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US 2012/0267123 A1Published application
Expandable packer
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorsVaradaraju Gandikota, Lev Ring
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus include tubing expanded to create a seal in an annulus surrounding the tubing. The tubing includes a sealing material selected to cause forming of undulations in a diameter of the tubing upon expansion of the tubing. Various factors of the sealing material such as deviations in its thickness influence sealing performance of the tubing with the sealing material.
Claims17
An expandable packer assembly, comprising:
- a tubing having an unexpanded position and an expanded position;
- and
- a sealing material located on an outside of the tubing, the sealing material defining thick bands alternating along a length of the tubing with thin bands that protrude from the outside of the tubing less than the thick bands, wherein an inner diameter of the tubing along the length is uniform in the unexpanded position and undulations in the inner diameter of the tubing are at the thin bands in the expanded position.
A method of expanding a packer assembly, comprising:
- running tubing with a sealing material located on an outside of the tubing, the sealing material defining thick bands alternating along a length of the tubing with thin bands that protrude from the outside of the tubing less than the thick bands,
- expanding the tubing which causes the sealing material to engage a surrounding surface;
- and
- creating undulations in a diameter of the tubing at the thin bands of the sealing material.
1 more element
An expander tool for expanding an expandable packer assembly, the tool comprising:
- a body;
- an inflatable bladder disposed on the body, the inflatable bladder capable of being fluid pressurized to expand the expandable packer assembly;
- and
- a locating mechanism disposed on the body, the locating mechanism being configured to locate selected positions along an inside of the expandable packer assembly.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.