Wellbore Sealing Assembly with Grooves for Enhanced Sealing and Lockdown Capacity

摘要

A wellbore system includes a sealing assembly for creating an annular seal between wellbore members. The sealing assembly includes a seal body having a u-shaped cross section, with elongate grooves formed on inner and outer walls thereof. A depth of the grooves varies along a length of the grooves to allow wickers to penetrate the groove by differing degrees when the walls are urged toward the wickers. The wickers can thus provide a high degree of both sealing and lockdown performance.

主权项

1. A wellbore system comprising:
an outer wellbore member defining a longitudinal axis and including an axial bore extending therethrough, and wherein a first sealing surface is defined on the outer wellbore member within the axial bore; an inner wellbore member disposed at least partially within the axial bore of the outer wellbore member, and wherein a second sealing surface is defined on an exterior of the inner wellbore member; a wicker profile defined on at least one of the first and second sealing surfaces; and a seal body disposed within an annular pocket defined between the inner and outer wellbore members, the seal body sealingly engaged with the first and second sealing surfaces such that the wicker profile is embedded into the seal body, the seal body having at least one elongate groove formed therein and engaged with the wicker profile, the at least one groove having a variable depth along a length thereof such that a first portion of the at least one groove extends deeper into a wall of a seal body than an second portion of the at least one groove.