sleeve's bore. As this occurs, the seat contracts, which increases the engagement area of the seat with the ball. Eventually, the seat reaches the shoulder in the inner sleeve so that pressure applied against the seated ball now moves the inner sleeve in the housing to open the sliding sleeve's flow port.

主权项

1. A sliding sleeve opening with a deployed plug, the sleeve comprising:
a housing defining a first bore and defining a flow port communicating the first bore outside the housing; an inner sleeve defining a second bore and being movable axially from a closed position to an opened position inside the first bore relative to the flow port, the second bore having a shoulder disposed therein; a movable ring disposed in a first axial position in the second bore; and a deformable ring disposed in the second bore between the shoulder and the movable ring, the movable ring engaging the deployed plug and moving the inner sleeve open with the deployed plug in response to initial fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug, the movable ring moving axially in the inner sleeve with the deployed plug toward a second axial position adjacent the shoulder in response to subsequent fluid pressure applied against the engaged plug, the deformable ring deforming in response to the movement of the movable ring toward the shoulder and engaging the deployed plug when deformed.