U.S. patent application number 13/713726 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-19 for expandable liner for oversized base casing.
This patent application is currently assigned to EVENTURE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is ENVENTURE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY, LLC. Invention is credited to Frederick Cornell Bennett, Harsh Vardhan Chowdhary, Eric James CONNOR.
Application Number | 20140166310 13/713726 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50929615 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140166310 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CONNOR; Eric James ; et
al. |
June 19, 2014 |
EXPANDABLE LINER FOR OVERSIZED BASE CASING
Abstract
An expandable tubular member comprises a first portion having a
first inner diameter and a first wall thickness. A second portion
of the expandable tubular member has an increased inner diameter
and an increased wall thickness. A transition portion of the
expandable tubular member is defined by a wall thickness that
varies non-linearly between the first wall thickness and the
increased wall thickness.
Inventors: |
CONNOR; Eric James; (Katy,
TX) ; Chowdhary; Harsh Vardhan; (Houston, TX)
; Bennett; Frederick Cornell; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ENVENTURE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY, LLC |
Houston |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
EVENTURE GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY,
LLC
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
50929615 |
Appl. No.: |
13/713726 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/381 ;
166/207 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 43/108
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/381 ;
166/207 |
International
Class: |
E21B 43/10 20060101
E21B043/10 |
Claims
1. An expandable tubular member comprising: a first portion having
a first inner diameter and a first wall thickness; a second portion
having an increased inner diameter and an increased wall thickness;
and a transition portion defined by a wall thickness that varies
non-linearly between the first wall thickness and the increased
wall thickness.
2. The expandable tubular member of claim 1, wherein the transition
portion includes a first length over which the wall thickness
remains constant and the inner diameter increases and a second
length over which the wall thickness increases and the inner
diameter remains constant.
3. The expandable tubular member of claim 2, wherein the wall
thickness in the first length of the transition portion is
substantially equal to the first wall thickness.
4. The expandable tubular member of claim 2, wherein the inner
diameter of the second length of the transition portion is
substantially equal to the inner diameter of the increased wall
thickness portion.
5. The expandable tubular member of claim 1, wherein the transition
portion has either an inner surface or an outer surface defined by
at least one radius.
6. The expandable tubular member of claim 1, wherein the transition
portion has an outer surface at least partially defined by an outer
taper.
7. The expandable tubular member of claim 6, wherein the transition
portion has an inner surface at least partially defined by an inner
taper that is substantially equal to the outer taper.
8. The expandable tubular member of claim 6, wherein the transition
portion has an inner surface having a length that is substantially
parallel to the outer surface.
9. An expandable tubular member comprising: a first portion having
a first inner diameter and a first wall thickness; a second portion
having an increased inner diameter and an increased wall thickness;
and a transition portion having a first end coupled to the first
portion and a second end coupled to the second portion, wherein the
transition portion has a wall thickness that increases in a
non-linear fashion from the first wall thickness at the first end
to the second wall thickness at the second end.
10. The expandable tubular member of claim 9, wherein the
transition portion includes a first length over which the wall
thickness remains constant and the inner diameter increases and a
second length over which the wall thickness increases and the inner
diameter remains constant.
11. The expandable tubular member of claim 10, wherein the wall
thickness in the first length of the transition portion is
substantially equal to the first wall thickness.
12. The expandable tubular member of claim 10, wherein the inner
diameter of the second length of the transition portion is
substantially equal to the inner diameter of the increased wall
thickness portion.
13. The expandable tubular member of claim 9, wherein the
transition portion has either an inner surface or an outer surface
defined by at least one radius.
14. The expandable tubular member of claim 9, wherein the
transition portion has an outer surface at least partially defined
by an outer taper.
15. The expandable tubular member of claim 14, wherein the
transition portion has an inner surface at least partially defined
by an inner taper that is substantially equal to the outer
taper.
16. The expandable tubular member of claim 14, wherein the
transition portion has an inner surface having a length that is
substantially parallel to the outer surface.
17. A method for expanding a tubular member comprising: disposing a
tubular member in a wellbore, wherein the tubular member includes a
first portion having a first inner diameter and a first wall
thickness, a second portion having an increased inner diameter and
an increased wall thickness, and a transition portion defined by a
wall thickness that varies non-linearly between the first wall
thickness and the increased wall thickness; displacing an expansion
cone longitudinally through the tubular member to generate an
expansion force that radially expands the tubular member, wherein
the expansion force needed to radially expand the transition
portion is less than the expansion force needed to radially expand
the first portion.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transition portion includes
a first length over which the wall thickness remains constant and
the inner diameter increases and a second length over which the
wall thickness increases and the inner diameter remains
constant.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the transition portion has an
outer surface at least partially defined by an outer taper.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transition portion has an
inner surface at least partially defined by an inner taper that is
substantially equal to the outer taper.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] None
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus
for expanding a tubular member in a wellbore. More specifically,
this disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for expanding a
tubular member into an oversized base casing.
[0003] Expandable casings, liners, and other tubulars are utilized
in the construction of wells to line the wellbore. Expandable
tubulars are disposed in a well in an unexpanded state and then can
be radially expanded to increase the diameter of the tubular. The
expansion typically takes place via the application of mechanical
expansion tools, hydraulic pressure, or a combination thereof to
plastically deform the tubular. Expandable tubulars can therefore
provide an increased tubular diameter as compared to the use of
conventional tubulars.
[0004] Expandable tubulars are often secured in a wellbore by
compressing an elastomer between a portion of the expanded tubular
and the existing base casing. In certain applications, the existing
base casing may have an inner diameter that makes the compression
of the elastomer difficult due to the size of the inner diameter of
the base casing and the expanded diameter of the expandable
tubular. If the inner diameter of the base casing is too large, the
expansion of the expandable tubular may not provide sufficient
compression of the elastomer or require the use of an increased
thickness of elastomer. In the most extreme of these applications,
the size of the base casing may prevent the use of conventional
expandable tubulars or may require special preparation of the
wellbore to accommodate a larger expandable tubular.
[0005] Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and
apparatus for expanding a tubular member into an oversized base
casing that overcome these and other limitations of the prior
art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] An expandable tubular member comprises a first portion
having a first inner diameter and a first wall thickness. A second
portion of the expandable tubular member has an increased inner
diameter and an increased wall thickness. A transition portion of
the expandable tubular member is defined by a wall thickness that
varies non-linearly between the first wall thickness and the
increased wall thickness.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] For a more detailed description of the embodiments of the
present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional schematic illustration of a
wellbore with an expandable liner.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional schematic illustration of a
wellbore with an expandable liner having an increased wall
thickness in an upper portion of the liner.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of a portion of an
expandable liner having an increased wall thickness.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of the expansion force
required to expand the liner shown in FIG. 3.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of a portion of an
expandable liner with the wall thickness transitioning to an
increased wall thickness.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a portion of an
expandable liner with the wall thickness transitioning to an
increased wall thickness.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a portion of an
expandable liner with the wall thickness transitioning to an
increased wall thickness.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the expansion force
required to expand the liners shown in FIGS. 5-7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] 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.
[0017] 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.
[0018] Referring initially to FIG. 1, an expandable tubular member
10 is disposed within a wellbore 12. An upper end 14 of the
expandable tubular member 10 is in an overlapping relationship with
an existing base casing 16. An expansion cone 18 is moved
longitudinally through the expandable tubular member 10 so as to
increase the inner diameter of the tubular from an unexpanded
diameter 20 to an expanded diameter 22. Anchor members 24 are
disposed about the upper end 14 of the expandable tubular member 10
and engage the base casing 16 as the tubular member 10 is expanded.
To properly engage the base casing 16 and secure the tubular member
10 to the base casing 16, the anchor members 24 are compressed in
the annulus between the tubular and the base casing.
[0019] In certain applications, the expanded diameter 22 of the
tubular member 10 plus the thickness 26 of the tubular may not
provide for sufficient compression of the anchor members 24 in the
annulus between the tubular and the base casing 16. In certain
embodiments, the thickness of the anchor members 24 may be
increased so that sufficient compression can be achieved. In other
embodiments, the thickness 26 of a portion of the expandable
tubular member 10 can be increased, as shown in FIG. 2. Increasing
the thickness 26 in the section of the expandable tubular member 10
onto which the anchor members 24 are mounted allows for the anchor
members to be sufficiently compressed in a larger sized base casing
10.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of an expandable tubular member
10 having a section 14 with an increased wall thickness 26 and a
constant inner diameter 20. The expansion force required to move
cone 18 through tubular member 10 is graphically illustrated in
FIG. 4 where the horizontal axis is the force in pounds and the
vertical axis is distance traveled by the cone. In the example
illustrated in FIG. 4, the tubular member 10 has a nominal wall
thickness of 0.495 inches and an increased wall thickness 26 of
1.06 inches and is being radially expanded by 8.26 percent.
[0021] As can be seen in FIG. 4, the expansion force needed to
expand the portion of the tubular member 10 having an increased
wall thickness 26 is substantially greater than the expansion force
needed to expand the other portions of the tubular member. In
certain embodiments, this increased expansion force may exceed the
operational parameters of the expansion system and/or the
expandable tubular. Therefore, the increased wall thickness 26 is
limited by the allowable expansion forces and may not provide the
necessary thickness to sufficiently compress the anchor members
24.
[0022] In order to reduce the expansion forces required in the
portion of an expandable tubular member 10 having an increased wall
thickness 26, the wall thickness can be decreased by increasing the
inner diameter through the thickened section. Increasing the
unexpanded inner diameter reduces the amount of radial expansion
that is seen by the increased thickness section. Because the amount
radial expansion is decreased, the expansion force is also
decreased.
[0023] FIGS. 5-7 illustrate alternate embodiments for transitioning
the wall of an expandable tubular between a nominal wall thickness
and an increased wall thickness. Each of the embodiments shown
illustrate one end of the increased wall thickness portion and it
is understood that the features shown can be also be present at the
other end of the increased wall thickness portion. For the purposes
of this disclosure, each end of the increased wall thickness
portion is described as having identical features but in certain
embodiments, it may be found that having different features on each
end of the increased wall thickness portion may be desired. In the
description that follows, like numbers are used to refer to like
structural features.
[0024] Referring now to FIG. 5, expandable tubular member 30 has a
nominal inner diameter 32, nominal wall thickness 34, increased
inner diameter 36, and an increased wall thickness 38. The outer
surface of the expandable tubular 30 has an outer taper 40 along
the transition portion between the nominal wall thickness 34 and
the increased wall thickness 38. The inner surface of the
expandable tubular 30 has an inner taper 42 along the transition
portion between the nominal wall thickness 34 and the increased
wall thickness 38. The inner taper 42 and outer taper 40 are
selected so that the thickness of the wall increases linearly
between the nominal wall thickness 34 and the increased wall
thickness 38.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 6, expandable tubular 44 has a nominal
inner diameter 32, nominal wall thickness 34, increased inner
diameter 36, and an increased wall thickness 38. The outer surface
of the expandable tubular 44 has an outer taper 40. The inner
surface of the expandable tubular 44 is defined by a first fillet
radius 46 and a second fillet radius 48 that create a smooth
transition along the inner surface. This smooth transition creates
a wall thickness that varies nonlinearly in the transition portion
between the nominal wall thickness 34 and the increased wall
thickness 38. In certain embodiments, the outer surface of the
expandable tubular 44 may also have one or more fillet radii along
the transition portion between the nominal wall thickness 34 and
the increased wall thickness 38.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 7, expandable tubular 50 has a nominal
inner diameter 32, nominal wall thickness 34, increased inner
diameter 36, and an increased wall thickness 38. The outer surface
of the expandable tubular 50 has an outer taper 40 along the
transition portion between the nominal wall thickness 34 and the
increased wall thickness 38. The inner surface of the expandable
tubular 50 has an inner taper 52 along the transition portion
between the nominal wall thickness 34 and the increased wall
thickness 38. The inner taper 52 and outer taper 40 are
substantially equal so that the wall thickness remains constant
until the inner taper 52 intersects with the increased inner
diameter 36.
[0027] FIG. 8 illustrates the results of an analysis performed on
expandable tubulars having features such as those shown in FIG.
5-7. In the analysis illustrated in FIG. 8, finite element analysis
was used to simulate the expansion of a tubular member with an
expansion cone having an outer diameter of 16.250 inches. For the
purposes of this analysis, the nominal inner diameter, nominal wall
thickness, increased inner diameter, increased wall thickness, and
the outer taper were identical for each analyzed embodiment. The
chart below lists the common dimensions of the expandable tubular
used in the illustrated analysis.
TABLE-US-00001 Nominal Inner Diameter (32) 15.010 inches Nominal
Thickness (34) 0.495 inches Increased Inner Diameter (36) 15.800
inches Increased Thickness (38) 0.970 inches Outer Taper (40) 5
degrees
[0028] The inner taper 42 for the linearly increasing wall
thickness embodiment of FIG. 5 was 2.27 degrees. For the
non-linearly increasing wall thickness embodiment of FIG. 6, the
first fillet radius 46 was 25.4 inches and the second fillet radius
48 was 100 inches. For the constant wall thickness embodiment of
FIG. 7, the inner taper 52 was 5 degrees.
[0029] Referring back to FIG. 8, expansion force curve 54
represents the expansion force curve for the expansion of the
embodiment of FIG. 5. Expansion force curve 56 represents the
expansion force curve for the expansion of the embodiment of FIG.
6. Expansion force curve 58 represents the expansion force curve
for the expansion of the embodiment of FIG. 7.
[0030] Each of the expansion force curves 54, 56, 58 is
substantially equal during the expansion of the portions of the
tubular where the inner diameter and thickness are constant. The
expansion force curves 54, 56, 58 diverge as the diameter and/or
thickness of the tubular transitions from the nominal thickness
portions to the increased thickness portions. Expansion force curve
54 shows an increase in expansion force during the transition
portion between the nominal thickness portions and the increased
thickness portion of the tubular. This increased expansion force is
due to the increasing wall thickness of the tubular and the
changing expansion percentage of the tubular. Because the wall
thickness is increasing linearly and the expansion percentage is
decreasing non-linearly, the expansion force is changing in a
non-linear fashion. It is also observed that the transitions from
the nominal thickness sections to the increased thickness section
require more expansion force than expanding through either of the
constant diameter/constant thickness sections.
[0031] The expansion force curve 56 shows that by increasing the
wall thickness in a non-linear manner (as shown in FIG. 6), the
increased forces seen in expansion force curve 54 can be reduced.
The expansion force curve 56 shows little increase in the expansion
force over the transition portions as compared to the constant wall
thickness sections.
[0032] The expansion force needed to expand the expandable tubular
shown in FIG. 7 is represented by expansion force curve 58.
Surprisingly, the expansion force curve 58 indicates that the
expansion force through the transition between wall thicknesses
actually decreases relative to the expansion force needed for the
constant wall thickness portions. When expanding a tubular having
the features shown in FIG. 7, the maximum expansion force is shown
to occur in the section with an increased wall thickness.
[0033] Thus, using any of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5-7
can allow the expansion of a tubular having a portion with an
increased wall thickness while maintaining expansion forces within
desired ranges. The embodiments disclosed herein may be used in
applications where a portion of an expandable tubular may require
an increased outer diameter after expansion. For example,
embodiments incorporating one or more of the concepts disclosed
herein may be used to create an increased outer diameter portion
for use as a hanger joint and/or to achieve a seal with an existing
casing or the wellbore. These embodiments may be especially useful
in applications where the maximum diameter of the unexpanded system
is limited by a wellbore restriction.
[0034] 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.
* * * * *