U.S. patent number 3,691,624 [Application Number 05/003,369] was granted by the patent office on 1972-09-19 for method of expanding a liner.
Invention is credited to John C. Kinley.
United States Patent |
3,691,624 |
Kinley |
September 19, 1972 |
METHOD OF EXPANDING A LINER
Abstract
A device and method for expanding a tubing liner having a
preformed reverse bend by pulling the metal of the liner outwardly
to expand the reverse bend and bring the liner into a substantially
cylindrical shape inside of a well tubing or other pipe.
Inventors: |
Kinley; John C. (Houston,
TX) |
Family
ID: |
21705541 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/003,369 |
Filed: |
January 16, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/523;
72/370.06; 166/207; 72/479 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21C
37/30 (20130101); E21B 29/10 (20130101); B21D
39/20 (20130101); B21C 37/15 (20130101); Y10T
29/4994 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
E21B
29/00 (20060101); E21B 29/10 (20060101); B21C
37/06 (20060101); B21C 37/15 (20060101); B21C
37/30 (20060101); B21D 39/08 (20060101); B21D
39/20 (20060101); B21d 039/00 (); B23p
011/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;29/523 ;72/370,479
;166/207,277 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moon; Charlie T.
Claims
I claim:
1. A method for expanding a metal liner in a tubing or pipe,
wherein the liner is preformed with a reverse bend in it,
comprising the steps of:
preforming a reverse bend in a liner
inserting in the upper end of the liner, a portion of an expander
device having a conically shaped body with a groove therein forming
longitudinally extending rounded cusps on each side of the
groove;
positioning the reverse bend in the liner in said groove so that
there is no appreciable contact between the bottom of the groove
and the inside surface of the reverse bend; and
gradually pulling the metal of the liner from its reverse bend
shape to a substantially cylindrical shape in the tubing or pipe
without any appreciable pushing of the metal of the liner at the
reverse bend, by forcing the expander body downwardly in the liner
with only the external surface of the conically shaped body and the
cusps engaging the inside of the liner and with no appreciable
contact between the inside surface of the reverse bend in the liner
and the bottom of the groove.
2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the bottom of the groove is disposed substantially parallel to the
axis of the expander tool from its lower end upwardly for a
majority of its length.
3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the reverse bend in said liner is preformed and positioned in
relation to the groove in the expander device so that the inside
surface of the reverse bend is spaced from the bottom of the groove
at all times to prevent pushing of the metal of liner at the
reverse bend during the forcing of the expander device downwardly
in the liner.
4. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein:
the reverse bend portion of the liner is preformed and positioned
at a lesser depth than the depth of the groove in the expander tool
throughout a substantial portion of the length of the groove to
thereby space the reverse bend portion of the liner away from the
surface of the groove to minimize pushing of the metal of the liner
outwardly as the expander device is forced downwardly relative to
the liner.
5. The method set forth in claim 4, including:
by-passing fluid in the tubing or pipe upwardly through the
expander device as the device is forced downwardly in the liner.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is an improvement over U.S. Pat. application, Ser.
No. 749,711 filed Aug. 2, 1968, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,220,
granted Jan. 13, 1970.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention is apparatus and methods for installing
liners in well tubing or other pipe.
Apparatus for setting a liner or patch in a well tubing or pipe is
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,191,677 and 3,424,244. Also, in said
U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,220, an expander device was disclosed for
expanding a liner having a reverse bend in it into a substantially
cylindrical shape inside of a well tubing or pipe. Such expansion
was accomplished by engaging the inside surface of the reverse bend
with the surface of a tapered groove to push the metal outwardly to
form a substantially cylindrical shape. It has been found that,
using such expander device, occasionally the metal is folded over
itself during the expansion of the liner, which results in an
inadequate or defective seating and sealing of the liner in the
tubing. Furthermore, since such expansion of the liner occurs down
in the well and therefore cannot be observed, the occurrence of the
fold-over cannot be readily detected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new and improved device and
method for expanding a liner having a reverse bend by pulling the
metal outwardly to a substantially cylindrical shape, which
obviates the occasional folding of the liner on itself as occurred
with the device of said U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,220.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the method
and apparatus of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of a portion of the expander device of the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, taken on line 3-3 of
FIG. 2, and illustrating the expander device of this invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 3, with a
metal liner shown in position thereon, as the expander device of
FIG. 3 is being forced downwardly through the liner;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 3 to
illustrate the liner as it is expanded to an intermediate position
during the movement of the expander device downwardly relative to
the liner;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 3 to
further illustrate the outward pulling of the liner to the expander
position with the expander device as it is forced downwardly
through the liner; and
FIG. 7 is a view on line 7--7 of the expander device, and showing
it relative to the liner after the expander device has moved
downwardly within the liner to the line 7--7 of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings, the letter E designates generally the expander
device of this invention which is adapted to be lowered into a pipe
or tubing T with a liner or patch P so as to position same opposite
a hole 12 or other area of the tubing or pipe T which is to be
covered or patched. The expander E is preferably lowered on a
flexible line (not shown) which is a conventional wire line having
therewith suitable wire line jars or other means for imparting
downward jarring movement to the expander device E for driving same
downwardly in the liner P when it is properly positioned in the
tubing T.
Prior to lowering the expander E downwardly into the well, the
defect or opening 12 is located by known means, and then a
removable stop R of conventional construction is dropped or lowered
into a seated position in one of the tubing joints 15, or at any
other suitable point where the stop R may be releasably supported.
A collapsible support S, an example of which is illustrated in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,424,244, is suitably disposed in the tubing T above the
stop R, and it may be located directly upon the stop R. As
illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a spacer bar B, which is
also disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,244 is disposed on the
stop R to support the collapsible support S. As explained in said
patent, more than one of the collapsible supports S may be employed
and one or more of the spacer bars B may be employed. The
collapsible support S is adapted to collapse when contacted by the
lower end of the expander E so as to enable the expander E to move
downwardly completely through the liner P to expand same throughout
substantially its full length to a substantially cylindrical
shape.
Considering the details of the expander device E, such device
includes a body 20 which has its external surface 20a conically
shaped, so as to have a taper upwardly and outwardly from the lower
end 20b to an intermediate substantially cylindrical portion 20c,
the intersection of which is formed at an edge 20d (FIG. 2). In the
form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the conical
shape of the external surface 20a is offset with respect to the
longitudinal axis of the body 20 so that the extreme edge 20e
appearing at the right-hand side of FIG. 3, and also appearing in
FIGS. 4-7, is substantially vertical so as to assist in the guiding
of the expander device E during the lowering thereof. However, the
conical shape of the surface 20a may be provided by having the
conical shape formed on some other axis such as the same axis as
the central axis of the body 20, in which case the surface 20e
would also have a slight taper corresponding basically to the taper
visible on both sides of the surface 20a in FIG. 2.
The conical shape of the external surface 20a is significant in the
present invention because such conical shape enables the expander
device E to pull the metal or other material of the liner P
outwardly from its reverse bent position (FIG. 4) to the
substantially cylindrical position of FIG. 7.
The liner or patch P has a reverse bend 30 (FIG. 4) pre-formed
therein prior to the lowering of the liner P into the tubing T. The
expander body 20 is provided with a groove 31 which is at least
deep enough compared to the depth of the bend 30 in the liner P so
that the surface of the groove 31 does not exert an appreciable
pushing force on the liner P during the forcing of the expander E
downwardly within the liner P. In fact, the surface of the groove
31 could be completely out of contact with the liner P at all
times, since the liner P is expanded by the pulling of the material
of the liner P outwardly due to the enlarging effect of the conical
surface 20a, as previously explained.
On each side of the groove 31, tapered legs or cusps 32 are formed,
each of which is curved and preferably corresponds with the
curvature of the liner P in its initial reverse bent position of
FIG. 4. The cusps 32 could be formed as a sharp point from a
theoretical standpoint, since they merely retain the metal as it is
being pulled outwardly by the external surface 20a, but to prevent
a sharp bend in the metal of the liner P as it is being pulled
outwardly, the cusps 32 are preferably rounded or curved as shown
in the drawings so that as the metal or material of the liner P is
pulled outwardly, the gentle curving of the cusps 32 facilitates
the outward pulling of the metal. By comparing the sequence of
views, FIGS. 4-7, the pulling action by the external surface 20a
and the guiding action of the cusps 32 can be seen.
It is to be noted that the angle of inclination of the cusps with
respect to the longitudinal axis of the body 20 of the device E
should be greater than the angle the surface of the groove 31 makes
with the longitudinal axis of the body 20 so as to avoid any
pushing of the metal at the reverse bend 30 during the downward
movement of the expander device E relative to the liner P. The
reverse bend 30 is shown as spaced slightly from the surface of the
groove 31 in FIG. 4, which is the initial starting position of the
expander device E and the liner P, but it is not necessary for the
reverse bend 30 to be completely out of contact with the surface of
the groove 31, so long as the surface of the groove 31 does not
contribute appreciably to the enlargement of the liner P.
It is to be noted that in the preferred form of the invention, the
groove 31 is substantially vertical or stated differently, the
inside or bottom surface of the groove 31 extends substantially
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body 20. Also, the groove
31 communicates with a central passage 35 in the body 20 and one or
more inclined passages 36 which establish communication for the
bypass of fluid through the body 20 to prevent a fluid lock during
the movement of the expander device E downwardly through the liner
P, should fluid be present in the tubing T.
The lower end of the expander device E has a recess 40 into which a
portion of the upper end of the liner P is crimped or bent (FIG. 1)
so as to releasably hold the liner P on the lower end of the
expander E for the lowering of same into position on the
collapsible support S (FIG. 1). In normal installations, the liner
P may be as long as 10 feet, or even 12 feet. The length is of
course not to be considered a limitation with respect to the
invention, since the length of the liner P may be varied for
different applications. In any event, the initial jarring of the
expander device E releases the expander device E from its
releasable connection at the recess 40 so as to permit the expander
E to thereafter move downwardly in the liner P for expanding same,
as will be more fully explained. It will also be appreciated that
other suitable releasing means for releasably attaching the
expander device E to the liner P may be employed. In some
instances, the liner P may be lowered separately into the tubing T,
and the expander device E may then be lowered subsequently for the
insertion of the expander device E into the upper end of the liner
P. However, due to the difficulties of alignment of the expander
device E and the liner P, such a separate lowering of the device E
and the liner P normally is not recommended.
The expander device E has a tapered or reduced body portion 50
above the substantially cylindrical portion 20c, through which the
fluid discharge or bypass passages 36 extend. An upper stem 51
extends upwardly from the body portion 50, and preferably a
centralizing means 52, which in the preferred form of the
invention, includes a plurality of ribs 52a, is mounted. Such
centralizing means 52 may be formed by machining a part of the stem
51 so that the ribs 52a are actually integral with the stem 51. The
upper end of the stem 51 has a fishing neck 53 to which a
conventional running-in tool is releasably attached for lowering
the device E to the position shown in FIG. 1. Thereafter, the
running-in tool is released and withdrawn from the well, and link
jars or rein jars, or other suitable jarring devices which are
supported on a wire line (not illustrated) are lowered, usually
together with a finishing tool such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.
3,191,677 for providing a downward jarring action on the expander
device E to drive same downwardly in the liner P.
In the operation or use of the apparatus of this invention, the
removable stop R is initially placed in position in the tubing T at
a point below the hole or other defect 12 which is to be patched or
covered by the liner or tubing patch P. Then, as explained in said
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,244, the spacer or spacers B and the
collapsible support S are lowered into position in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 1. Thereafter, the expander device E with the
liner P releasably attached at its lower end are lowered into the
tubing or pipe T with the running-in tool on the wire line until
the lower end of the liner or patch P engages the upper surface of
the collapsible stop S.
After the liner P has contacted the upper end of the collapsible
support S, the running-in tool is released and withdrawn from the
well, leaving the device E as shown in FIG. 1. Thereafter, the jars
are lowered on a wireline, as explained above, so that the jarring
of the expander device E may be accomplished. The initial jarring
releases the crimped connection at the recess 40, permitting the
expander device E to move downwardly and to expand the liner P
outwardly by pulling same outwardly due to the tapered or conical
surface 20a of the body 20, as previously explained. The expander
device E moves downwardly through the liner P until the lower end
thereof reaches the upper end of the collapsible support S, at
which time the collapsible support S is caused to collapse, at
least partially, as explained in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,244, and
this permits the expander device E to move completely through the
liner P for expanding the liner P to its substantially cylindrical
shape (FIG. 7) throughout substantially the full length of the
liner P.
Additional expanding tools for a final expansion of the liner P may
be employed, an example of which is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
3,191,677, for forcing the liner out to form a seal with the inside
of the tubing T so as to prevent leakage through the hole 12 or
other defect in the pipe T.
With the present invention, the liner is expanded without any
danger of a fold-over of the metal on itself during the expansion
and therefore, the expansion to the substantially cylindrical shape
illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings is assured under a normal
operating condition. The term "cusp" and "cusps" as used herein and
in the claims is intended to and does include the rounded shape or
lobes shown in particular at 32 in FIGS. 4-7 of the drawings, and
it should be understood that such cusps are not sharply pointed in
practice.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are
illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the
size, shape, and materials as well as in the details of the
illustrated construction may be made without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
* * * * *