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US 5,337,823 AGranted
Preform, apparatus, and methods for casing and/or lining a cylindrical volume
OwnerPhilippe C. Nobileauinventor
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OwnerPhilippe C. Nobileauinventor
Estimating the term…
According to the invention, the tubular preform is radially deformable between a longitudinally folded state and substantially cylindrical unfolded state to form a length of rigid tube in situ. The preform comprises a flexible and watertight inner envelope (6) whose peripheral extent is equal to the internal extent of the length of tube, and, formed on the outside of said inner envelope, reinforcement (2) made of filamentary structure comprising a plurality of fibers impregnated with a settable resin, including fibers (3) oriented mainly in the peripheral direction of the preform, each of these fibers (3) extending over more than one turn and co-operating with adjacent fibers by making contact therewith such that adjacent fibers can slide over one another while the preform is in any state other than its unfolded state where, under internal pressure, the fibers are locked together by the friction between them due to a capstan effect.
A tubular preform that is radially deformable between a longitudinally folded state and a substantially cylindrical unfolded state to form a length of rigid tube in situ, wherein the preform comprises a flexible and watertight inner envelope whose peripheral extent is equal to the internal extent of the length of tube, and, formed on the outside of said inner envelope, reinforcement made of a structure comprising a plurality of fibers or strips impregnated with a settable resin, including fibers oriented mainly in the peripheral direction of the preform, each of these fibers or strips extending over more than one turn and co-operating with adjacent fibers or strips by making contact therewith such that adjacent fibers or strips can slide over one another while the preform is in any state other than its unfolded state where, under internal pressure, the fibers or strips are locked together by the friction between them due to a capstan effect.
A tubular preform that is radially deformable between a folded state and a substantially cylindrical unfolded state to form a length of rigid tube in situ, wherein the preform comprises a flexible and watertight inner envelope whose peripheral extent is equal to the internal extent of the length of tube, a flexible and watertight outer envelope whose peripheral size is equal to the outside size of the length of tube, and, confined between the two envelopes, reinforcement made of a structure comprising a plurality of fibers or strips impregnated with a settable resin, including fibers oriented mainly in the peripheral direction of the preform, each fiber or strip extending over more than one turn and co-operating with adjacent fibers or strips by making contact therewith such that adjacent fibers or strips can slide over one another while the preform is in any state other than its unfolded state where, under internal pressure, the fibers or strips are locked together by the friction between them due to a capstan effect and wherein, in the folded state, it possesses longitudinal edges forming hairpin bends around respective incompressible volumes limiting the radius of curvature of folding.
A tubular preform that is radially deformable between a longitudinally folded state and a substantially cylindrical unfolded state to form a length of rigid tube in situ, wherein the preform comprises a flexible and watertight inner envelope whose peripheral extent is equal to the internal extent of the length of tube, and on the outside of said inner envelope, reinforcement made of a structure comprising a plurality of fibers impregnated with a settable resin, including fibers or strips oriented mainly in the peripheral direction of the preform, each of these peripherally-oriented fibers or strips extending over more than one turn and co-operating with adjacent fibers or strips by making contact therewith such that adjacent fibers or strips can slide over one another while the preform is in any state other than its unfolded state where, under internal pressure, the fibers or strips are locked together by the friction between them due to a capstan effect, with the thickness of the filamentary structure being greater than 5/10-ths of a millimeter.
A method of casing a borehole by means of a preform deformable between a longitudinally folded state and a substantially cylindrical unfolded state comprising a flexible and watertight inner envelope and, formed on the outside of said inner envelope, reinforcement made of a structure comprising a plurality of fibers or strips impregnated with a settable resin, including fibers oriented mainly in the peripheral direction of the preform, each of these fibers or strips extending over more than one turn and co-operating with adjacent fibers or strips, said preform including a flexible end wall and a second flexible end wall at the opposite end thereof having a filler duct passing therethrough, which duct is connected to a source of fluid under pressure for causing the preform to pass to a cylindrical state from a folded state wherein the method comprises the following steps:
A preform for casing a borehole wherein said preform is closed at both ends, possesses in a folded first state a maximum outside radial size that is less than the inside diameter it achieves when in an unfolded tubular second state, and includes at least one circulation duct extending axially inside the preform and passing in sealed manner through its closed ends.
A method of casing a borehole using a preform which is closed at both ends, which possesses in a folded first state a maximum outside radial size that is less than the inside diameter achieved when in a tubular unfolded second state and which includes at least one circulation duct extending axially inside said preform and passing in sealed manner through its closed ends wherein the method comprises the following steps:
A method of casing a borehole using a preform which is closed at both ends, which possesses in a folded first state a maximum outside radial size that is less than the inside diameter achieved when in a tubular unfolded second state and which includes at least one circulation duct extending axially inside said preform and passing in sealed manner through its closed ends, said preform having its inside volume splitted by a diaphragm into two superposed volumes, one of which is short relative to the other, the longer volume possessing at its end furthest from the other volume, a portion whose length is not less than the length of said other volume and of inside diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of said other volume when said volumes are in their respective second states, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.