Baker Hughes Corporation

Greg C Badke

Rocky A Turley

Rustom K Mody

Darrin Lee Willauer

Mark Edward Plante

John A Edwards

An expandible packer provides a crescent-shaped cross-sectional area for more and larger diameter data cable and fluid control conduits by eccentrically offsetting the packer mandrel relative to the expandable element. The expandible element of the packer eccentrically surrounds the mandrel to provide an eccentric volume zone between the packer collars. One or more data cable or fluid carrier conduits may be laid between the collars within this eccentric zone, all of greater diameter than would be possible within an annulus between two concentric mandrels. The eccentric zone conduits are secured and protected by a compliant filler material such as rubber or other elastomer that is applied around and between the control conduits within the eccentric zone. This filler material is trimmed or cast to a substantially cylindrical surface about an axis that is substantially coextensive with the expandable element axis.

Inflatable packer with feed-thru conduits

A method and apparatus are disclosed which allow isolation of a plurality of zones for treatment, particularly sand fracturing. The lowermost barrier can be pumped through tubing and anchored in cased or open holes. In the preferred embodiment, the pumped plug has a visco-elastic member which contains a particulate aggregate mixture, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,285. The visco-elastic material is subjected to a force which changes its shape so that the material obstructs the wellbore. The shape change also accomplishes dehydration of the material within the visco-elastic enclosure by virtue of fluid displacement, resulting from a volume reduction, hardening it so that a plug using the visco-elastic material is formed. Thereafter, a packer on the tubing string is set to isolate the zone for sand fracturing. The process can be repeated without tripping out of the hole as additional plugs are pumped through tubing and the process is repeated. At the conclusion of the fracturing, the various plugs, which are of simple and economical construction, can be readily milled out.

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Conroe, TX, United States of America

Greg C Badke