Segmented Extrusion Limiter Ring for High-Pressure Packer Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Downhole tools used in oil well drilling and reworking face challenges with extrusion of packer elements at high pressure and temperature, limiting their pressure and temperature capabilities and requiring complex and expensive solutions to prevent fluid leakage.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a mandrel, radially expandable sealing element, and an extrusion limiting assembly comprising separate segments and elastomeric bands that expand to prevent extrusion, including a first circumferential band that breaks during deployment, and a second band covered by the first band to maintain a continuous face and mitigate extrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If segmented backup shoes are used to support packer elements, then ease of installation and cost are improved, but extrusion of packer elements occurs at high pressure and temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The backup shoe is divided into multiple segments that can expand independently while maintaining overall structural integrity. This segmentation allows the backup shoe to accommodate thermal expansion and pressure variations without causing extrusion of the packer elements, while still providing the necessary support and sealing functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup shoe is constructed using composite materials that combine different properties to achieve both ease of installation and resistance to extrusion. The composite structure includes materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion and mechanical properties that work together to prevent packer element extrusion under high pressure and temperature conditions.
2Reliability
If complex structures are used to prevent extrusion, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The backup shoe is designed as a dynamic structure that can expand and contract in response to pressure and temperature changes. The segments are capable of moving relative to each other, allowing the backup shoe to adapt to varying downhole conditions without requiring complex external control systems or multiple separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup shoe utilizes material properties that change with temperature and pressure parameters. The composite materials are selected to have specific thermal expansion coefficients and mechanical properties that allow the backup shoe to maintain its shape and prevent extrusion under varying downhole conditions without requiring complex structural designs.
3Ease of manufacture
If non-metallic materials are used for packers, then ease of removal by drilling is improved, but strength and durability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The packer elements are constructed from composite materials that combine non-metallic properties for ease of removal with metallic or high-strength polymer reinforcements to maintain necessary strength and durability. The composite structure allows the packer to be easily drilled out while withstanding the mechanical stresses encountered during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The packer is divided into multiple segments that can be independently removed or replaced. This segmentation allows for selective removal of worn or damaged segments while retaining the rest of the packer structure, extending the overall service life and maintaining strength where needed.
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 solution effectively increases the pressure and temperature rating of downhole tools, preventing extrusion of packer elements and enhancing sealing capabilities while being simple, inexpensive, and easy to install, thus improving the operational efficiency and reliability of downhole tools.
Implementation Method 1
the first band is expandable and expands with deployment of the plurality of segments while in a set condition of the sealing element
Implementation Method 2
the sealing element being radially expandable from a first run-in diameter to a second set diameter in response to application of axial force on the sealing element
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for use in a wellbore is provided. The apparatus comprises a mandrel, a sealing element carried on the mandrel, the sealing element being radially expandable from a first run-in diameter to a second set diameter in response to application of axial force on the sealing element, and an extrusion limiting assembly carried on the mandrel and proximate the sealing element. The extrusion limiting assembly comprises a plurality of separate segments and a first circumferential band that retains the plurality of segments in a ring shape and substantially covers an outer circumferential surface of the plurality of segments while in a run-in condition of the apparatus.