Tubular patch

An expander system for passage through a liner patch to expand the liner patch to seal a hole in a tubular member, the tubular member part of a tubular string in a wellbore extending from a surface of the earth down into the earth, the expander system comprising

• a body having a top, a bottom, and a middle portion, the top having an outer diameter, the bottom having an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the top, and the middle portion having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the top,
• a first set of first fingers, each first finger movable and having a first finger top and a first finger bottom, the first finger bottoms disposed around the top of the body and releasably connected thereto,
• a second set of second fingers, each second finger movable and having a second finger top and a second finger bottom, the second finger tops disposed around the bottom of the body and releasably connected thereto,
• movement apparatus for releasing the first and second sets of fingers from the body and moving the fingers to abut the middle portion of the body so that the fingers project radially outwardly from the middle portion of the body,
• each first finger having an inwardly directed male detent, the top of the body having a female recess corresponding to each male detent of a first finger, the middle portion of the body having a female recess corresponding to each male detent of a first finger, the male detents of the first fingers initially releasably held in the corresponding female recesses of the top of the body,
• the first fingers movable outwardly by the movement apparatus to move the male detents of the first fingers out from the corresponding female recesses in the top of the body, and the first fingers then movable by the movement apparatus to move each male detent into a corresponding female recess on the middle portion of the body,
• each second finger having an inwardly directed male detent, the top of the body having a female recess corresponding to each male detent of a second finger, the middle portion of the body having a female recess corresponding to each male detent of a second finger, the male detents of the second fingers initially releasably held in the corresponding female recesses of the top of the body,
• the second fingers movable outwardly by the movement apparatus to move the male detents of the second fingers out from the corresponding female recesses in the top of the body, and the second fingers then movable by the movement apparatus to move each male detent into a corresponding female recess on the middle portion of the body,
• each first finger bottom having a recess therein and each second finger top shaped for receipt within an opposing first finger bottom,
• the expander system further comprising the fingers movable by the movement apparatus so that at least a portion of each second finger top is movable into at least a portion of a corresponding opposing recess in an opposing first finger bottom, and
• the first fingers circumferentially offset with respect to the second fingers.

An expander system for passage through a liner patch to expand the liner patch to seal a hole in a tubular member, the tubular member part of a tubular string in a wellbore extending from a surface of the earth down into the earth, the expander system comprising

• a body having a top, a bottom, and a middle portion, the top having an outer diameter, the bottom having an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the top, and the middle portion having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the top, p1 a first set of first fingers, each first finger movable and having a first finger top and a first finger bottom, the first finger bottoms disposed around the top of the body and releasably connected thereto,
• a second set of second fingers, each second finger movable and having a second finger top and a second finger bottom, the second finger tops disposed around the bottom of the body and releasably connected thereto,
• movement apparatus for releasing the first and second sets of fingers from the body and moving the fingers to abut the middle portion of the body so that the fingers project radially outwardly from the middle portion of the body,
• a housing having a top and having a bottom to which the first finger tops are secured,
• a nose cone secured to the top of the housing, the nose cone for facilitating entry of the expander system into the liner patch,
• a nose cone sleeve disposed about the nose cone for initially abutting a lower end of the liner patch to prevent entry of the nose cone into the liner patch, the nose cone sleeve releasably secured to the top of the housing by a shearable member which is selectively shearable by imposing a force on the housing sufficient to shear the shearable member thereby permitting entry of the nose cone into the liner patch,
• a connecting rod movably extending through the nose cone and through the housing, the connecting rod connected to a working string extending through the wellbore to the earth surface,
• a piston movably disposed within the housing and connected to the connecting rod so that pulling up on the connecting rod with the working string moves the piston to the top of the housing and then pulling up on the connecting rod with the working string applies force to shear the shearable member, and
• reset apparatus contacting the body for automatically moving the fingers away from the middle portion of the body upon exit of the expander system from the liner patch.