Patent ID: 8955606
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. A sealing device for use in a wellbore to seal a leak path through an inner wall surface of the wellbore, the sealing device comprising: a tubular member comprising an outer wall surface and an inner wall surface; an expandable element, the expandable element being disposed on the outer wall surface of the tubular member, the expandable element comprising an outer wall surface, a collapsed position, and an expanded position; a shape deforming sealing element, the shape deforming sealing element comprising a run-in shape and a set shape, the shape deforming sealing element being releasably connected to the outer wall surface of the expandable element, the shape deforming element comprising an outer wall surface adapted to be secured to an inner wall surface of a wellbore when the shape deforming sealing element is in the set shape, a first fluid pumped into the expandable element at a first temperature, the first temperature being at or above a transition temperature for the shape deforming sealing element, and the first temperature facilitating the shape deforming sealing element deforming from the run-in shape to the set shape by raising the temperature of the sealing element to a transition temperature at which the sealing element is deformable by the expandable element to the set shape and below which the sealing element is not deformable to the set shape, wherein expansion of the expandable element using fluid pressure from the collapsed position to the expanded position moves the shape deforming sealing element from the run-in shape to the set shape, and wherein the shape deforming sealing element is adapted to be secured to the inner wall surface of the wellbore after collapsing the expandable element from the expanded position to the collapsed position.