Gas Tight Tubular Joint or Connection
Gas tight tubular joint or connection, particularly related to mono diameter tubular body in the form of a pipe or casing being used in connection with the production of oil and/or gas, where the pipes or casings are manufactured from tubular sections and where the tubular sections, after being interconnected at their respective ends, are finally formed by expansion. The pipes or casings are formed from at least two, one outer and one inner tubular section. The ends of each of said respective section is overlapping the next, succeeding tubular section, whereby one or more of the inner, intermediate or outer tubular sections are of different metallic materials and/or different thickness, and under the deformation process, is plastified or plastically deformed in the overlapping zone forming a metallic seal and thereby providing gas pressure integrity between the inside and outside of the expanded tubular pipe/casing.
1 - 5 . (canceled)
6 . Gas tight tubular connection, particularly related to mono diameter tubular body in the form of a pipe or casing being used in connection with the production of oil and/or gas, where the pipes or casings are manufactured from tubular sections and where the tubular sections, after being interconnected at their respective ends, are finally formed by expansion, wherein the pipes or casings are formed from at least two, one outer and one inner tubular section, the ends of each of which respective section is overlapping the next, succeeding tubular section, whereby one or more of the inner, intermediate or outer tubular sections are of different thickness, and under the deformation process, is plastified or plastically deformed in the overlapping zone, in which the thickness of the inner tubular section is larger than the at least one outer tubular section, resulting in the formation of a metallic seal between the tubular sections due to the induced residual stress, and thereby providing gas pressure integrity between the inside and outside of the expanded tubular pipe/casing.
7 . Gas tight tubular connection according to claim 6 , wherein the connection includes one inner tubular body ( 8 ) where the tubular sections ( 9 ), ( 10 ) are connected by conical, female respectively male threaded sections, and where an outer ring or bushing ( 11 ) is provided around the connected, threaded section, whereby the bushing ( 11 ), stretching over and lengthwise beyond the threaded section, is preferably connected to the inner tubular body at one end by means of a weld ( 12 ) to keep the bushing in place under the expansion operation, and where the outer bushing has reduced thickness compared to the inner tubular section to obtain residual stress.
8 . Gas tight tubular connection according to claim 6 , wherein the connection consists of an inner tubular section ( 13 ) with a radially protruding, preferably rounded party ( 14 ) having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the inner tubular section and extending into an outer tubular section ( 15 ) with a corresponding outwardly extending, rounded party ( 16 ) having a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the tubular section.
9 . Gas tight tubular connection according to claim 6 , wherein formable material, preferably metal ( 19 ), is provided in-between two adjacent tubular sections ( 17 , 18 ), whereby the formable material is provided between threaded sections ( 20 , 21 ) of each of the connections between the adjacent sections ( 17 , 18 ).
10 . Gas tight tubular connection according to claim 6 , wherein the tubular casing is composed of three or more pipes ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) inside one another over the connection, each one with its own connection, whereby the different pipes and the connections ( 4 , 5 , 6 ) are axially displaced relative to one another with a distance 8 .
11 . Gas tight tubular connection according to claim 6 , wherein additional residual stresses are generated in the interface between an inner straight tubular body and at least one of the two ends of an outer tubular body, the additional residual stresses being generated by a residual bending in the at least one of the two ends of the tubular body due to the reduced amount of material near the ends compared to positions distant from the ends.