Non-collapsing Swage Segment Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical expansion swage designs face challenges such as complexity, risk of getting stuck during operation, bulkiness, and inability to maintain a minimum drift diameter, which affects their usability in constrained environments and tool passage.
Innovation Solution
The design features segments with inclined sliding axes and edge connections configured to minimize relative rotation and friction, ensuring the swage maintains its built dimension and reduces frictional resistance, preventing collapse or binding, and allowing passage through obstructions with reduced force requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If segments are configured to collapse or act compliantly to clear obstructions, then the swage can pass through constrained wellbore conditions, but the drift diameter is reduced below the minimum required for tool passage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by designing segments that resist collapse rather than allowing it. The sliding axis is inclined at an angle greater than the swaging angle, which geometrically prevents the segments from moving into misalignment and collapsing when encountering obstructions, thereby maintaining the minimum drift diameter while still allowing the swage to pass through constrained conditions
2Adaptability or versatility
If segments are allowed to move axially relatively to each other to assume smaller dimension, then the swage can get past obstructions, but the segments may bind during relative motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the sliding interface by inclining the sliding axis at a specific angle greater than the swaging angle. This parameter change ensures that during axial movement, the segments maintain proper alignment and prevent binding, while still allowing the necessary relative motion to pass through obstructions
3Force
If the sliding surfaces are configured to reduce friction, then less force is required to build the swage, but the segments may extend into misalignment to clear obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of configuring sliding surfaces to reduce friction, the patent inverts the approach by inclining the sliding axis at an angle greater than the swaging angle. This geometric configuration actively prevents segment misalignment and collapse, eliminating the need for friction reduction measures while maintaining proper swage alignment during obstruction passage
Data Source
AI summary
A swage is made from segments that slide relatively to each other to go from a run in dimension to a maximum or built dimension when the segments move into alignment. The angle of inclination of the sliding axis between the members is less than the swaging angle for the pipe on the exterior of the segments so that once the segments are aligned and driven into a tubular for swaging they are precluded from extending into misalignment to clear an obstruction. In this manner a minimum drift is provided or the swage simply stalls. The swage in a tubular goes to the predetermined maximum dimension using the sliding surfaces that are at an angle to bear the radial reaction forces from the tubular more directly, thereby reducing the contact forces and the resulting friction. The edge connections reduce bending which can cause segment binding as the swage is built in the tubular.