摘要 |
A method to deliver an expandable casing string to an uncased borehole coaxially upon a composite coiled tubing drilling string is presented. Once the drilling operation is completed, the casing string is expanded by supplying pressure between the coaxially positioned strings to expand the casing string to the borehole. Preferably, the outer diameter of the casing string contains an adhesive agent designed to be activated by the expansion of the casing string against the borehole wall. Alternatively, the mechanical structure of the casing string itself may be configured to prevent the casing string from collapsing once it has been expanded. Once expanded, the casing string is left behind to isolate the well formation from drilling and production fluids that may subsequently flow therethrough. |