US Patent 11156049 Well abandonment

Method and apparatus for removing a section of well tubing. The well tubing (24) is milled in an upward direction on a hydraulic tensioning device (14) which maintains a constant load on the section mill so that long sections of tubing can be removed in a near continuous procedure on a single trip into the well. The hydraulic device includes an indicator (30) to provide a signal as the device nears each end of a stroke to inform a user that: the section mill is about to bottom out and the work string needs to be raised to extend the device; and the device is fully extended and can begin another stroke. Embodiments are described for use in a rigless well abandonment procedure.