BALL VALVE AND REMOTELY RELEASABLE CONNECTOR FOR DRILL STRING

摘要

A connector has an upper end for connection into the upper part of a drill string. The connector has an outer member that slides over an inner member, the outer member and the inner member having a locked position and an unlocked position. A latch assembly in the connector places the inner member and the outer member in the unlocked position in response to hydraulic fluid pressure applied to the connector. A ball valve assembly has an upper portion for connection with a lower end of the connector and a lower portion for connection into a lower part of the drill string. A ball valve element actuator in the ball valve assembly rotates a ball valve element to the closed position in response to the upper portion of the ball valve assembly moving downward relative to the lower portion of the ball valve assembly.

主权项

1. An apparatus for mounting between an upper string and a lower string of drill pipe to retrieve the upper string after an anchor in the lower string has been set and to block any upward flow of fluid through the lower string after the upper string has been retrieved, comprising:
a connector having a threaded upper end for connection into the upper string, the connector having an outer member that slides over an inner member, the outer member and the inner member having a locked position that transfers tension through the connector to enable the upper and lower strings to be run into the well, the outer member and the inner member having an unlocked position that allows the outer member and the inner member to be released from each other to retrieve the upper string from the lower string after the anchor has been set; a latch assembly in the connector that places the inner member and the outer member in the unlocked position in response to hydraulic fluid pressure applied to the connector; a ball valve assembly having an upper portion with a threaded upper end for connection with a lower end of the connector and a lower portion with a threaded lower end for connection with the lower string; a ball valve element in the ball valve assembly having an open position allowing fluid flow through the lower string and a closed position blocking flow through the lower string; and a ball valve element actuator in the ball valve assembly that rotates the ball valve to the closed position in response in response to the upper portion of the ball valve assembly moving downward relative to the lower portion of the ball valve assembly and rotates the ball valve to the open position in response to the upper portion of the ball valve assembly moving upward relative to the lower portion of the ball valve assembly.