Retractable Collet Assembly for Liner String Installation in a Wellbore

Abstract

A collet assembly for installing a liner string having a profile in a wellbore. The collet assembly has a generally cylindrical collet collar with a plurality of collet fingers extending therefrom each having a collet head on a distal end thereof. In a first position, the collet fingers are in a radially outwardly flexed state such that the collet finger extend substantially parallel with the central axis of the collet collar. In a second position, the collet fingers are in a radially relaxed state such that the collet fingers extend from the collet collar to the collet heads at an angle toward the central axis of the collet collar.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A collet assembly for releasably engaging a profile of a downhole tubular, the collet assembly comprising:
 a generally cylindrical collet collar having a central axis; and   a plurality of collet fingers extending from the collet collar each having a collet head on a distal end thereof; and   wherein, in a first configuration, the collet fingers are in a radially outwardly flexed state such that the collet finger extend substantially parallel with the central axis of the collet collar; and   wherein, in a second configuration, the collet fingers are in a radially relaxed state such that the collet fingers extend from the collet collar to the collet heads at an angle toward the central axis of the collet collar.   
     
     
         2 . The collet assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein the collet fingers are angled between about 2 degrees and about 6 degrees toward the central axis of the collet collar when the collet fingers are in the radially relaxed state. 
     
     
         3 . The collet assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein the collet fingers are angled at least 3 degrees toward the central axis of the collet collar when the collet fingers are in the radially relaxed state. 
     
     
         4 . The collet assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein the collet fingers are operable to be radially inwardly