Reinforced swell packer for wellbores
An apparatus comprising a swell packer is described, the swell packer comprising a swellable sealing element comprising one or more layers of a swellable material interlayered with a layer of non-swellable material, the combined layers of material wrapped around the outer surface of a conduit, wherein the swellable material is configured to expand from a non-expanded configuration to an expanded configuration in order to form a seal between the outer surface of the conduit and an inner surface of a wellbore or an inner surface of another conduit such as a wellbore casing.
1 . An apparatus comprising:
a swell packer comprising a swellable sealing element comprising one or more layers of a swellable material interlayered with a layer of a non-swellable material, with a lubricant layer disposed between the swellable material and the non-swellable material;
wherein the swell packer encircles an outer surface of a conduit along a longitudinal length of the conduit,
wherein the swellable material is configured to expand from a non-expanded configuration to an expanded configuration in order to form a seal between the outer surface of the conduit and an inner surface of a wellbore when the swell packer is positioned downhole within the wellbore and is in a swelled configuration due to exposure to an activation fluid, and
wherein the lubricant layer enables the swellable sealing element to unwind and expand radially outward as the swelling of the swellable sealing element occurs, and to slide in a rotational direction relative to the non-swellable material.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-swellable material comprises metal.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the non-swellable material comprises a mesh structure.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the mesh structure is exposed at an outer surface of the swellable sealing element prior to an activation of the swell packer by exposure to the activation fluid.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the non-swellable material that wraps around the swellable material has a rough surface to provide an anchoring grip to the inner surface of the wellbore when the swell packer is positioned downhole within the wellbore and is in the swelled configuration.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swellable material comprises a swellable elastomeric material.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the swell packer is coated with a barrier layer, the barrier layer configured to protect the swellable material from exposure to the activation fluid for some period of time once the activation fluid is present at the outer surface of the swell packer.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more layers of the swellable material interlayered with the layer of the non-swellable material are wound in a spiral pattern in cross-section around the conduit.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swell packer further comprises:
a proximal end cap, the proximal end cap secured to the conduit at a position that is longitudinally adjacent to a proximally facing end of the swellable sealing element; and
a distal end cap, the distal end cap secured to the conduit at a position that is longitudinally adjacent to a distally facing end of the swellable sealing element.
10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein each one of the proximal end cap and the distal end cap further comprises an extrusion limitation collar having a set of fingers that extend longitudinally over a portion of the outer surface of the swellable sealing element, the fingers configured to move radially outward, away from the conduit, as the swellable material expands to prevent extrusion of the swellable sealing element over a top surface of a respective one of proximal end cap and the distal end cap when the swell packer is in the swelled configuration.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swellable sealing element comprises: a first reinforced swellable sealing element positioned at a first longitudinal position along the conduit and a second reinforced swellable sealing element positioned at a second longitudinal position along the conduit, the second longitudinal position longitudinally distal relative to the first longitudinal position.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer to join the swellable material and the non-swellable material.
13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swellable material is fused to the non-swellable material.
14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a two layer structure comprising a layer of the swellable material and a layer of the non-swellable material comprises a ramp to contact the outer surface of the conduit.
15 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the activation fluid comprises oil.
16 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swellable material comprises rubber.
17 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-swellable material comprises permeable sheets comprising composites.
18 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the non-swellable material that wraps around the swellable material has a rough surface to provide an anchoring grip to the inner surface of the wellbore or a casing where the swell packer is positioned when the swell packer is in the swelled configuration.
19 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-swellable material has a greater length than the swellable material, the greater length of the non-swellable material wrapping around an outside diameter of the swellable material so as to completely cover an outer surface of the swellable material when the swellable material is in the non-expanded configuration.
20 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the swell packer comprises proximal and distal end caps to be secured longitudinally in position around the conduit by a respective plurality of fasteners.
21 . A method of manufacturing a swell packer, the method comprising:
providing a layer of a swellable material, the layer of swellable material having a sheet configuration including a first width dimension, a first length dimension, and a first sheet thickness dimension, wherein the swellable material is in an un-expanded condition;
providing a layer of reinforcement material, the layer of reinforcement material having a second length dimension, a second width dimension, and a second sheet thickness dimension, wherein the second width dimension of the reinforcement material is at least as wide at the first width dimension of the swellable material and the second length dimension of the reinforcement material is as long or longer than the first length dimension of the swellable material;
positioning a bottom surface of the reinforcement material in contact with a top surface of the swellable material to form a two-part combinational layer of swellable material and reinforcement material;
applying a lubricating material to a top surface of the of the two-part combinational layer; winding the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material around a length of a conduit so that the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material encircle the conduit in an overlapping set of layers for some longitudinal length of the conduit, each of the overlapping set of layers having each layer of the swellable material separated from any adjacent layers of swellable material by layers of the reinforcement material; and
vulcanizing the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material after completing the winding in order to fuse the swellable material within the layers of the reinforcement material, the lubricating material configured to allow for rotational movement of individual layers of the two-part combinational layer relative to adjacent layers of the two-part combinational layer after the winding has been completed and as the swellable material of the swell packer is expanding to form a seal following exposure to an activation fluid.
22 . The method of manufacturing the swell packer of claim 21 , further comprising:
after winding of the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material around the length of the conduit, applying a barrier layer to an outer surface of the two-part combinational layer, the barrier layer comprising a compound configured to delay an exposure of the swellable material to the activation fluid configure to cause the swellable material to expand once the activation fluid is present at the barrier layer.
23 . The method of manufacturing the swell packer of claim 21 , further comprising;
positioning a first end cap to encircle the conduit and adjacent to a proximal end of the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material following winding of the two-part combinational layer onto the conduit; and
positioning a second end cap to encircle the conduit and adjacent to a distal end of the two-part combinational layer of the swellable material and the reinforcement material following winding of the two-part combinational layer onto the conduit.
24 . A method of using a swell packer comprising:
positioning the swell packer in an unexpanded configuration at a location downhole and within a wellbore where a seal between a conduit comprising a body of the swell packer and another surface within the wellbore is to be installed,
wherein the swell packer comprises a swellable sealing element comprising one or more layers of a swellable material interlayered with a layer of a non-swellable material, with a lubricant layer disposed between the swellable material and the non-swellable material,
wherein the swellable sealing element encircles an outer surface of a conduit along a longitudinal length of the conduit, and
wherein the swellable sealing element is configured to expand from a non-expanded configuration to an expanded configuration in order to form a seal between the outer surface of the conduit an inner surface of the wellbore when the swell packer is positioned downhole within the wellbore and the swellable sealing element is exposed to an activation fluid; and
exposing the swellable sealing element to the activation fluid to expand the swell packer from the non-expanded configuration to the expanded configuration, thereby forming the seal between the outer surface of the conduit and the inner surface of the wellbore, wherein the lubricant layer enables the swellable sealing element to unwind and expand radially outward as the swelling of the swellable sealing element occurs, and to slide in a rotational direction relative to the non-swellable material.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the non-swellable material comprises metal.
26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the non-swellable material comprises a mesh structure.
27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the one or more layers of the swellable material interlayered with the layer of the non-swellable material are wound in a spiral pattern in cross- section around the conduit.
28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the swell packer further comprises:
a proximal end cap, the proximal end cap secured to the conduit at a position that is longitudinally adjacent to a proximally facing end of the swellable sealing element; and
a distal end cap, the distal end cap secured to the conduit at a position that is longitudinally adjacent to a distally facing end of the swellable sealing element.