Detachable Support Expansion Cone for Liner Hanger Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liner hangers in wellbore operations face challenges in forming effective seals under high pressure and compressive loads, as they are prone to deformation and require additional reinforcement to maintain integrity.
Innovation Solution
An expansion cone is used to expand the liner hanger, forming a seal with the casing or cement layer, and a detachable support is left in place to provide mechanical reinforcement, mitigating pressure and compressive loads, while being easy to remove.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the liner hanger is expanded to form a seal with the casing string or set cement layer, then the seal effectiveness is improved, but the liner hanger is subjected to high pressure and compressive load which causes deformation and reduces reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion cone is used to expand the liner hanger before it is subjected to high pressure and compressive loads. This preliminary expansion action pre-positions the liner hanger against the casing string or set cement layer, creating the seal in advance before the harmful loads are applied, thereby preventing deformation under pressure
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion cone is a separate, removable tool that is introduced temporarily to perform the expansion function. After expanding the liner hanger, the expansion cone is removed, leaving the liner hanger in its expanded, sealed state without the deformation-causing loads being applied by the expansion tool itself
2Reliability
If the liner hanger is expanded to form a seal, then fluid flow prevention is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for additional expansion and support equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion cone and detachable support are combined into a single integrated tool assembly. The detachable support is attached to the expansion cone during the expansion operation, and after expansion, the support remains while the expansion cone is removed. This merging reduces the number of separate operations and equipment needed compared to using separate expansion and support tools
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion cone serves as a temporary tool that is discarded (removed) after performing its expansion function, while the detachable support is recovered and left in place to provide ongoing structural support. This approach eliminates the need to maintain complex expansion equipment in the wellbore while achieving the sealing function
Data Source
AI summary
Expansion cones and methods of using expansion cones with expandable liner hangers. An example expansion cone includes a detachable support coupled to a mandrel. The detachable support is configured to contact an interior surface of the expandable liner hanger during expansion of the liner hanger. The detachable support is further configured to detach after the liner hanger is expanded thereby producing a detached support. The detached support remains in contact with the interior surface of the expandable liner hanger after expansion of the expandable liner hanger and removal of the mandrel.