WELLHEAD ANNULUS SEAL HAVING A WICKERED SURFACE

摘要

An annular seal (22, 22A) for use in a wellhead assembly (10) has inner (28) and outer (30) legs that each extend in a direction that is generally parallel with an axis of the seal to define an annular space therebetween. Wickers (34, 38) are provided on an outer surface of the seal, so that when the seal is energized and the legs are urged radially apart from one another, the wickers engage with a mating surface of a downhole tubular (16). Embedding the wickers into the tubular creates a flow barrier across the interface between the seal and the tubular. The wickers deform the surface of the tubular, which creates a lock down force that opposes relative axial movement of the tubular.