Dynamic Effects of Mandrel/Tubular Interaction on Downhole Solid Tubular Expansion in Well Engineering

The expansion process subjects a solid tubular to large plastic deformations leading to variations in tubular thickness and length, which may result in premature and unexpected failures. It was noticed that the expansion process induces wall thickness imperfections due to excessive local plastic deformation as a result of mandrel sticking and slipping relative to the expanded tubular; such irregularities increase the probability of failure. Mandrel sticking may be the result of lack of enough lubrication, tubular surface irregularities, and the presence of welded and/or threaded connections, which require higher drawing force to push the mandrel forward. When the drawing force required to overcoming the maximum static friction and the mandrel forward motion is assured, the mandrel slips relative to the expanded tubular. This “stick-slip” phenomenon results in mandrel oscillations that affect the tubular response in terms of further reduction in thickness and may jeopardize the tubular capacity under normal operating field conditions. Therefore, the present work studies the mandrel dynamics and their effect on the tubular structural response. A mathematical model, which is an extension of the quasistatic tubular expansion analysis, has been developed to describe the dynamic friction effects of the stick-slip phenomenon. A special case of tubular expansion consisting of 25% expansion ratio of a 4/12 in. (114.3 mm) liner hanger was considered. It was found that the level of mandrel oscillations is in the order of 1–2 mm around its equilibrium position resulting in tubular thickness reduction of approximately 9% on top of its variation caused by the steady state expansion process. This increase in thickness reduction may affect the postexpansion collapse strength of the tubular.