Well packer with shock dissipation for setting mechanism

#This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119 of the filing date of International Application Ser. No. PCT/US13/53445, filed 2 Aug. 2013. The entire disclosure of this prior application is incorporated herein by this reference.

#This disclosure relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in one example described below, more particularly provides a packer with a setting mechanism shock dissipation device.

#Well packers are used to seal off annular spaces in wells. For example, a packer can be used to seal off a space radially between inner and outer tubular strings, or between a wellbore and a casing or liner string.

#FIG. 1 is a representative partially cross-sectional view of a well system and associated method which can embody principles of this disclosure.

#FIG. 2 is a representative side view of an example packer assembly which can embody principles of this disclosure, the packer assembly being depicted in a run-in unset configuration.

#FIG. 3 is a representative cross-sectional view of the packer assembly, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

#Representatively illustrated in FIG. 1 is a system 10 for use with a well, and an associated method, which system and method can embody principles of this disclosure. However, it should be clearly understood that the system 10 and method are merely one example of an application of the principles of this disclosure in practice, and a wide variety of other examples are possible. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited at all to the details of the system 10 and method described herein and/or depicted in the drawings.

#In the FIG. 1 example, a tubular string 12 (such as, a production tubing string, a liner string, a casing string, a completion string, etc.) is installed in a wellbore 14. The wellbore 14 is depicted as being lined with casing 16 and cement 18, but in other examples the tubular string 12 could be positioned in an uncased or open hole portion of the wellbore.

#The tubular string 12 includes a packer assembly 20. When activated or “set” in the wellbore 14, the packer assembly 20 seals off an annulus 22 formed radially between the tubular string 12 and the wellbore. The packer assembly 20, in this example, also grips the casing 16, so that the tubular string 12 is secured against displacement relative to the casing.