Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080210418 | Split Body Swelling Packer - A swelling packer system uses modules that can be joined together and mounted over a tubular using a vertical split that can be drawn closed with a tapered pin in overlapping loops. The pins are circumferentially spaced apart as between adjacent modules. End rings can protect the modules for run in and act as extrusion barriers during and after the swelling is complete. The module ends can be overlapped in an interlocking fashion which allows multiple elements to be joined together to make a packer assembly as long as desired with any combination of swelling elements in a single packer assembly. Optionally, interior grooves in the swelling material can hold split ring seals or o-ring type seals that are slipped over a tubular end before a module is clamped on. The sealing elements can be triggered with water or hydrocarbons or with other materials already in the wellbore or introduced to it or other surface or locally actuated triggers. | 09-04-2008 |
20090139707 | Swellable Packer with Back-Up Systems - A packer assembly which incorporates a swellable elastomeric packer element and one or more swellable thermoplastic components. The swellable thermoplastic components are support rings that are located at each axial end of the elastomeric element and provide positive mechanical backups for the elastomeric element to limit extrusion of the packer element. | 06-04-2009 |
20090178800 | Multi-Layer Water Swelling Packer - A packer for downhole use responds to water containing fluids by swelling from its core. The core is preferably covered with an outer layer that preferably has a lower rate of diffusion and swelling than the core that it surrounds. Because of this arrangement, the packer can be delivered to the desired location before it is set by swelling of the core. The outer layer can also be responsive to water containing fluids by dissolving slowly to allow time to properly position the packer before the core swells to a sealing relationship with the surrounding tubular or the wellbore wall. | 07-16-2009 |
20100230094 | Sealing Feed Through Lines for Downhole Swelling Packers - A swelling element on a packer has a trough formed on a longitudinal axis. The control line or cable or conduit that needs to run along the string where the packer is mounted is first wrapped in a preferably non-swelling underlayment that can be a loose scroll or have its seam sealed. A swelling cover is placed over the underlayment using a seam that can be longitudinal or spiral to allow rapid deployment. The covering assembly for the control line or conduit is placed in the slot of the swelling element of the packer. The line or cable continues out opposed ends and can be secured to the tubular string with clamps. In an alternative embodiment the control line is covered with a swelling material and forced into a groove that runs the length of the packer swelling element. | 09-16-2010 |
20110259579 | Sealing Feed Through Lines for Downhole Swelling Packers - A swelling element on a packer has a trough formed on a longitudinal axis. The control line or cable or conduit that needs to run along the string where the packer is mounted is first wrapped in a preferably non-swelling underlayment that can be a loose scroll or have its seam sealed. A swelling cover is placed over the underlayment using a seam that can be longitudinal or spiral to allow rapid deployment. The covering assembly for the control line or conduit is placed in the slot of the swelling element of the packer. The line or cable continues out opposed ends and can be secured to the tubular string with clamps. In an alternative embodiment the control line is covered with a swelling material and forced into a groove that runs the length of the packer swelling element. | 10-27-2011 |
20120090852 | Apparatus and method for compensating for pressure changes within an isolated annular space of a wellbore - Pressure relief devices comprise a chamber having a piston disposed therein. One side of the piston defines a hydrostatic chamber in fluid communication with an outside environment, such as an isolated wellbore annulus, through a port. The other side of the piston defines a sealed or isolated chamber. The pressure relief device permits changes in pressure in the isolated wellbore annulus to be distributed into the chambers so as to either reduce the pressure within the isolated wellbore annulus or increase the pressure within the wellbore annulus, both of which lessen the likelihood that the change in pressure within the isolated wellbore annulus will damage wellbore components disposed therein. | 04-19-2012 |
20120119445 | Sealing devices having a non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material and methods of using same - Sealing devices such as packers comprise a sealing element having one or more non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material layers formed by a plurality of fibers. The plurality of fibers may comprise one or more of natural material, metallic material, plastic material, or other non-elastomeric sealing material. The non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material layers may be formed by weaving the plurality of fibers, braiding the plurality of fibers, or forming a fibrous mass of the plurality of fibers. During operation, the non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material layers are radially expanded causing compression of the non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material layers. As a result, at least a portion of the air volume within the non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material layers is displaced by non-elastomeric fibrous sealing material causing the sealing element to engage a sealing surface, thereby forming a seal. | 05-17-2012 |
20120227958 | Sealing Feed Through Lines for Downhole Swelling Packers - A swelling element on a packer has a trough formed on a longitudinal axis. The control line or cable or conduit that needs to run along the string where the packer is mounted is first wrapped in a preferably non-swelling underlayment that can be a loose scroll or have its seam sealed. A swelling cover is placed over the underlayment using a seam that can be longitudinal or spiral to allow rapid deployment. The covering assembly for the control line or conduit is placed in the slot of the swelling element of the packer. The line or cable continues out opposed ends and can be secured to the tubular string with clamps. The control line can be covered with a swelling material and forced into a groove that runs the length of the packer swelling element. | 09-13-2012 |
20120299246 | BOREHOLE SEAL, BACKUP AND METHOD - A method and assembly for reducing a radial gap between radially proximate components including a setting member having a first dimension that partially defines the radial gap, the setting member including a circumferential groove extending radially from the first dimension, and a first toroid having a second dimension, the setting member operatively arranged to engage with the first toroid, wherein increasingly engaging the setting member with the first toroid enables a boundary dimension of the assembly to be extended toward the radial gap for reducing the radial gap, the circumferential groove operatively arranged to catch the first toroid when the setting member is fully engaged with the first toroid. | 11-29-2012 |
20130032354 | ANNULAR PRESSURE REGULATING DIAPHRAGM AND METHODS OF USING SAME - Downhole tools comprise a housing chamber with an expandable member disposed therein. An interior of the expandable member is in fluid communication with an outside environment so that hydrostatic pressure can act on an inner wall surface of the expandable member. The outer wall surface of the expandable member partially defines a sealed chamber within the housing chamber such that expansion of the expandable member due to an increase in hydrostatic pressure causes the volume within the sealed chamber to decrease, thereby energizing the sealed chamber. Thus, an increase in hydrostatic pressure within an outside environment is compensated. Further, when the hydrostatic pressure within the outside environment decreases, the energized sealed chamber causes contraction of the expandable member, thereby compensating for the decrease in hydrostatic pressure. | 02-07-2013 |
20130056207 | DOWNHOLE SEALING SYSTEM USING CEMENT ACTIVATED MATERIAL AND METHOD OF DOWNHOLE SEALING - A downhole sealing system includes a reactive material provided on a tubular and including an oxidizable substance; and a sealing material, wherein the oxidizable substance oxidizes when in contact with the sealing material. Also included is a method of providing a seal in a downhole system. | 03-07-2013 |
20140182861 | Casing or Liner Barrier with Remote Interventionless Actuation Feature - A tubular string is run into a wellbore with a remotely actuated valve near a lower end adjacent a cementing shoe. The valve is triggered to operate without intervention such as by mud pulses generated at the surface and recognized by a sensor linked to a processor adjacent the valve to trigger the valve to close. Alternative actuation systems are envisioned for the valve that is located near the cementing shoe. | 07-03-2014 |