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CA-3095449-C - TUBULAR EXPANDER WITH DETACHABLE EXPANSION RING

CA3095449CCA 3095449 CCA3095449 CCA 3095449CCA-3095449-C

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to downhole tubulars, and more particularly, to tubular expanders for downhole tubulars that have a detachable expansion ring, which can be detached from the tubular expander in the event that full expansion cannot be achieved or the tubular expander should get stuck in the downhole tubular being expanded. The detachable expansion ring may be attached to an end of an expansion cone that is disposed within a main body of the tubular expander. Tubing hangers are one exemplary downhole tubular device which can be expanded using the tubular expander in accordance with the present invention.

Inventors

  • PETER T. BOGARDUS
  • CARMINE RIGHTER

Assignees

  • TIW CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20190425
Priority Date
20180427

Claims (5)

  1. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: A tubular expander, comprising: a. a main tubular body; b. an inner tubular expansion cone disposed within the main tubular body; and c. an expansion ring longitudinally detachable from a distal end of the inner tubular expansion cone, wherein the expansion ring is detachably connected to the inner tubular expansion cone by an interference fit of the expansion ring over the distal end of the inner tubular expansion cone.
  2. 2. The tubular expander as defined in claim 1, wherein the main tubular body has a tapered inner surface adjacent to and engageable with an outer surface of the inner tubular expansion cone.
  3. 3. The tubular expander as defined in claim 2, wherein the outer surface of the inner tubular 15 expansion cone engageable with the tapered inner surface of the main tubular body has a complementary tapered surface.
  4. 4. The tubular expander as defined in claim 3, wherein the expansion ring comprises an outer curvilinear surface, which has an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the main tubular 20 body.
  5. 5. The tubular expander as defined in claim 4, wherein the outer curvilinear surface of the expansion ring is partially hemispherical in shape. 25 6. The tubular expander as defined in claim 4, wherein the expansion ring comprises an outer taper disposed adjacent to the outer curvilinear surface, wherein the outer taper is angled towards the central axis of the expansion ring. 7. The tubular expander as defined in claim 6, wherein the expansion ring comprises a 30 terminating end opposite to the outer curvilinear surface, wherein the outer diameter of the terminating end is less than the outer diameter of the outer curvilinear surf ace. 8. The tubular expander as defined in claim 1, wherein the expansion ring fits over a recess formed in the distal end of the inner tubular expansion cone with an edge of the expansion ring 35 abutting against a shoulder formed by said recess. 7 Date Rer;ue/Date Received 2024-01-29 9. The tubular expander as defined in claim 1, wherein the expansion ring is formed of a drillable material. 5 10. The tubular expander as defined in claim 1, wherein the main tubular body comprises a distal end having a nose formed thereon and the expansion ring has an outer lip, which engages with the nose of the main tubular body. 11. A method of expanding a tubular member, comprising: a. deploying a tubular expander having a main tubular body, an inner tubular expansion cone disposed within the main tubular body, and an expansion ring longitudinally detachable from a distal end of the inner tubular expansion cone into an inner surface of the tubular member; b. running the tubular expander along the inner surface of the tubular member such that the expansion ring causes the diameter of the tubular member to expand as it runs along the inner 15 surface of the tubular member; and c. detaching the expansion ring from the inner tubular expansion cone, wherein the expansion ring detaches from the inner tubular expansion cone by overcoming a frictional force created by an interference fit formed between the expansion ring and the inner tubular expansion cone. 12. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 11, wherein the expansion ring detaches from the inner tubular expansion cone in the event that the tubular member fails or ceases to expand or the expansion ring becomes stuck inside the inner surface of the tubular member. 13. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 12, further comprising leaving the detached expansion ring installed within the inner surface of the tubular member. 14. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 12, further comprising 30 drilling the expansion ring out of the inner surf ace of the tubular member. 15. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 12, further comprising disposing a secondary tool downhole to continue the expansion of the tubular member. 8 Date Rer;ue/Date Received 2024-01-29 16. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 15, wherein disposing the secondary tool downhole comprises running the secondary tool through the tubular expander and the tubular member. 5 17. The method of expanding a tubular member as defined in claim 11, wherein the tubular member comprises a liner hanger having an inner surface having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the expansion ring, such that as the expansion tubular is run through the liner hanger its diameter is expanded by the expansion ring. 10 18. A tubular expander, comprising: a. a main tubular body; b. an inner tubular expansion cone disposed within the main tubular body; and c. an expansion ring longitudinally detachable from a distal end of the inner tubular expansion cone, wherein the expansion ring is detachably connected to the inner tubular expansion 15 cone via a threaded connection. 19. The tubular expander as defined in claim 18, wherein the main tubular body comprises a distal end having a nose formed thereon and the expansion ring has an outer lip, which engages with the nose of the main tubular body. 20. The tubular expander as defined in claim 18, wherein the expansion ring is formed of a drillable material. 9 Date Rer;ue/Date Received 2024-01-29

Description

WO 2019/210023 PCT/0S2019/029052 TUBULAR EXPANDER WITH DETACHABLE EXPANSION RING TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to downhole tubulars, and more particularly, to 5 tubular expanders having a detachable expansion ring that can be easily drilled out of the inside of a tubular member. BACKGROUND The drilling, completion and servicing of oil and gas wells typically requires the use of 10 strings of tubulars of various sizes in a wellbore in order to transport tools, provide a path for drilling and production fluids, and in some cases, to line the wellbore in order to isolate hydrocarbon bearing formations and provide support to the wellbore. The first step of forming such wells typically involves drilling a borehole into a subterranean formation. If the subterranean formation lacks structural integrity, it is typically lined with casing, which is inserted into the well 15 and then cemented in place. As the well is drilled to a greater depth, smaller diameter strings of casing are lowered into the well bore and attached to the bottom of the previous string of casing. The deeper the formation, the narrower the tubular members that are employed given the telescoping nature of how the strings are connected to one another. It is necessary that a sufficient amount of space must exist in the space formed between 20 the nested tubulars in order to facilitate the fixing, hanging and/or sealing of one tubular from another or the passage of cement or other fluid through the annulus. The hanging of downhole tubulars in this fashion starts at the wellhead and continues down the entire length of the well bore. As well bores get deeper and deeper, especially in offshore environments, the nesting of tubulars in this manner results in a narrowed production pipe. The narrower the production pipe, the 25 smaller the amount of production that is capable of being drawn out of the well over a given period of time. It has therefore been desirable to expand downhole tubulars, including casing and production pipe in order to increase the flow area of the hydrocarbons being produced. The desire to expand downhole tubulars extends not only to the nested tubing itself, but also to the various liner hangers upon which the nesting tubing hangs from the wellhead as well 30 as the intermediate junctions along the wellbore. WO 2019/210023 PCT/0S2019/029052 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 5 FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view ofa tubular expander in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention shown adjacent to a liner hanger body prior to expansion of the liner hanger body by the tubular expander; FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a tubular expander in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure shown adjacent to a liner hanger body prior to expansion of IO the liner hanger body by the tubular expander; FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an expansion ring, which forms a part of the tubular expander shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the tubular expander of FIG. I showing it being run through the inner surface of the liner hanger and partially expanding the same; and 15 FIG.5 is a partial cutaway view of the tubular expander of FIG. 1 with a secondary tool and a detached expansion ring. 2 WO 2019/210023 PCT/0S2019/029052 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous 5 implementation specific decisions must be made to achieve developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in no way should 10 the following examples be read to limit, or define, the scope of the disclosure. Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims. Turning now to FIG. 1, a tubular expander in accordance with the present invention is 15 shown generally by reference numeral 10. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the tubular expander 10 can be used to expand almost