EXPANDABLE PACKER

• US 20090205843A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Ring, Lev, Gandikota, Varadaraju
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/387
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/06 for setting packers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1208 characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means E21B33/1277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/127 with inflatable sleeve E21B33/122, E21B33/124 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/128 with a member expanded radially by axial pressure E21B33/122, E21B33/124 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/103 of expandable casings, screens, liners, or the like

Abstract

Methods and apparatus include tubing expanded to create a seal in an annulus surrounding the tubing. The tubing includes a sealing material selected to cause forming of undulations in a diameter of the tubing upon expansion of the tubing. Various factors of the sealing material such as deviations in its thickness influence sealing performance of the tubing with the sealing material.

Claims

1. A method of expanding a packer assembly, comprising:

providing a tubing with a sealing element disposed on an outside surface thereof, wherein the sealing element defines thick bands alternating with thin bands that protrude from the outside surface less than the thick bands; and

expanding the tubing such that relatively greater expansion occurs at where the thin bands are located compared to where the thick bands are located.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting topography of the sealing element to achieve a desired sealing pressure performance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing amplitude of an undulation caused by the relatively greater expansion based on selection of distance between the thick bands.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing amplitude of an undulation caused by the relatively greater expansion based on selection of a thickness ratio between the thick and thin bands.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the expanding occurs by using an inflatable expander inside the tubing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the expanding occurs by hydroforming the tubing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising locating an expansion tool in the tubing, the expansion tool having a plurality of elastomeric sections separated by spacer bands.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the expansion tool is located in the tubing such that elastomeric sections are positioned adjacent the thin bands and the spacer bands are positioned adjacent the thick bands.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of elastomeric sections define a tapered profile.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying marked locations along the tubing with a locator, wherein expanding occurs sequentially at the locations identified by the locator coupled to an expander.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the location includes mating a dog of the locator within profiles along the tubing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding the tubing embeds a grit disposed in at least one of the thin bands into casing.

13. A method of expanding a packer assembly, comprising:

running tubing with a sealing element disposed on an outside surface thereof into a wellbore;

placing the sealing element into engagement with a surrounding surface; and

creating undulations in a diameter of the tubing based on alternating first and second properties of the sealing element along a length of the tubing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first property of the sealing element is protrusion of the sealing element from the tubing a first distance and the second property of the sealing element is protrusion of the sealing element from the tubing a second distance different from the first distance.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising locating an expansion tool in the tubing, the expansion tool having at least two elastomeric sections separated by a band.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the expansion tool is located in the tubing such that elastomeric sections are positioned adjacent the protrusion of the sealing element relating to the first property and the band is positioned adjacent the protrusion of the sealing element relating to the second property.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the sealing element is disposed on an outside of the tubing at two of the undulations and is continuous between the two of the undulations.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing an elastomeric material of the sealing element to swell.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second properties of the sealing element relate to differences in hardness of the sealing element.

20. An expandable packer assembly, comprising:

a tubing having unexpanded and expanded positions; and

a sealing element disposed on an outside of the tubing and defining thick bands alternating along a length of the tubing with thin bands that protrude from the outside of the tubing less than the thick bands, wherein an inner diameter of the tubing along the length is uniform in the unexpanded position and undulations in the inner diameter are at the thin bands in the expanded position.

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the thick bands protrude from the outside of the tubing in the unexpanded position at least twice as far as the thin bands.

22. An expandable packer assembly, comprising:

a tubing having an unexpanded position and an expanded position; and

a metal sealing element formed on the tubular which defines thick bands alternating along a length of the tubing with thin bands that protrude along the tubing less than the thick bands, wherein a diameter of the tubing along the length is uniform in the unexpanded position and undulations in the diameter are at the thin bands in the expanded position.

23. The expandable packer of claim 22, wherein the thick bands and the thin bands are formed along an inner diameter of the tubing.

24. An expander tool for use in expanding a tubular, the expander tool comprising:

a tubular member; and

a plurality of elastomeric sections disposed around the tubular member, the elastomeric sections are configured to move between a first position and a second compressed position, whereby in the second compressed position each elastomeric section forms a separate expansion profile.

25. The expander tool of claim 24. further comprising bands disposed adjacent each elastomeric section.