Radial has undertaken intensive shop testing of a liner top steel-on-steel seal/barrier for SAGD operations inside actual production casing. This has demonstrated the ability of REED to deliver a steel-on-steel closure interface nearly three inches (7.62 cm) long. In thermal operations, this is much longer lasting during casing expansion/contraction cycles than conventional liner top sealing elements, even composite metals. Field installations have proven that REED can install expansions in one run.
Radial has modified REED to install a debris barrier for recompletions in heavy oil thermal recovery applications. The technology ensures the external diameter of the sealing assembly can pass through distortions or restrictions. The liner is installed with an expansion sleeve on top. Once in place, the sleeve is expanded.
Surface tests of casing-in-casing liners reveal that each “metal-on-metal” expansion can result in a seal up to three inches long.
Field installation involves four expansions in a single run for satisfactory well performance. The sealing surface area contains no moving parts to wear or deteriorate from movement associated with thermal expansion and contraction.
Radial has shop tested steel-on-steel seal inside of a sample of the production casing in which the liner top would be installed. This test demonstrates that the expansion force not set the sleeve in place, but setting had sufficient force to measurably expand the production casing sample.