Tubing expansion tool
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorAndrew Michael Duggan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a tubing expansion tool and to a method of expanding tubing. In one embodiment, a tubing expansion tool (10) is disclosed which comprises a body (14) and at least one expansion member (16) radially movably mounted on the body (14) for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing (12) to a predetermined diameter, the expansion member (16) being lockable in the extended configuration. In further embodiments, the expansion member (16) is biased radially inwardly; the expansion member (16) is moveable in response to both an applied mechanical force and an applied fluid pressure force; and the expansion member (16) is pivotably mounted with respect to the body (14).
Claims79
A tubing expansion tool comprising:
- a body;
- and
- at least one expansion member radially movably mounted on the body for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing to a predetermined diameter, the expansion member being lockable in the extended configuration.
A tubing expansion tool comprising:
- a body;
- and
- at least one expansion member radially movably mounted on the body for movement between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing, the expansion member being biased radially inwardly.
A tubing expansion tool comprising:
- a body;
- at least one expansion member radially movably mounted on the body for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing, the expansion member being moveable in response to both:
- an applied mechanical force;
- and
- an applied fluid pressure force.
A tubing expansion tool comprising:
- a body;
- and
- at least one expansion member pivotably mounted with respect to the body for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing to a predetermined diameter.
A method of expanding tubing, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a tubing expansion tool comprising a body and at least one expansion member movably mounted on the body;
- moving the expansion member radially outwardly to an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter;
- locking the expansion member in the extended configuration;
- and moving the expansion tool through tubing to be expanded.
A method of expanding tubing, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a tubing expansion tool comprising a body and at least one expansion member movably mounted on the body;
- and
- moving the expansion member radially outwardly to an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter against a biasing force which biases the expansion member radially inwardly.
A method of expanding tubing, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a tubing expansion tool comprising a body and at least one expansion member radially movably mounted on the body for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter;
- moving the expansion member to the extended configuration in response to a selected one or both of an applied mechanical force and an applied fluid pressure force;
- and
- moving the expansion tool through the tubing to diametrically expand the tubing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.