Contractable and expandable tubular wellbore system

• US 7,152,673 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shell USA Incorporated (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Lohbeck, Wilhelmus Christianus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): GAY, JENNIFER HAWKINS
• Application Number:
  US10/491,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20050000686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 166/277, 166/207, 166/242.2, 138/115, 138/118, 138/118.1
• US Class Current: 166/207
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 29/00 Cutting or destroying pipes, packers, plugs or wire lines, located in boreholes or wells, e.g. cutting of damaged pipes, of windows; Deforming of pipes in boreholes or wells; Reconditioning of well casings while in the ground
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/103 of expandable casings, screens, liners, or the like

Abstract

A tubular system arranged in a wellbore, having an outer tube extending into the wellbore and a wall with at least one section of reduced bending stiffness, each section defining a hinge allowing the outer tube to move between a collapsed mode and an expanded mode. An inner tube extends into the outer tube and has a wall with at least one section of reduced bending stiffness, each section defining a hinge allowing the inner tube to move between a collapsed mode and an expanded mode. With the tubes in their respective expanded modes, the inner tube supports the outer tube and is oriented in the outer tube such that each hinge of the inner tube is circumferentially displaced from each hinge of the outer tube.

Claims

1. A tubular system arranged in a wellbore, comprising:

an outer tube extending into the wellbore and having a wall with at least one section of reduced bending stiffness, each section of reduced bending stiffness defining a hinge allowing the outer tube to move between a collapsed mode in which the outer tube has a relatively small cross-sectional size and an expanded mode in which the outer tube has a relatively large cross-sectional size;

an inner tube extending into the outer tube and having a wall with at least one section of reduced bending stiffness, each section of reduced bending stiffness defining a hinge allowing the inner tube to move between a collapsed mode in which the inner tube has a relatively small cross-sectional size and an expanded mode in which the inner tube has a relatively large cross-sectional size;

wherein, when said tubes are in their respective expanded modes, the inner tube supports the outer tube and is oriented in the outer tube such that each hinge of the inner tube is circumferentially displaced from each hinge of the outer tube.

2. The tubular system of claim 1, wherein the tubular system forms a wellbore casing arranged to support the wellbore wall.

3. The tubular system of claim 1, wherein each said tube has at least three said hinges.

4. The tubular system of claim 3, wherein the tube has at least four said hinges.

5. The tubular system of claim 1, wherein each hinge extends in substantially longitudinal direction of the respective tube.

6. The tubular system of claims 1, wherein, when said tubes are in their respective expanded modes, the inner tube is expanded against the outer tube.

7. The tubular system of claims 1, wherein, when said tubes are in their respective expanded modes, the outer tube is expanded against the wellbore wall.