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US 10,240,428 B2Granted
Packer assembly with thermal expansion buffers and isolation methods
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorShanu Thottungal Eldho
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and apparatuses for accommodating thermal expansion in a tool string are disclosed. Exemplary systems include one or more sacrificial members placed between or adjacent elements of the tool string that are expected to expand when subjected to high temperatures. The sacrificial members are configured to destruct upon exposure to a control signal or a critical temperature or load. Destruction of the sacrificial members provides additional clearance for adjacent elements to expand.
Claims16
A packer assembly comprising:
- a slip assembly comprising a cammed surface;
- a wedge member comprising a cammed outer surface, the wedge member being slidable in an axial direction to engage the cammed surface of the slip assembly to actuate the slip assembly;
- and
- a sacrificial member extending across the cammed surface of the slip assembly and disposed between the cammed surface of the slip assembly and the cammed outer surface of the wedge member, the sacrificial member having a linear thickness that is approximately equivalent to a linear displacement resulting from thermal expansion of the cammed surface of the slip assembly and the wedge member and being configured to destruct to provide a void between the cammed surface of the slip assembly and the cammed outer surface of the wedge member.
1 more element
A packer assembly comprising:
- an expandable sealing element;
- a compressive actuator configured to compress the expandable sealing element to actuate the packer assembly;
- and
- a sacrificial member disposed between and extending parallel to the expandable sealing element and the compressive actuator, the sacrificial member having a thickness that is approximately equivalent to the total thermal expansion of the packer assembly along an axial direction and being configured to destruct to provide a void between the expandable sealing element and the compressive actuator.
1 more element
An isolation method comprising:
- providing an isolation system comprising:
- an expandable sealing element;
- a compressive actuator;
- and
- a first sacrificial member disposed between and extending parallel to the expandable sealing element and the compressive actuator, the sacrificial member having a thickness that is approximately equivalent to the total thermal expansion of the packer assembly along an axial direction;
- actuating the compressive actuator to compress the expandable sealing element;
- and
- destructing the first sacrificial member to provide a void between the expandable sealing element and the compressive actuator.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.