Expandable Liner Hanger Bottom-Up Hydraulic Expansion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Standard liner hangers often fail in deep wells due to restricted flow passages and backpressure issues during cementing, leading to compromised cement quality and potential downhole losses, while expandable liner hangers may get stuck or partially expanded due to obstructions, failing to meet operational requirements.

Innovation Solution

An expandable liner hanger system with a bottom-up hydraulic expansion process, featuring a movable expansion cone, enhanced seal elements, and a tripping ball for pressure isolation, mechanical over-pull capability, and a releasable cone design to address stuck situations, ensuring reliable expansion and sealing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a top-down hydraulic expansion process is used, then the expansion tool assembly can be easily retrieved if encountering problems, but solids accumulation may prevent further expansion and cause stuck cone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveretrieval of expansion tool assemblyVSAvoidcomplete expansion of liner hanger

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional top-down expansion sequence by implementing bottom-up expansion. The expansion cone is positioned at the bottom of the liner hanger and expands upward, allowing hydraulic fluid to be pumped from the bottom through the central pipe. This inversion prevents solids accumulation from blocking the expansion path and eliminates the risk of stuck cone, while the expansion tool assembly can still be retrieved by reversing the expansion sequence or using a release mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Device complexity

If standard liner hangers with cone and slip combination are used, then the structure is simple, but they fail in proper setting/sealing and create backpressure during cementing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructure of liner hangerVSAvoidsetting and sealing performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the static cone and slip combination with a dynamic expandable liner hanger system. The liner hanger remains in a compact, low-profile state during deployment and only expands when hydraulic pressure is applied at the bottom. This dynamic expansion ensures proper setting and sealing by allowing the liner hanger to conform to the wellbore geometry, while the bottom-up expansion path prevents backpressure issues by maintaining open flow passages during the expansion process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If expandable liner hanger is used, then hanging success and pressure zonal isolation are improved, but solids accumulation may lead to stuck cone and partial expansion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehanging success and pressure zonal isolationVSAvoidsolids accumulation behind hanger

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the expansion sequence to bottom-up, which fundamentally changes how solids interact with the expansion process. By expanding from the bottom upward, the hydraulic fluid and expansion force push solids ahead of the expansion front rather than allowing solids to accumulate behind it. This eliminates the harmful effect of solids accumulation that causes stuck cone and partial expansion, while maintaining the reliable hanging and pressure zonal isolation provided by expandable liner hangers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system ensures successful liner hanging and cementation by overcoming tight-hole situations and obstructions, providing reliable pressure isolation and complete expansion, thus ensuring wellbore accessibility and operational efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a fluid-filled cavity is formed between the central pipe and the expandable pipe at the side of the lower end of the expansion cone, the side wall of the central pipe has an aperture that communicates with the fluid-filled cavity, and the fluid flowing into the central pipe can enter into the fluid-filled cavity via the aperture and push the lower end of the expansion cone to move upward

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydraulic pressure: Hydraulic Press

Implementation Method 2

the expansion cone is movable along the central pipe, so that the expandable pipe is expanded

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical expansion: Deformation

Data Source

PatentUS10858917B2Expandable liner hanger

Publication Date: 2020.12.08 CHINA NAT PETROLEUM CORP

AI summary

The present invention discloses an expandable liner hanger system comprising a central pipe and an expandable pipe, with an expansion cone provided therebetween the central pipe and expandable pipe in a way that the expansion cone is movable along the central pipe, so that the expandable pipe is expanded; wherein, the expansion cone comprises an expansion cone seat move along the central pipe, and an expansion cone sleeve fitted over the expansion cone seat, the connection between the expansion cone seat and the expansion cone sleeve is configured in a way that the expansion cone sleeve can move upward together with the expansion cone seat along the central pipe so that the expandable pipe is expanded, and the central pipe can drive the expansion cone seat to disengage from the expansion cone sleeve.