Methods and Apparatus for Expanding Tubular Members

a tubular member and expansion method technology, applied in the direction of fluid removal, borehole/well accessories, mining structures, etc., can solve the problems of tubular weakened, failure, and decrease in the thickness of the material forming the tubular,
US20070084637A1Inactive Publication Date: 2007-04-19SCHLUMBERGER TECH CORP
4 Cites 15 Cited by

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
SCHLUMBERGER TECH CORP
Publication Date
2007-04-19
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

Smart Images

  • Figure 1
    Figure 1
  • Figure 2
    Figure 2
  • Figure 3
    Figure 3
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

A method for sealing a hole in a tubular in a wellbore comprising: (A) locating the tubular patch adjacent the hole; (B) (i) plastically expanding a first portion of the tubular patch above the hole into annular sealing engagement with the tubular to form a first annular seal and (ii) plastically expanding a second portion of the tubular patch below the hole in the tubular into annular sealing engagement with the tubular or the open hole to form a second annular seal thereby sealing the hole in the tubular. The patch may be a corrugated tube prior to expansion in order to pass through restrictions and may have a section with an increased wall thickness including a resilient seal.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to methods and apparatus for use in the expansion of tubular members. The invention find particular application to such operations conducted in underground well or boreholes such as are found in the oil and gas industry. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] The use of expandable tubular members to seal or isolate portions of wells has been widely proposed. In one version, a simple tubular member is expanded against the borehole by stretching the wall of the tubular using an expanding tool. In another, the tubular member is positioned in the borehole in a vertically corrugated form and then expanded back to a circular cross-section against the borehole.

[0003] Where expansion is achieved by simple stretching, the thickness of the material forming the tubular decreases and there is typically a limit of 20-30% expansion before plastic deformation of the material causes the tubular to become weakened (and failure occurs). For practical purposes, an upper l...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More