Wellbore packer back-up ring assembly, packer and method

摘要

A back-up ring assembly for a wellbore packer that acts as an extrusion limiter for a packing element and engages the wellbore bore, also operating as a slip to anchor the packer in place. A wellbore packer includes a back-up ring that includes a gripping structure on its outer wall-contacting surface that acts both to back up the extrusion of the packing element and to engage the wellbore wall.

主权项

1. A wellbore packer back-up ring assembly for limiting the extrusion of a packing element in a packer comprising;
a first back-up ring adapted to be positioned about a mandrel at a first end of the packing element; and a second back-up ring adapted to be positioned about the mandrel spaced from the first back-up ring and at a second end of the packing element; wherein the first back-up ring and the second back-up ring each include an inner facing annular surface and an outer facing annular surface defining an outer diameter across the back-up ring and including a gripping structure for biting into a constraining surface in a well and the first back-up ring and the second back-up ring each are expandable to increase the outer diameter and to expand radially outwardly from the mandrel, wherein the first back-up ring is formed of a first material and the gripping structure includes teeth having a hardness greater than the first material.