Patent Application
20140041880
This disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for expanding a tubular member in a wellbore. More specifically, this disclosure relates to expanding a tubular member using an adjustable expansion cone.
Wellbore tubular members, such as casings or liners, can be expanded in the wellbore using a variety of known processes. These processes often utilize expansion cones that are shaped to radially expand the tubular as the cone moved axially through the tubular. Many conventional expansion cones have a fixed outer diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of tubular member before expansion. The size of the fixed diameter expansion cone necessitates that, before expansion begins, the cone is contained within an enlarged section of the tubular, known as a launcher, or disposed outside of the tubular being expanded.
The launcher, or the expansion cone itself, is thus the component of the tool string having the largest outer diameter and is therefore a major factor in determining the operating envelope of the system. For example, if an expandable tubular is needed at a location in the wellbore below a restriction, the size of the launcher or cone will limit the systems that can be used. Fixed diameter cones are also susceptible to getting stuck in the unexpanded tubular should the expansion process fail or an unexpected restriction be encountered.
Adjustable expansion cones have been used to overcome some of the limitations of fixed diameter cones by providing a mechanism for varying the outer diameter of the cone. Adjustable expansion cones generally include a plurality of segments that are “assembled” downhole into a cone capable of expanding a tubular member. Adjustable cones are available in a variety of styles and configurations but, like conventional fixed diameter cones, suffer from certain performance limitations and are generally more mechanically complex than fixed diameter cones.
Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and apparatus for adjustable expansion cones that overcome these and other limitations of the prior art.
An expansion cone comprising a cone body having a first expansion surface with a diameter that increases from a leading edge to a first expansion diameter. A resilient sleeve disposed on an actuation mandrel that is coupled to the cone body. Movement of the actuation mandrel relative to the cone body moves an outer surface of the resilient sleeve to a second expansion diameter that is greater than the first expansion diameter.
For a more detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It is to be understood that the following disclosure describes several exemplary embodiments for implementing different features, structures, or functions of the invention. Exemplary embodiments of components, arrangements, and configurations are described below to simplify the present disclosure; however, these exemplary embodiments are provided merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various exemplary embodiments and across the Figures provided herein. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various exemplary embodiments and/or configurations discussed in the various figures. Moreover, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed interposing the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Finally, the exemplary embodiments presented below may be combined in any combination of ways, i.e., any element from one exemplary embodiment may be used in any other exemplary embodiment, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Additionally, certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, various entities may refer to the same component by different names, and as such, the naming convention for the elements described herein is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, unless otherwise specifically defined herein. Further, the naming convention used herein is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. Additionally, in the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to.” All numerical values in this disclosure may be exact or approximate values unless otherwise specifically stated. Accordingly, various embodiments of the disclosure may deviate from the numbers, values, and ranges disclosed herein without departing from the intended scope. Furthermore, as it is used in the claims or specification, the term “or” is intended to encompass both exclusive and inclusive cases, i.e., “A or B” is intended to be synonymous with “at least one of A and B,” unless otherwise expressly specified herein.
Referring initially to
Actuation mandrel 16 includes a main body 30 having a first end 32 that is slidably engaged with the solid cone body 12. An annular flange 34 projects radially outward from a second end 36 of the main body 30. The resilient sleeve 14 is disposed about the main body 30 of the actuation mandrel 16 between the annular flange 34 and the shoulder 28 of solid cone body 12 in a first position. The resilient sleeve 14 may be constructed from any desirable resilient material including, but not limited to, polyurethane, rubber, polymers, and other materials.
Referring now to
The actuation mandrel 16 may be moved relative to the solid cone body 12 by a variety of mechanisms. In certain embodiments, the actuation mandrel 16 may be coupled to a work string, or other component, that is operable to apply tension to pull the actuation mandrel 16 relative to the solid cone body 12. In other embodiments, hydraulic pressure applied to the actuation mandrel 16 may generate the force needed to move the actuation mandrel 16 relative to the solid cone body 12. In either embodiment described above, the force used to move the actuation mandrel 16 relative to the solid cone body 12 may also be used to move the hybrid expansion cone 10 through a tubular member.
Referring now to
The resilient sleeve 44 may be coupled to the solid cone body 42 at a location that is substantially adjacent to the second end 24 or may be spaced from the second end 24 by a constant diameter portion 26. The resilient sleeve 44 may be constructed from any desirable resilient material including, but not limited to, polyurethane, rubber, polymers, and other materials. Actuation mandrel 46 includes a main body 48 having a substantially cylindrical portion 50 and an expansion portion 52. In the unexpanded first position shown in
Referring now to
The actuation mandrel 46 may be moved relative to the solid cone body 42 by a variety of mechanisms. In certain embodiments, the actuation mandrel 46 may be coupled to a work string, or other component, that is operable to apply tension to pull the actuation mandrel 16 relative to the solid cone body 42. In other embodiments, hydraulic pressure applied to the actuation mandrel 46 may generate the force needed to move the actuation mandrel 46 relative to the solid cone body 42. In either embodiment described above, the force used to move the actuation mandrel 46 relative to the solid cone body 42 may also be used to move the hybrid expansion cone 40 through a tubular member.
Once the tubular member 60 is positioned at a desired location in the wellbore 62, the hybrid expansion cone 10 is actuated and the resilient sleeve 14 moved to an expanded position. The hybrid expansion cone 10 is then moved axially through the tubular member 60. As the hybrid expansion cone 10 moves through the tubular member 60, the solid cone body 12 expands the tubular member 60 to a first expanded inner diameter 66 and the resilient sleeve 14 expands the tubular member 60 to a second expanded inner diameter 68.
As shown in
The tubular member 60 is illustrated as being used in an open-hole clad application but is it understood that the methods illustrated and described herein are can also be used in other expandable applications. For example, a hybrid expansion cone could be used in a conventional casing expansion in its expanded state and the resilient sleeve only be refracted if the expansion cone should become stuck or need to otherwise pass through a restriction in the wellbore. A hybrid expansion cone could also be used in a pipe-in-pipe application where the resilient sleeve provides a slight over-expansion of the inner pipe to ensure close contact with the base pipe.
In other applications, a hybrid expansion cone could be used in an application where the resilient sleeve was only actuated to over-expand limited sections of the tubular, such as seal or anchor hanger sections, and the solid portion of the hybrid cone used for the substantial part of the expansion process. A hybrid expansion cone could also be used to expand a tubular into a well containing a tapered string or other casing strings where the inner diameter of the base casing may vary over the length of the casing. A hybrid expansion cone could also be used to create a larger inner diameter of the expanded casing at the upper end for use as a tie-back receptacle.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/680,487, titled Hybrid Expansion Cone, which was filed Aug. 7, 2012. This priority application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application, to the extent that it is not inconsistent with the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61680487 | Aug 2012 | US |
