Expandable tubing joint and through-tubing multilateral completion method

Abstract

A through-tubing multilateral system for downhole oil drilling operations includes a tubing extension positioned in a downhole end of a tubing string in a wellbore and an anchoring system configured and positioned to anchor the tubing extension in the wellbore. The tubing extension is dimensioned to accommodate the installation of a multilateral junction therein and has an outside diameter that is less than an inside diameter of the tubing string. The tubing extension has a body portion configured to be tubular in structure and a thin walled section attached to one end of the body portion. The thin walled section has a wall thickness that is less than a wall thickness of the body portion. A method of extending the tubing string in the wellbore includes running the tubing extension into the tubing string such that an uphole end of the tubing extension is overlapped by the downhole end of the tubing string, expanding the tubing extension such that the tubing extension is secured in position by the tubing string, and anchoring the tubing extension in the wellbore.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.