Dynamics of submerged expandable tubes in borehole wells

Solid Expandable Tubular Technology (SETT) is a new development in the petroleum industry. It consists in accomplishing hydraulic expansion of a submerged tube by propelling a mandrel through it using a differential pressure. The progress of the mandrel deforms the tube beyond its elastic limit. Towards the end of the expansion process, the mandrel pops out of the tube resulting in displacement, stress and pressure waves. A mathematical model is developed to describe the dynamics of the tube-fluid system due to the pop-out phenomenon. The model takes into consideration the effects of the coupling between fluids and structure as well as the inherent system damping on the response. Through a specific field case, the model provides an analytical solution describing the wave propagating in the tube-fluid system and identifies the potential failure locations.