Case Study Expandable Steel Packers Navigate Wellbore Restrictions to Isolate Openhole Sections for Acidizing
Robust packers maintain integrity and rapid expansion expedites targeted acid stimulation.
Annular zonal isolation packers
Using expandable steel technology for zonal isolation in openhole and cased hole wells
Set the packer immediately with on-demand expansion
AZIP packers seal effectively, even in oval, out-of-gauge, and irregular boreholes, providing a cost-effective solution for the life of the well. They also seal reliably through thermal cycling and temperature fluctuations. These packers minimize cost because they have no special well fluid requirements for expansion and they save time with on-demand expansion and immediate sealing. A robust construction withstands reciprocation and rotation to pass through doglegs and tight spots, reducing flat time.
The packer is made up to a casing string that is run into the open or cased hole. Once in position, pressure is applied by pumping from surface to expand the packer. The lower end of the string can be sealed with a plug and then the full string above is pressurized. Alternatively, the expansion port can be isolated using a cup tool or polished bore receptacle with an inner string.
Pressure is transmitted through the expansion port to the packer’s integral sleeve. The sleeve expands into the annulus between the casing and borehole or outer casing string, conforming to the shape of the wellbore or casing and isolating the annulus below the packer from the annulus above. Expansion of the sleeve also centralizes the casing string.