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US 4,424,865 AGranted
Thermally energized packer cup
AssigneeSperry Corporation
InventorDonald G. Payton, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a geothermal production well, oil well or gas well, a thermally energized packer cup having a tapered elastomer body and a reinforcing element fabricated from a shape memory alloy seals the well casing when the packer cup is heated to the transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy.
Claims7
A thermally energized packer cup comprising:
- reinforcing means which is fabricated from a shape memory alloy that is cold worked into an original shape, constrained, heated to a transformation temperature, and cooled;
- and
- a tapered elastomer body which is coupled to said reinforcing means,
- said reinforcing means so constructed and arranged that said elastomer irreversibly is urged to expand when said means is thermally energized.
1 more element
A method for sealing a conduit with a packer cup having a tapered elastomer body and reinforcing means having an original shape fabricated from a shape memory alloy, comprising:
- restraining said packer cup and said reinforcing means into a restrained shape having an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of said conduit;
- inserting said restrained packer cup into said conduit;
- and;
- applying heat to said packer cup in order to heat said reinforcing means to a transformation temperature,
- whereby said reinforcing means returns to its original shape and said elastomer body irreversibly expands and seals said conduit.
2 more elements
A thermally energized packer cup comprising:
- a tapered elastomer body,
- a rigid base plate laterally extended within said body,
- a plurality of restrained reinforcing wires fabricated from a alloy, said wires each having a lower end joined circumferentially to said base plate and a body extending substantially linearly from and orthogonal to said base plate and embedded in said elastomer body,
- whereby said elastomer body is irreversibly urged to expand by said reinforcing wires when thermally energized.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.