Swelling delay cover for a packer
First Claim
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1. A downhole swelling packer, comprising:
- a mandrel supporting a swelling element;
a film cover over said swelling element to delay swelling of said swelling element as it is run downhole;
a resin and hardener combination layer mounted to said swelling element, either below or outside of said film cover;
said combination layer degrades at a different temperature than said film cover;
said film cover and combination layer are undermined by well fluids to allow well fluid to reach the swelling element to make said swelling element swell to seal downhole without applied longitudinal compression or longitudinal restraint.
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Abstract
A swelling packer is covered with a material that is preferably in a tubular form and slipped over the swelling element to be shrink fit with applied heat. The material is formulated to break down at temperatures slightly below the expected downhole temperatures so that ideally the packer has about 48 hours of swelling delay which is normally a time period long enough to allow it to be properly located without it swelling so much as to cause it to be damaged by running in. Various polymers can be used to make an imperious covering for run in that on the way starts to break down. Ideally the material for the cover disappears about the time of sealing or shortly thereafter.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A downhole swelling packer, comprising:
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a mandrel supporting a swelling element; a film cover over said swelling element to delay swelling of said swelling element as it is run downhole; a resin and hardener combination layer mounted to said swelling element, either below or outside of said film cover; said combination layer degrades at a different temperature than said film cover; said film cover and combination layer are undermined by well fluids to allow well fluid to reach the swelling element to make said swelling element swell to seal downhole without applied longitudinal compression or longitudinal restraint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification