Method for expanding an integrated continuous liner

Abstract

Completion process for an underground borehole, comprising: - inserting an additional pipe string (18) using a running string (16); - passing the additional pipe string (18) through an existing string (10) so that the upper end of the additional pipe string (18) overlaps the lower end of the existing string (10); - further fastening the additional pipe string (18) to the existing string (10) and expanding the additional pipe string (18) in an operation comprising running in and passing through; - providing at least one insulating device (22;38) in the additional pipe string (18); - using the insulating device (22;38) to seal and expand at least a portion of the additional pipe string (18); - selectively securing a die assembly (24) to the running strand (16); - building up the die assembly (24) to an expansion dimension in a section of the additional tubing string (18) previously expanded by the insulating device (22); - expanding the additional tubing string (18) with the die assembly (24) released from the running string (16); and - pressurizing a space (42) defined between the insulating device (22) and the die assembly (24) to drive the die assembly (24) to expand the additional tubing string (18).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a method for creating a monobore, and more particularly to driving a string with a cementing shoe and holding it to an existing string by expanding the upper end of a liner, creating the space to build a die and drive the die toward the cementing shoe under pressure. A bell is formed at the lower end of the liner. After cementing is complete, the upper end of the liner is sealed during withdrawal of the inner assembly. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Monobore wells have a constant diameter over a given distance consisting of multiple strings. Typically, the existing string has an enlarged segment, or bell, within which the next string is held and, in the case of cemented wells, sealed after cementing. The newly added string must be expanded and, in some applications, cemented. A bell must be provided at the bottom of the added string to accommodate the next string and maintain the monobore nature of the well. Initially, the liner is held within the bell of the existing string, leaving gaps to allow fluid displacement during cementing. After cementing is complete, these gaps are closed.

[0003] The process described above in general terms can be optimized by finding ways to perform the required steps of feeding, holding, expanding, cementing and sealing the liner with respect to an existing pipe in as few operations as possible and ideally in a single operation.

[0004] An attempt at such a method is described in US 2010 / 0032167 A1. According to a technique disclosed in this document, the die assembly is pumped downhole for part of the extension until a cementing shoe is coupled. For cementing, the running string is reconnected to the die assembly. The die assembly is then driven uphole to hold and seal the newly added liner, which was previously supported by the bottom of the hole. The shoe must then be drilled out. There is no discussion of how a bell is to be formed in the lower end of the recently cemented liner because the method described therein is not intended to create a single-hole bore, but rather reduces the borehole diameter with each subsequent string.In an alternative embodiment, the die assembly is mounted directly over the cementing shoe and driven uphole to expand the liner. After cementing with the running string and locking the die assembly to the shoe, the die assembly is released from the shoe and driven with pressure from below while held against the running string to complete the expansion at the top of the liner to secure and seal the liner to the existing pipe.

[0005] DE 199 58 399 A1 also discloses a wellbore casing method in which a tubular liner with a mandrel arranged at the lower end of the tubular liner is inserted into a borehole. The mandrel is carried by a support element which, together with the mandrel, has a fluid passage. A fluid is pumped through the fluid passage into an intermediate space which is axially delimited by a lower boundary surface of the mandrel and a shoe attached to the lower end of the tubular liner. The excess pressure generated by the fluid causes the mandrel to move relative to the tubular liner, thereby expanding the tubular liner.

[0006] WO 02 / 090 713 A1 discloses an apparatus and method for radially expanding a tubular component, wherein embodiments of the apparatus comprise an expansion device, e.g., an expansion cone, having a drive means either attached to it or integrated therewith. The drive means may, for example, be a pump, wherein the pump generates a differential pressure across the expansion device to move it.

[0007] Various techniques have been developed to expand a liner and attach it to a casing already in place in the wellbore. Some of these techniques involve running a liner with a wide bell at the bottom containing the expansion equipment, and then driving the die up through the liner and out the top, placing external seals on the surrounding casing along the way as the die moves to the exit. One such method is shown in US 6,470,966 B2. The extensive list of prior art contained in this patent is representative of the prior art on wellbore tubular expansion techniques that include attachment to existing tubular. Other patents show the use of dies having a series of retractable rollers that can be radially extended downhole to achieve tubular expansion, for example.of a casing patch, as illustrated, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,668,930 B2. In some devices, the die moves from top to bottom, as illustrated in US Pat. No. 6,705,395 B2.

[0008] Another approach is illustrated in U.S. Application No. 12 / 901,122, entitled "Pump Down Swage Expansion Method," filed October 8, 2010 (naming some of the inventors of the present application). That application uses a running string and peripheral liner seals to move a swage assembly to achieve liner support. This mode proceeds by building another swage after the liner has been supported in the existing pipe. In the same operation, the shoe is attached and the liner is cemented, followed by engaging the liner support seal with actuation of the running string. During expansion, the swage assembly remains connected to the running string.

[0009] Methods that mechanically advance a die through a pipe require the rig equipment to not only support the weight of the string to be expanded, but also to handle the force exerted on the die to advance it through the pipe to increase its diameter. According to the publication cited in the previous paragraph, this reduces the surface equipment capabilities required to perform an expansion to complete a well. The method is characterized by a top-down expansion, using multiple adjustable dies that are set up at different times and driven by the application of an annular pressure delivered around a workstring. The pipe to be expanded is placed in an overlapping position with an existing pipe.The die assembly is advanced on a guide extending from the running string by means of a cup seal around the running string and another peripheral seal on top of the liner to be expanded to prevent pressure bypass as the die assembly is driven into the liner string to hold the liner without sealing it. Another die is built in the liner at a location below the holding point on the existing liner. The liner is leveled by expanding to the bottom while engaging the cementing shoe as the die assembly leaves the lower end of the now-expanded liner. The shoe is repositioned and seated at the lower end of the expanded liner. This is followed by a cementing operation with a subsequent reverse flow of excess cement. The die assembly is pulled through the liner.Another die is built before being pushed down through the top of the liner to seat the liner hanger seal or, optionally, pass past the liner hanger slips to create a constant drift through the expanded head end of the liner. The assembly is then removed.

[0010] Monobore applications utilizing expansion feature integrated cementing through a shoe, while a recess at the end of an existing string is covered with a removable cover that is removed after cementing. A string with a swage is placed in position. The swage is then activated to increase its diameter before being advanced through the newly added pipe until the swage exits the top of the added pipe to lock into the recess at the bottom of the existing pipe. The result is a monobore. These designs also disclose an extendable shoe that can be fed with the string prior to expansion and then coupled and retained as a swage moves through the string. It is then reinserted into the expanded string and sealingly secured thereto for the cementing operation.Examples of one or more of these process steps are illustrated in the following US patents: 7,730,955; 7,708,060; 7,552,772; 7,458,422; 7,380,604; 7,370,699; 7,255,176 and 7,240,731. Other patents relating to expansion by moving a cone uphole from within a bell at the lower end of a liner held against a recess in an existing pipe, and relating to the production of a monobore and downhole expansion of pipes are as follows:. 6,712,154; 7,185,710; 7,410,000; 7,350,564; 7,100,684; 7,195,064; 7,258,168; 7,416,027; 7,290,616; 7,121,352; 7,234,531; 7,740,076; 7,100,685; 7,556,092; 7,516,790; 7,546,881; 6,328,113; 7,086,475; 6,745,845; 6,575,240; 6,725,919; 6,758,278; 6,739,392; 7,201,223; 7,204,007; 7,172,019; 7,325,602; 7,363,691; 7,146,702; 7,172,024; 7,308,755; 6,568,471; 6,966,370; 7,419,009; 7,040,396; 6,684,947; 6,631,769; 6,631,759; 7,063,142; 6,705,395; 7,044,221; 6,857,473; 7,077,213; 7,036,582; 7,603,758; 7,108,061; 6,631,760; 6,561,227; 7,159,665; 7,021,390; 6,892,819; 7,246,667; 7,174,964; 6,823,937; 7,147,053; 7,299,881; 7,231,985; 7,168,499; 7,270,188; 7,357,190; 7,044,218; 7,357,188; 7,665,532; 7,121,337; 7,434,618; 7,240,729; 7,077,211; 7,195,061; 7,198,100; 6,640,903; 7,438,132; 7,055,608; 7,240,728; 7,216,701; 6,604,763; 6,968,618; 7,172,021; 7,048,067; 6,976,541; 7,159,667; 7,108,072 and 6,557,640.

[0011] According to the method of the present invention, a needed way is provided to insert a string with a cementing shoe into a wellbore having a tubular member with a bell at the bottom and to add additional strings in a single-hole completion, each string being held, expanded, optionally cemented, and sealed to the bell of the existing tubular member, while leaving a bell at the bottom of the recently added tubular member so that the process can be repeated for the particular zone or reach. Additional aspects of the invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, while it is understood that the full scope of the invention is to be determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Completion methods according to independent claims 1, 6 and 13 are disclosed.

[0013] A liner string is driven into position along a running string. The assembly includes a cementing shoe held at its lower end and an external isolation assembly. At the upper end, a hanger and seal are provided on the outside of the liner, and an inflatable assembly is located internally, beneath which a buildable swage assembly, which can be selectively released from the upper inflatable assembly, and an associated packer cup are mounted so that, upon release from the upper inflatable assembly, the swage can be driven with pressure applied in a downhole direction. The upper inflatable assembly sets the hanger at the head end of the liner and expands a section near the head end of the liner. In the recently expanded head end of the liner, the swage assembly is built up, then released from the running string and couples to the shoe.The connection to the running string is re-established to allow cementing through the die assembly and the shoe. A lower inflatable device around the shoe and within the liner is expanded to set the external seal before the cement sets. This allows the lower inflatable device to be emptied while the running string is attached to the shoe, and no cement will flow back because the external seal has been set. At the same time, as the external seal is set, a bell is formed at the bottom of the liner. The running string can then pull the die assembly and shoe with the lower inflatable device out of the liner.On its way out of the liner, the upper inflatable assembly sets a seal adjacent to the already set slips and the bottom hole assembly is withdrawn, leaving a monobore down to the bottom of the liner, which now has a bell for the next string to be attached to extend the monobore. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 illustrates the running-in of the liner to overlap the lower end of the existing pipe, in an embodiment with an external packer at the lower end, with the shoe being retrieved; Fig. 2 shows in the view of Fig. 1 the upper inflatable device which attaches the suspension to the upper end of the retracted liner; Fig. 3 shows in the view of Fig. 2 the upper inflatable device, which is deflated and moved downwards for sequential inflation and deflation with movement to form an extended zone under the set suspension; Fig. 4 shows in the view of Fig. 3 the sequential movement and inflation and deflation used to form the upper expanded zone in the liner; Fig. 5 shows in the view of Fig. 4 the die assembly being lifted into the recently expanded zone so that the die assembly can be built up; Fig. 6 shows in the view of Fig. 5 the die assembly being assembled and released from the running string so that pressure from above on the associated packer shell drives the die assembly; Fig. 7 shows in the view of Fig. 6 the die assembly which is positioned in the zone extended by the upper inflatable device; Fig. 8 shows in the view of Fig. 7 the die assembly which continues the liner expansion to a point just before coupling to the cement shoe; Fig. 9 shows in the view of Fig. 8 the die assembly which is coupled to the shoe at the lower end of the liner; Fig. 10 shows in the view of Fig. 9 the upper inflatable device, which is released to allow the running line to be lowered; Fig. 11 shows in the view of Fig. 10 the running string, which is coupled to the die assembly so that cementing can begin; Fig. 12 shows the view of Fig. 11, after the cement has been pumped through the shoe and into the annular space surrounding the liner; Fig. 13 shows in the view of Fig. 12 the lower inflatable device, which is expanded to set the external packer and to form a bell at the lower end of the liner; Fig. 14 shows in the view of Fig. 13 the lower inflatable device, which is deflated so that the running string can be pulled out of the hole; Fig. 15 shows in the view of Fig. 14 the upper inflatable device aligned with the suspension and ready for the installation of the external seal; Fig. 16 shows in the view of Fig. 15 the upper inflatable device, which by expanding the upper end of the liner places the seal against the existing pipe; Fig. 17 shows in the view of Fig. 16 removing the upper and lower inflatable seals and the swage assembly from the wellbore; Fig. 18 shows in the view of Fig. 17 the borehole after removal of the upper and lower inflatable seals and the die assembly; Fig. 19 shows a corresponding embodiment of Fig. 1 alternative embodiment which is retracted into the borehole, with the difference that there is no seal at the lower end of the retracted liner, which is not required if the cementing shoe is left in place after cementing; Fig. 20 shows the view of Fig. 19, wherein the upper inflatable device is actuated to suspend the liner from the existing pipe; Fig. Figure 21 shows the upper inflatable device being deflated and repositioned to begin expansion of the upper end of the liner; Fig. 22 shows in the view of Fig. 21 the expansion of the upper portion of the liner, the upper inflatable device using a sequence of inflation / deflation / repositioning steps; Fig. 23 shows in the view of Fig. 22 the die assembly repositioned into the recently expanded zone of the liner; Fig. 24 shows in the view of Fig. 23 the die assembly being released from the running string and moving to the lower end of the already expanded section of the liner; Fig. 25 shows in the view of Fig. 24 the die assembly reaching the lower end of the already expanded section of the liner; Fig. 26 shows in the view of Fig. 25 the die assembly driven by pressure conveyed through the running string, with the upper inflatable device in place; Fig. 27 shows in the view of Fig. 26 the die assembly which is coupled to the cementing shoe; Fig. 28 shows in the view of Fig. 27 the upper inflatable device in deflated condition; Fig. 29 shows in the view of Fig. 28 the running string, which is reconnected to the die assembly so that cementing can begin; Fig. 30 shows in the view of Fig. 29 the cement which is conveyed through the shoe and rises in the outer ring surrounding the expanded liner; Fig. 31 shows in the view of Fig. 30 the lower inflatable device, which is placed so as to form a bell at the lower end in the liner; Fig. 32 shows in the view of Fig. 31 the tread being withdrawn, leaving the shoe and lower inflatable device in place while the cement sets; Fig. 33 shows in the view of Fig. 32 the upper inflatable device in position and inflated for setting the upper seal on the liner; Fig. 34 shows in the view of Fig. 33 the running string, which removes the upper inflatable device and the swage assembly from the wellbore; and Fig. 35 shows in the view of Fig. 34 the borehole after removing the running string, the upper inflatable device and the swage assembly from the liner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] Fig. Figure 1 shows a casing 10 which has been cemented at 12. At its lower end 14, a liner or tubing string 18 is held by a running string 16. Number 20 is a schematic representation of slips and a sealing element being set in sequence, with the slips being set first, to support the liner 18 against the casing 10, as described below. For retraction, the liner 18 is releasably held to the running string 16 by a frangible element (not shown), such as a shear pin, which can be broken by the actuation of an upper inflatable device 22 arranged in Fig. 1 for retraction in a deflated condition. Alternatively, release could be controlled directly by pressure, such as a piston releasing slips or claws. A swage assembly 24 is releasably held by a mandrel 26 of the upper inflatable device 22 by means of a linkage 28. The linkage 28 allows release and relocking as described below. Between the swage assembly 24 and the linkage 28 is a resilient seal, such as a packer cup open uphole, designated 30.

[0015] At the lower end 32 of the liner 18, an external packer 34 is provided for an open hole, and inside there is a cementing shoe 36 which is temporarily held to the liner 18 by a frangible element, such as one or more shear pins (not shown). Surrounding the shoe 36 is a lower inflatable device 38 which Fig. 1 for retraction in the deflated state. By actuating the lower inflatable device 38, the shoe 36 is released from the liner 18 and a bell for the lower end is formed, as shown in Fig. 13. Such an operation also sets the open hole packer into the already pumped cement, as will be described below with reference to Fig. 13 is explained.

[0016] In Fig. 2, the upper inflatable device 22 is shown positioned so that the slips of the assembly 20 are engaged with the casing and the frangible connection between the running string 16 and the liner 18 is broken, so that after deflation of the upper inflatable device 22, as in Fig. 3, the string 16 can be moved forward to reposition the upper inflatable device 22 as shown. Fig. Figure 4 shows a partial expansion of the liner 18 to the point 40. This is accomplished by sequentially positioning the upper inflatable device 22 and inflating it to achieve a specific expansion, and then deflating and repositioning the upper inflatable device 22 for another inflation cycle. This creates a zone that is expanded and of any desired length, so that the die assembly 24 can be lifted into this zone and built up to the expansion dimension without resistance by the liner 18, as shown in Fig. 5. The construction of the die assembly 24 is effected by applying pressure, and thus the upper inflatable device 22 is inflated when the pressure is applied to first build the die assembly 24 and then to trigger the release of the connection 28, as shown in Fig. 6. At this point, the packer shell 30 and the deployed upper inflatable device 22 form a variable volume chamber 42, the volume of which increases as the die assembly 24 moves toward the location 40, after which pressure from the string 16 into the chamber 42 continues the expansion of the liner 18.

[0017] Fig. Figure 7 shows the die assembly as it has advanced to the transition point 40 by pressure into the chamber 42 and partly by its own weight, so that further expansion can then begin. Fig. Figure 8 shows how the volume of the chamber 42 increases as the expansion by pressure on the die assembly 24 drives it using the attached seal 30. Upon completion of the expansion in this manner, a locking element 32 lands in a receptacle 44 in the shoe 36 and, after connection to the receptacle 44, automatically folds the die assembly 24 to its inlet diameter, as shown in Fig. 9. Initiation of the automatic collapse process may occur through geometric pairing, such as sleeve / profile mating, or as a hydraulic result of inserting seals from the swage assembly 24 into a sealing profile in the receptacle 44. When the swage assembly 24 lands in the shoe 36, the pressure in the string 16 reaches a maximum, signaling to surface personnel that the shoe 36 has been coupled and that the upper inflatable device 22 can now be deflated, as shown in Fig. 10. The strand 16 is lowered to restore the connection 28, as shown in Fig. 11. At this time, as shown in Fig. 12, cement 46 is pumped through the string 16 and through the shoe 36 into a ring 48 surrounding the liner 18. Before the cement 46 sets, the lower assembly 38 is inflated, not only to form a bell 50, but also to set the open-hole packer 34. This action allows the retrieval of the shoe 36 and prevents cement from flowing back when the lower inflatable assembly 38 is deflated, as shown in Fig. 14. At this time, any excess cement in the string 16 may be directed outward through the shoe 36, although this is not shown in the drawings. The string 16 is raised as shown in Fig. 15 until the upper inflatable device is aligned with the assembly 20, of which up to this point only the slips have been set to support the liner 18 on the casing 10. This was done so that during cementing in Fig. 12 through which cement fluid could be displaced through the assembly 20 so that the cement could move forward in a manner known in the art. As shown in Fig. 16, it is now time to engage a seal of the assembly 20 with the casing 10 to seal the liner 18 against the casing 10. In Fig. 16, this sealing measure is schematically shown by removing the assembly 20. Now only the string 16 has to be pulled out of the borehole and with it the entire bottom hole assembly, as shown in Fig. 17, which then results in a Fig. 18 remains, which has a bell 50 at the lower end, which, after the borehole has been drilled deeper, is ready to receive the next liner string (not shown). This process is repeated down to the bottom of the borehole to create the monobore.

[0018] Fig. 19-35 are similar Fig. 1-18, but differ in that no open hole packer 34 is used on liner 18. For this reason, after the cement in Fig. 30 has been pumped and the lower inflatable device 38' has been inflated to form the bell 50', the connection 32' is released, as in Fig. 32, and the lower inflatable device 38' remains inflated until the cement 46' settles. Excess cement 46' in the string 16' can be directed outward through the connection 32' when the string 16' is pulled up, as shown in Fig. 33 and Fig. 34. After the cement has hardened, the lower inflatable device 38' is drilled upwards before proceeding to the next zone, similar to a conventional cement packer. In other respects, the sequence in Fig. 19-35 the same as in Fig. 1-18.

[0019] Although the preferred isolation and expansion devices at the top and bottom of the liner 18 are indicated as inflatable devices 22 and 38, other devices capable of sealing against and expanding the liner 18 are also contemplated, such as mechanically or hydraulically set packers or spaced opposing seals forming an expanding tool, where the gap between the seals can be pressurized for pipe expansion between the seals, to name just a few examples. The temporary holding devices may be shear pins or rings or other frangible retainers. Optionally, one or more isolation and expansion devices may be used.

[0020] The above description illustrates the preferred embodiment, and many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the literal and equivalent scope of the following claims.

Claims

[1] Completion process for an underground borehole, comprising: - inserting an additional pipe string (18) using a running string (16); - passing the additional pipe string (18) through an existing string (10) so that the upper end of the additional pipe string (18) overlaps the lower end of the existing string (10); - further fastening the additional pipe string (18) to the existing string (10) and expanding the additional pipe string (18) in an operation comprising running in and passing through; - providing at least one insulating device (22;38) in the additional pipe string (18); - using the insulating device (22;38) to seal and expand at least a portion of the additional pipe string (18); - selectively securing a die assembly (24) to the running strand (16); - building up the die assembly (24) to an expansion dimension in a section of the additional tubing string (18) previously expanded by the insulating device (22); - expanding the additional tubing string (18) with the die assembly (24) released from the running string (16); and - pressurizing a space (42) defined between the insulating device (22) and the die assembly (24) to drive the die assembly (24) to expand the additional tubing string (18). [2] A method according to claim 1, comprising: - Using the insulating device (22) to attach the additional pipe string (18) to the existing pipe (10) at the overlap, wherein at least one gap is present between the pipes (18; 10) at the overlap. [3] A method according to claim 2, comprising: - Closing the gap with the insulating device (22) after cementing the additional pipe string (18). [4] A method according to claim 3, comprising: - Using an inflatable device as the insulating device (22). [5] A method according to claim 1, comprising: - Providing a die assembly seal (30) at the die assembly (24) for defining a sealed variable volume chamber (42) with the isolation device (22), the volume of which changes as the pressure within the chamber (42) drives the die assembly (24). [6] Completion process for an underground borehole, comprising: - inserting an additional pipe string (18) using a running string (16); - passing the additional pipe string (18) through an existing string (10) so that the upper end of the additional pipe string (18) overlaps the lower end of the existing string (10); - further fastening the additional pipe string (18) to the existing string (10), expanding the additional pipe string (18) and cementing the additional pipe string (18) in one operation comprising running in and passing through; - providing at least one insulating device (22;38) in the additional pipe string (18), wherein an inflatable device is used as the insulating device (22;38); - using the insulating device (22;38) to seal and expand at least a portion of the additional pipe string (18); - forming an expanded zone in the additional tubing (18) by sequentially inflating, releasing and repositioning the inflatable device (22); and - initially building up a die assembly (24) to an expansion dimension within the expanded zone; - coupling a cementing shoe (36) near a lower end (32) of the additional tubing string (18) to the die assembly (24); - coupling the running strand (16) to the die assembly (24) after the die assembly (24) has coupled the shoe (36); and - Cementing the additional pipe string (18) through the running string (16) and the shoe (36). [7] A method according to claim 6, comprising: - providing at least one upper (22) and one lower (38) insulating device as the at least one insulating device; and - Holding the cementing shoe (36) on the additional pipe string (18) with the lower insulation device (38). [8] A method according to claim 7, comprising: - Expanding the lower insulation device (38) to form a bell (50) adjacent to a lower end (32) of the additional tubing string (18). [9] A method according to claim 7, comprising: - Placing an external packer (34) on the additional pipe string (18) into the cement (46) in a surrounding ring (48) with the lower insulation device (38). [10] A method according to claim 9, comprising: - retraction of the lower insulating device (38) after cementing; - repositioning the upper insulation device (22) adjacent to the overlap; - using the upper insulation device (22) to expand a seal (20) on the additional pipe string (18) against the existing string (10); and - removing the insulating devices (22; 38) and the die assembly (24) and the shoe (36) together with the running strand (16). [11] A method according to claim 7, comprising: - Using an inflatable device as the lower insulation device (38). [12] A method according to claim 8, comprising: - releasing the die assembly (24) from the shoe (36) after cementing; and - Removing the insulating devices (22; 38) and the die assembly (24) together with the running strand (16). [13] Completion process for an underground borehole, comprising: - inserting an additional pipe string (18) using a running string (16); - passing the additional pipe string (18) through an existing string (10) so that the upper end of the additional pipe string (18) overlaps the lower end of the existing string (10); - further fastening the additional pipe string (18) to the existing string (10), expanding the additional pipe string (18) and cementing the additional pipe string (18) in one operation comprising running in and passing through; - providing at least one insulating device (22;38) in the additional pipe string (18); - using the insulating device (22;38) to seal and expand at least a portion of the additional pipe string (18); - providing at least one upper (22) and one lower insulating device (38) as the at least one insulating device (22; 38); and - Holding a cementing shoe (36) on the additional pipe string (18) with the lower insulation device (38). [14] A method according to claim 13, comprising: - expanding the lower insulation device (38) with the running string (16) after cementing through the shoe (36) to form a bell (50) adjacent to a lower end (32) of the additional tubing string (18). [15] A method according to claim 13, comprising: - Using an inflatable device as the lower insulation device (38). [16] A method according to claim 15, comprising: - actuating an external packer (34) on the additional tubing string (18) with the inflatable device; - releasing the shoe (36) from the additional tubing string (18) by deflating the inflatable device while the shoe (36) is held on the running string (16); - attaching the upper inflatable device to the running track (16); - repositioning the running string (16) after cementing to place the upper inflatable device (22) adjacent to the overlap; - inflating the upper inflatable device to set a seal (20) on the overlap; and - Removing the inflatable devices, the die assembly (24) and the shoe (36) with the running string (16). [17] A method according to claim 13, comprising: - attaching the upper inflatable device to the running track (16); - repositioning the tread (16) after cementing and release from the shoe (36) to place the upper inflatable device adjacent the overlap; - inflating the upper inflatable device to set a seal (20) on the overlap; and - Removal of the inflatable devices and the die assembly (24) with the running string (16).

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