Wells – Packers or plugs – With expanding anchor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2001-12-04
Tsay, Frank S. (Department: 3672)
Wells
Packers or plugs
With expanding anchor
C166S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325144
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the earth boring arts. In particular, the invention relates to a well annulus packer having a plurality of independent conduits passing through the packer whereby the packer seal integrity is maintained with the casing wall or well bore.
2. Description of the Prior Art
“Packer” is the term given to an apparatus for axially separating adjacent sections of a borehole or casing annulus with a fluid-tight barrier. Usually, the packer is combined with one or more additional tools such as a slip that is set to hold the packer in place.
The set of a packer is often merely one step in a well working procedure that is either preceded or followed by other procedures and manipulations either above or below the packer. Commonly, pressure and/or temperature measurements from either above or below the packer are transmitted to the surface. Usually, such data is carried on electrical or fiber optic data transmission cable. In other cases, power transmission fluid is delivered to and returned from a downhole fluid motor.
Operational circumstances as described above require one or more sealed conduits across the packer barrier. In the past, such by-pass conduits have been routed through an annulus between a concentric pair of cylindrical mandrels. The inner mandrel serves as the inner conduit for primary well production flow, for example. The outer mandrel serves as the internal base surface for an expandable packer element. An annular space between the inner and outer mandrels routes the fluid or data carrier conduits. That portion of the annular space between the conduits is filled with some form of filler material to maintain a seal between the upper and lower bore zones.
As the need arises for larger fluid and data transmission cable, an increased inter-mandrel annulus is essential to accommodate the increased cable size. However, an increased inter-mandrel annulus requires a larger expandable element mandrel. If the prior art pattern is followed, it is ultimately necessary to increase the borehole size to accommodate larger data cable or fluid circulation conduits: an exponentially expensive consequence.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide larger packer feed-through conduits than is possible by prior art techniques without increasing the borehole or casing size.
Another object of the invention is a packer feed-through technique that eliminates the necessity for a second mandrel in the assembly.
A still further object of the invention is to more efficiently use the annulus area between a packer mandrel and the expandable element.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention addresses these and other objects as will be apparent from the following detailed description wherein the expandable element of the packer and the mandrel are eccentrically aligned. Such an alignment provides an eccentric annulus sector having a greater maximum thickness between the mandrel O.D. surface and the retracted I.D. surface of the expandable element than is geometrically possible with a coaxial construction. External data and fluid circulation or control conduits are routed through the enlarged eccentric sector of the annulus.
The packer end collars are fabricated eccentrically whereby the axis of the mandrel is offset from but parallel with the expandable element axis. Fluid circulation or control conduits are secured to the outer surface of the mandrel along the arc of the of the eccentric area. The mandrel and attached fluid circulation lines are protected by an overlay of rubber/elastomer filler compound. The overlay surface is faired to approximate concentricity about the expandable element axis. The packer inflation element is secured to the end collars around the faired filler.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4798243 (1989-01-01), Curington et al.
patent: 5048610 (1991-09-01), Ross et al.
patent: 5230383 (1993-07-01), Pringle et al.
patent: 6173788 (2001-01-01), Lembcke et al.
patent: 6220362 (2001-04-01), Roth et al.
patent: 6223821 (2001-05-01), Coronado
patent: 1402119 (1902-04-01), None
Badke Greg C.
Edwards John A.
Turley Rocky A.
Baker Hughes Inc.
Madan Mossman & Sriram PC
Tsay Frank S.
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