Interventionless Packer Setting Tool

Abstract

A packer setting mechanism has a series of fingers with tabs protruding into the mandrel bore. An object such as a plug is landed on the protruding tabs and pressure is applied. The fingers extend from a ring whose movement triggers the packer to set by driving out slips on cones and compressing a sealing element. When the packer set, tensile stress builds in the fingers and a reduced dimension location on the fingers just above the tabs pulls apart. The plug drives the fingers outwardly by pushing them along a ramp against an opposing spring force. The plug clears the tabs as the tabs are driven outwardly on respective ramps such that the tabs are precluded to enter the bore as the plug clears. The drift dimension in the mandrel is preserved when the plug clears.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A subterranean compression set packer setting assembly for a packer comprising a sealing element and at least one slip, comprising:
 a mandrel having a passage therethrough, said passage having a drift dimension, said mandrel comprising ends for attachment to a tubular string;   a setting sleeve on said mandrel and extending at least in part through at least one wall opening in said mandrel to present at least one movable support in said passage;   said setting sleeve movable with pressure applied to an object passing through said drift dimension and landed on said support in said passage to set said seal and slip.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said support movable in said passage to retract from a central axis of said passage to beyond said drift dimension.   
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said object displaces said support axially.   
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said object displaces said support radially.   
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said at least one support comprises a plurality of supports each extending through a respective said opening.   
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein:
 said supports are circumferentially spaced.   
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said setting sleeve comprises a plurality of axially extending fingers at least some of which further comprise a said support adjacent an end thereof   
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 said supports separating from said associated fingers to create segments on rising tensile stress in said associated fingers resulting from force transfer from said object to said supports when further movement of said sleeve is impeded by setting the slip and seal of the packer.   
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 said fingers mounted outside said mandrel with said supports extending through respective said openings, said supports further comprise opposed wings to limit travel of said support toward a center of said passage.   
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 9 , wherein:
 said mandrel comprises at least one ramp to engage at least one of said wings to retract said supports outside said drift dimension.   
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 said fingers comprising a feature to concentrate tensile stress to define a separation location for said segments.   
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said concentrating tensile stress feature comprises at least one of a score, openings, reduced dimension and slots.   
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said segments are radially biased toward an axis of said passage.   
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said bias comprises a band spring.   
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said object pushes said segments on a ramp to retract said segments to allow said object to pass;   said radial bias on said segments biasing said segments toward the axis of said passage after said segments clear said ramp such that said segments are positioned outside said drift dimension.   
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 15 , wherein:
 said ramp configured to preclude return movement of said segments after initial movement over said ramp.   
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said object does not seal pressure when landed on said support.   
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 7 , wherein:
 said fingers extend from a base ring whose movement sets the seal and slip of the packer.   
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 15 , wherein:
 said fingers mounted outside said mandrel with said supports extending through respective said openings, said supports further comprise opposed wings to limit travel of said support toward a center of said passage.