[0001] 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 modem 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.

SUMMARY

[0002] 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. 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.

[0003] 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.

[0004] 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.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the arrangement as disclosed herein.

[0007] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of the arrangement as disclosed herein.

[0008] Figure 3 is a schematic view of one ball pattern in a lock housing.

[0009] Figure 4 is a schematic view of another ball pattern in a lock housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Referring to Figure 1, a first embodiment of the locking arrangement to store setting forces 10 imparted by a setting force initiator be it mechanical, hydraulic, hydrostatic, electrical, etc. is illustrated. In this embodiment, a housing 12 may be a dedicated housing or simply a component of another tool that is fortuitously located to engage a wicker thread or other incremental setting force holding configuration 13. In Figure 1 a thread 14 is illustrated by way of example. In some embodiments the thread has a helix angle and in other embodiments the thread presents merely as ratchet teeth. This should be appreciated from Figures 1 and 2, which while both do exhibit helix angles, each could simply be shifted such that the thread exists in individual rings rather than one helically extending thread.

[0011] 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 figure 1 substantially orthogonally positioned relative to a longitudinal axis of the locking arrangement. In such configuration, some but not all of the balls will engage the thread 14 either due to the action of a biasing member such as a resilient member 20 which may be for example an elastomeric or metallic spring that is compressed by the ball as a thread tip 22 of the thread 14 passes the ball, thereby forcing the ball 18 to move radially outwardly, or simply due to gravity (where the arrangement 10 is employed in a horizontal or deviated wellbore). Some of the balls, it will be appreciated will end up aligned with the thread tip 22 and therefore not engage a thread flank 24. Balls 18 that are aligned with thread tips 22 will provide little locking capability other than a small amount of friction. Balls that drop into (via gravity), or are otherwise urged into thread troughs 26 to at least some degree, provide substantial force locking capability. This is because at the contact site, in order for the thread 14 to move axially the ball would have to move back into the housing 12. Since the thread flank intended to limit movement of the thread 14 when in contact with a ball is by design, insufficient to act as a ramp for the ball 18 to ride up, the ball acts as a solid structural member against the specified axial movement. In order to ensure that the ball or balls do not climb the flank 24 thereby receding into the respective receptacle 16, the flank 24 should have a half angle of about 20 degrees or less, including negative angles. It is further to be noted that because the thread 14 itself has a different position relative to the housing 12 depending upon where one views the thread, and the balls are fixed in position longitudinally relative to the housing, it is assured that at least one and likely at least some of the balls will drop into a trough 26 in a position that will effectively remove or at least substantially reduce potential backlash in the system. This is important in precision set devices such as metal seals for example because backlash is associated with reduced setting force and reduced setting force is directly related to reduced pressure holding capability. Reduced pressure holding capability is of course undesirable.

[0012] Referring to Figure 2, it will be apparent that the general concept discussed with respect to figure 1 is maintained but with a finer thread and more balls. All of the alternates noted above apply equally to figure 2.

[0013] 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 Figure 3, such reduction is indeed achieved. In Figure 3, the balls 18 do indeed have the same helix angle as a thread to be engaged therewith but the balls 18 are offset one from the next such that balls 1,3,5,7 etc. will form one helix while balls 2,4,6,8, etc. will form another helix. Both sets of balls use the same angle but due to the offset, backlash is at least minimized and in some cases eliminated. Backlash is eliminated because the configuration provides double flank contact at each thread rum. Frictional factors are tolerable because of the relatively small contact patch made between the balls and the thread and because the balls are capable of rotating movement within their individual recesses 16. [0014] In yet another embodiment, referring to figure 4, a pattern of balls 18 that is wholly unrelated to the thread 14 of the other incremental setting force holding configuration 13. The configuration still achieves the desired result of elimination of or reduction of backlash because of the plurality of balls, some of them will move into the thread trough 24 of the member 13 and therefore will hold the setting force at the maximal position achieved by the original setting force imparter (not shown).

[0015] 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.