US 11,808,104 B2
Seal for a well
Craig Francis Bryce Hendrie, Aberdeen (GB); Bernard Herman Van Bilderbeek, Aberdeen (GB); and Brent Harrald, Aberdeen (GB)
Assigned to Plexus Holdings, PLC, Aberdeen (GB)
Appl. No. 17/279,658
Filed by PLEXUS HOLDINGS, PLC, Aberdeen (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 27, 2019, PCT No. PCT/GB2019/052731
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/065335, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1815929 (GB), filed on Sep. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0034189 A1, Feb. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 33/12 (2006.01); E21B 33/04 (2006.01); F16J 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 33/1212 (2013.01) [E21B 33/04 (2013.01); F16J 15/025 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sealing arrangement comprising an inner well casing and a seal structure for sealing an annulus in a well, the annulus being formed between an outer surface of the inner well casing and an outer well casing in which the inner well casing is concentric with the outer well casing, wherein the inner well casing comprises:
a central longitudinal axis which extends along a longitudinal axis of the inner well casing; and
an outer clamping surface which is arranged to be secured and clamped by the outer well casing, the outer clamping surface being located at an initial radial distance from the central longitudinal axis of the inner well casing;
the seal structure comprising:
a flexible metal sealing lip which projects radially outwardly and away from the central longitudinal axis of the inner well casing, the metal sealing lip having a distal sealing surface for sealing against an inner surface of the outer well casing and the metal sealing lip projecting from a support surface of the inner well casing; and
wherein
the metal sealing lip is arranged to provide an auxiliary seal with the outer well casing, in addition to a primary seal provided by the outer clamping surface;
the metal sealing lip extends towards the outer well casing;
a projection angle of the metal sealing lip is defined between a pressure containing surface of the metal sealing lip and the support surface of the inner well casing, and the projection angle of the metal sealing lip is arranged to decrease as the metal sealing lip is flexed to push the sealing surface toward the central longitudinal axis by a clamping force pushing the outer well casing toward the inner well casing, and wherein the projection angle is urged towards a greater projection angle by pressure in the annulus acting on the pressure containing surface which is arranged to urge the sealing surface towards the inner surface of the outer well casing.