Dual End Firing Explosive Column Tools And Methods For Selectively Expanding A Wall Of A Tubular

A method of selectively expanding at least a portion of a wall of a tubular via an expansion tool, the expansion tool configured to hold one or more explosive pellets, the method comprising:

• determining a material of the tubular;
• determining a thickness of a wall of the tubular;
• determining an inner diameter of the tubular;
• determining an outer diameter of the tubular;
• determining a hydrostatic pressure bearing on the tubular;
• determining a size of a protrusion to be formed in the wall of the tubular;
• calculating, or determining via a test, an explosive force necessary to expand, without puncturing, the wall of the tubular to form the protrusion, based on the determinations of the material of the tubular, the thickness of the wall of the tubular, the inner diameter of the tubular, the outer diameter of the tubular, the hydrostatic pressure bearing on the tubular, and the size of the protrusion;
• selecting a predetermined number of explosive pellets to be added to the expansion tool depending on the value of the explosive force necessary, and adding the predetermined number of explosive pellets to the expansion tool;
• positioning the expansion tool within the tubular;
• and
• actuating the expansion tool to expand the wall of the tubular radially outward without perforating or cutting through the wall to form the protrusion, wherein the protrusion extends into an annulus between an outer surface of the wall of the tubular and an inner surface of a wall of an adjacent tubular.

A method of selectively expanding at least a portion of a wall of a tubular via a shaped charge expansion tool, the shaped charge expansion tool configured to hold one or more explosive material units, the method comprising:

• determining a material of the tubular;
• determining a thickness of a wall of the tubular;
• determining an inner diameter of the tubular;
• determining an outer diameter of the tubular;
• determining a hydrostatic pressure bearing on the tubular;
• determining a size of a protrusion to be formed in the wall of the tubular;
• calculating, or determining via a test, an explosive force necessary to expand, without puncturing, the wall of the tubular to form the protrusion, based on the determinations of the material of the tubular, the thickness of the wall of the tubular, the inner diameter of the tubular, the outer diameter of the tubular, the hydrostatic pressure bearing on the tubular, and the size of the protrusion;
• selecting an amount of explosive material for the one or more explosive material units depending on the value of the explosive force necessary, and adding the one or more explosive material units to the shaped charge expansion tool;
• positioning the shaped charge expansion tool within the tubular;
• and
• actuating the shaped charge expansion tool to expand the wall of the tubular radially outward without perforating or cutting through the wall, to form the protrusion, wherein the protrusion extends into an annulus adjacent an outer surface of the wall of the tubular.

A method of selectively expanding at least a portion of a wall of a tubular via an expansion tool, the expansion tool configured to hold explosive material, the method comprising:

• determining a hydrostatic pressure bearing on the tubular;
• calculating an explosive force necessary to expand, without puncturing, the wall of the tubular to form a protrusion, based on the hydrostatic pressure;
• adding an amount of explosive material to the expansion tool depending on the calculated explosive force necessary;
• positioning the expansion tool within the tubular;
• and
• actuating the expansion tool to expand the wall of the tubular radially outward without perforating or cutting through the wall to form the protrusion, wherein the protrusion extends into an annulus between an outer surface of the wall of the tubular and an inner surface of a wall of another tubular.