| 摘要 |
A screen (14) that conforms to the borehole shape after expansion is disclosed. The screen (14) comprises a compliant outer layer (16) that takes the borehole shape on expansion. The outer layer (16) is formed having holes (18) to permit production flow. The material that is selected for the outer layer (16) preferably swells with prolonged contact to well fluids to further close off annular gaps after expansion. In an alternative embodiment, the screen (14) is not expanded and the swelling of the material alone closes off annular gaps. The compliant outer layer (16) is placed over the screen (14) and the screen is placed on a base pipe (12) and initially expanded from within the base pipe to secure the components of the screen assembly (10) for running downhole, while minimizing or eliminating any welding among the layers. A variety of expansion tools can be used to expand the screen or screens downhole.
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