Abstract:
A tubular apparatus and method, according to which a first tubular member is adapted to be lowered into a well bore and a second tubular member is connected to the first tubular member. A third tubular member is normally connected to the first tubular member and disconnected from the second tubular member, and is adapted for movement relative to the first and second tubular members to disconnect from the first tubular member and connect to the second tubular member.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/455,718, attorney docket no. 25791.262, filed on Mar. 18, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0002]     This application is related to the following co-pending applications: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,289, which was filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/454,139, attorney docket no. 25791.03.02, filed on Dec. 3, 1999, which claims priority from provisional application 60/111,293, filed on Dec. 7, 1998, (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/510,913, attorney docket no. 25791.7.02, filed on Feb. 23, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/121,702, filed on Feb. 25, 1999, (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/502,350, attorney docket no. 25791.8.02, filed on Feb. 10, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/119,611, filed on Feb. 11, 1999, (4) U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,113, which was filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/440,338, attorney docket number 25791.9.02, filed on Nov. 15, 1999, which claims priority from provisional application 60/108,558, filed on Nov. 16, 1998, (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/169,434, attorney docket no. 25791.10.04, filed on Jul. 1, 2002, which claims priority from provisional application 60/183,546, filed on Feb. 18, 2000, (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/523,468, attorney docket no. 25791.11.02, filed on Mar. 10, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/124,042, filed on Mar. 11, 1999, (7) U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,471, which was filed as patent application Ser. No. 09/512,895, attorney docket no. 25791.12.02, filed on Feb. 24, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/121,841, filed on Feb. 26, 1999, (8) U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,240, which was filed as patent application Ser. No. 09/511,941, attorney docket no. 25791.16.02, filed on Feb. 24, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/121,907, filed on Feb. 26, 1999, (9) U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,640, which was filed as patent application Ser. No. 09/588,946, attorney docket no. 25791.17.02, filed on Jun. 7, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/137,998, filed on Jun. 7, 1999, (10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/981,916, attorney docket no. 25791.18, filed on Oct. 18, 2001 as a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,113, which was filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/440,338, attorney docket number 25791.9.02, filed on Nov. 15, 1999, which claims priority from provisional application 60/108,558, filed on Nov. 16, 1998, (11) U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,763, which was filed as application Ser. No. 09/559,122, attorney docket no. 25791.23.02, filed on Apr. 26, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/131,106, filed on Apr. 26, 1999, (12) U.S. patent application Ser. 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No. 60/461,539, attorney docket no. 25791.186, filed on Apr. 9, 2003, (100) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/462,750, attorney docket no. 25791.193, filed on Apr. 14, 2003, (101) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/436,106, attorney docket no. 25791.200, filed on Dec. 23, 2002, (102) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/442,942, attorney docket no. 25791.213, filed on Jan. 27, 2003, (103) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/442,938, attorney docket no. 25791.225, filed on Jan. 27, 2003, (104) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/418,687, attorney docket no. 25791.228, filed on Apr. 18, 2003, (105) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/454,896, attorney docket no. 25791.236, filed on Mar. 14, 2003, (106) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/450,504, attorney docket no. 25791.238, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, (107) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/451,152, attorney docket no. 25791.239, filed on Mar. 9, 2003, (108) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/455,124, attorney docket no. 25791.241, filed on Mar. 17, 2003, (109) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/453,678, attorney docket no. 25791.253, filed on Mar. 11, 2003, (110) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/421,682, attorney docket no. 25791.256, filed on Apr. 23, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/523,468, attorney docket no. 25791.11.02, filed on Mar. 10, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/124,042, filed on Mar. 11, 1999, (111) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/457,965, attorney docket no. 25791.260, filed on Mar. 27, 2003, (112) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/455,718, attorney docket no. 25791.262, filed on Mar. 18, 2003, (113) U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,821, which was filed as patent application Ser. No. 09/811,734, filed on Mar. 19, 2001, (114) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/436,467, attorney docket no. 25791.268, filed on May 12, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,763, which was filed as application Ser. No. 09/559,122, attorney docket no. 25791.23.02, filed on Apr. 26, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/131,106, filed on Apr. 26, 1999, (115) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/459,776, attorney docket no. 25791.270, filed on Apr. 2, 2003, (116) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/461,094, attorney docket no. 25791.272, filed on Apr. 8, 2003, (117) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/461,038, attorney docket no. 25791.273, filed on Apr. 7, 2003, (118) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/463,586, attorney docket no. 25791.277, filed on Apr. 17, 2003, (119) U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/472,240, attorney docket no. 25791.286, filed on May 20, 2003, (120) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/619,285, attorney docket no. 25791.292, filed on Jul. 14, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 09/969,922, attorney docket no. 25791.69, filed on Oct. 3, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,113, which was filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/440,338, attorney docket number 25791.9.02, filed on Nov. 15, 1999, which claims priority from provisional application 60/108,558, filed on Nov. 16, 1998, (121) U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 10/418,688, attorney docket no. 25791.257, which was filed on Apr. 18, 2003, as a division of U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 09/523,468, attorney docket no. 25791.11.02, filed on Mar. 10, 2000, which claims priority from provisional application 60/124,042, filed on Mar. 11, 1999, (122) U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. 25791.238.02, which was filed on Feb. 26, 2004, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/450,504, attorney docket no. 25791.238, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, (123) U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. 25791.253.02, which was filed on Mar. 11, 2004, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/453,678, attorney docket number 25791.253, filed on Mar. 11, 2003, (124) U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. 25791.40.02, which was filed on Mar. 15, 2003, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/455,051, attorney docket number 25791.40, filed on Mar. 14, 2003, and (125) U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. ______, attorney docket no. 25791.236.02, which was filed on Mar. 15, 2004, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/454,896, attorney docket number 25791.236, filed on Mar. 14, 2003, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     This invention relates generally to oil and gas exploration, and in particular to forming and repairing well bore casings to facilitate oil and gas exploration.  
         [0004]     Expandable tubing may be used in, among other applications, the forming and repairing of well bore casings. Typically, an expandable tubing string is lowered into and down a well bore by an expansion apparatus positioned at the bottom of the string. The expansion apparatus is lowered down the well bore via another tubing string that is disposed through the expandable tubing string and connected to the expansion apparatus. Because the expansion apparatus supports the weight of the expandable tubing string, the string is in compression while being carried down the well bore. If the expandable tubing string is comprised of a series of interconnected joints, this compressive state can result in damage to the various joint connections along the expandable tubing string. Also, if the expandable tubing string is long enough, the overall weight of the string may cause the string to compress to such a degree that an unwanted and/or uncontrolled expansion of the string occurs.  
         [0005]     Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for carrying an expandable tubing string in a well bore that overcomes the above-described problems, among others. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a partial elevational/partial sectional/partial schematic view, not necessarily to scale, depicting a system according to one embodiment, the system including a tool  20 , a slip joint  24 , a safety sub  28 , an expansion apparatus  30  and an expandable member  34  wherein the expansion apparatus  30 , among other components, is being lowered.  
         [0007]      FIG. 1   a  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the tool  20  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0008]      FIG. 1   b  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the slip joint  24  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0009]      FIG. 1   c  is a partial elevational/partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the sub  28  and the expansion apparatus  30  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 2   a  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the tool  20  of  FIG. 1  but showing another operational mode.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2   b  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the slip joint  24  of  FIG. 1  but showing another operational mode.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3   a  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the tool  20  of  FIG. 1  but showing yet another operational mode.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3   b  is a partial sectional view, not necessarily to scale, depicting the slip joint  24  of  FIG. 1  but showing yet another operational mode. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]     Referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the reference numeral  10  refers to a well bore penetrating a subterranean ground formation F for the purpose of recovering hydrocarbon fluids from the formation, the well bore having a bottom  12 . A series of components  14  is lowered into the well bore  10  by a tubular string  16 , in the form of coiled tubing, jointed tubing, or the like which is connected to the upper end of the series. The components in the series  14  will be described.  
         [0015]     The string  16  extends from a rig  18  that is located above ground and extends over the well bore  10 . The rig  18  is conventional and, as such, includes support structure, a motor driven winch, or the like, and other associated equipment for receiving and supporting the series  14  and lowering it into the well bore  10  by unwinding the string  16  from the winch. The upper portion of the well bore  10  can be lined with a casing  19  in any conventional manner.  
         [0016]     The series  14  includes a tool  20  to which the string  16  is connected. A tubular string  22 , in the form of coiled tubing, jointed tubing, or the like, is connected to and extends downward from the tool  20 . A slip joint  24  is connected to the lower end of the string  22 , and a tubular string  26 , in the form of coiled tubing, jointed tubing, or the like, is connected to and extends downward from the slip joint  24  and its lower end is connected to a safety sub  28 . An expansion apparatus  30  is connected to the sub  28 . The expansion apparatus  30  includes a float shoe  32 .  
         [0017]     An expandable tubular member  34  is connected to, and extends downward from, the lower end of the tool  20  to the shoe  32  so that the slip joint  24 , the string  26 , the sub  28 , and the expansion apparatus  30  are all disposed within the member  34 . The expansion apparatus  30  is slidably engaged with the internal wall of the member  34 . The member  34  is comprised of a plurality of joints (not shown) that are each interconnected via a left hand thread engagement configuration. Thus, the series of components  14  includes the tool  20 , the string  22 , the slip joint  24 , the string  26 , the sub  28 , the expansion apparatus  30  which includes the shoe  32 , and the member  34 .  
         [0018]     The lower end portion of the member  34  that extends around the apparatus  30  has an increased diameter, and a variable-dimension annulus  35  is defined by the internal wall of the member  34  and the external walls of the string  22 , the slip joint  24  and the string  26 . A variable-dimension annulus  36  is also defined between the inner wall of the well bore  10  and the external wall of the member  34 .  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 1   a , an embodiment of the tool  20  is shown and includes an elongated tubular member or coupling  37  to which the string  16  is connected via a conventional drillpipe box thread connection  38 . The coupling  37  includes an o-ring  40 , a pair of openings  42   a  and  42   b , and an internal straight thread connection  44 . Also, the coupling  37  defines a passage  45 .  
         [0020]     A mandrel extension  46 , in the form of an elongated tubular body member, is connected to the coupling  37  via the thread connection  44 , and the o-ring  40  seals against the mandrel extension  46  immediately above this connection. The mandrel extension  46  includes a pair of openings  48   a  and  48   b  that are aligned with the openings  42   a  and  42   b  of the coupling  37 , and the aligned openings receive two torque pins  50   a  and  50   b , respectively. The mandrel extension  46  further includes an o-ring  52 , a pair of openings  54   a  and  54   b , and an internal straight thread connection  55 .  
         [0021]     A mandrel  56 , also in the form of an elongated tubular body member, is connected to the mandrel extension  46  via the thread connection  55 , and the o-ring  52  seals against the mandrel immediately above this connection. The mandrel  56  includes a pair of openings  58   a  and  58   b  that are aligned with the openings  54   a  and  54   b , respectively, of the mandrel extension  46 . Two torque pins  60   a  and  60   b  extend through the aligned openings  54   a  and  60   a , and the aligned openings  54   b  and  60   b , respectively. The mandrel  56  further includes a plurality of external splines  62   a  and  62   b  extending downwardly a predetermined distance along the mandrel  56 . Each external spline  62   a  and  62   b  includes at least one chamfer  64 .  
         [0022]     An external shoulder  66  is formed on the mandrel  56  below the external splines  62   a  and  62   b , and a plurality of downward-extending grooves  68  are formed in the shoulder  66  (a side wall of one groove  68  is shown in  FIG. 1a ). The mandrel  56  further includes a conventional drillpipe pin thread connection  70  to which the string  22  is connected.  
         [0023]     A tubular cap  72  extends around the mandrel  56  and has a plurality of internal splines  74   a  and  74   b  formed therein which are engaged with the external splines  62   a  and  62   b , respectively, of the mandrel  56 . Each of the splines  74   a  and  74   b  has at least one chamfer  76  (not shown) which is adapted to engage a corresponding chamfer  64  of the mandrel  56 . The cap  72  further includes a radial surface  78  that is engaged with the shoulder  66  of the mandrel  56 , and a pair of fluid ports  80   a  and  80   b  are formed in the cap  72  at a predetermined distance below the surface  78 . An annular recess  82  is formed in the cap  72  at a predetermined distance below the fluid ports  80   a  and  80   b , and receives an anti-torque ring  84 , which is made of a conventional low-friction material. The cap  72  further includes an internal right hand straight thread connection  86 .  
         [0024]     A casing adapter  88 , in the form of an elongated tubular member, is connected to the cap  72  via the connection  86  and the anti-torque ring  84  is adapted to allow the cap  72  to be removably connected to the casing adapter  88 . Since the anti-torque ring  84  is conventional, it will not be described in further detail. The casing adapter  88  extends downwardly and includes an internal left hand thread connection  90  to which the member  34  is connected. It is understood that the connection  86  may be tightened until the casing adapter  88  firmly shoulders against the anti-torque ring  84  and the recess  82  in the cap  72 , and then the casing adapter  88  may be backed off of at least a portion of the threads in the connection  86  so as to prevent any inadvertent right hand torque from being applied to the top of the member  34  and thereby loosen the aforementioned left hand threaded joint interconnections of the member  34 .  
         [0025]     Referring to  FIG. 1   b , an embodiment of the slip joint  24  is shown within the expandable tubular member  34  and includes a tubular member  92  having a conventional drillpipe box thread connection  94  to which the string  22  is connected. The bore of the member  92  is stepped to define three concentric inner passages  96 ,  98  and  100  of increasing diameter in a downwardly direction, as viewed in  FIG. 1   b . An o-ring  101  is retained in an annular channel extending circumferentially about the passage  98 .  
         [0026]     The upper end portion of a tubular member  102  is connected to the lower end portion of the tubular member  92  via a threaded connection  103  and a pair of torque pins  104   a  and  104   b . The tubular member  102  defines a passage  106  and includes a pair of protrusions  108   a  and  108   b  extending upwardly from the connection  103 . A pair of channels  110   a  and  110   b  are formed in the bottom portion of the tubular member  102  (one inner side wall of each channel  110   a  and  110   b  are shown in  FIG. 1   b ).  
         [0027]     The slip joint  24  also includes an elongated tubular member  112  which is disposed in the passages  98 ,  100  and  106 . The tubular member  112  includes an upper portion  114  that is slidably engaged with a portion of the internal wall of the passage  98  of the tubular member  92 , with the o-ring  101  sealing against the upper portion  114 . A integral flange or ring  116  extends radially outward from the tubular member  112  and a pair of channels  118   a  and  118   b  are formed therein (one inner side wall of each channel  118   a  and  118   b  are shown in  FIG. 1   b ). The channels  118   a  and  118   b  are configured to couple with the protrusions  108   a  and  108   b , respectively, of the tubular member  102 .  
         [0028]     A tubular member  120  also forms part of the slip joint  24 , defines an internal passage  121 , and is connected to the tubular member  112  via a threaded connection  122  and a pair of torque pins  124   a  and  124   b . The tubular member  120  has a pair of protrusions  126   a  and  126   b  extending upwardly from the connection  122  and configured to couple with the channels  110   a  and  110   b , respectively, of the tubular member  102 . The tubular member  120  further includes an o-ring  127  which is sealed against a bottom portion of the tubular member  112 , and a conventional drillpipe pin thread connection  128  to which the string  26  is connected.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 1   c , an embodiment of the expansion apparatus  30  is shown within the tubular member  34 . The upper end of the apparatus  30  is connected to the sub  28  in any conventional manner, and the sub  28  is connected to the string  26  via a conventional drillpipe box thread connection  130 .  
         [0030]     The expansion apparatus  30  includes an expansion cone portion  132  that engages the inner wall of the member  34 . The shoe  32  of the expansion apparatus  30  is connected to the member  34  via a threaded connection  134  and a pair of radially-extending threaded fasteners  136   a  and  136   b  are disposed through the member  34  and into the shoe  32 . The sub  28  and the expansion apparatus  30  are designed so that torque may be transmitted from the string  26  to the member  34  via the shoe  32 . To this end, the expansion apparatus  30  may be in the form of one of several existing expansion apparatuses, such as, for example, the expansion apparatus disclosed in detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (attorney&#39;s docket no. 25791.238.02), which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/450,504, attorney docket no. 25791.238, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0031]     The operation will be described in connection with the general goal of placing the expandable apparatus  30  at the bottom  12  of the well bore  10  and conditioning it for expansion in a manner to be described. To this end, the string  16  and the series of components  14  are lowered in the well bore  10 .  
         [0032]     During this lowering, the external splines  62   a  and  62   b  of the mandrel  56  are engaged with the internal splines  74   a  and  74   b  of the cap  72 , and the surface  78  of the cap  72  is in contact with the shoulder  66 , as described above. Also, the tubular member  34  is in tension since its weight is primarily carried by the shoulder  66  of the mandrel  56  of the tool  20  and neither the above-described joints nor the joint interconnections of the member  34  undergo compression due to the weight of the expandable tubular member. Further, the fluid ports  80   a  and  80   b  allow fluid to flow from the well bore  10  and into the annulus  35 , or vice versa, and the o-rings  40  and  52  provide a fluid seal between the well bore  10  and the passage  45  of the tool  20 . Moreover, the o-ring  101  provides a fluid seal between the passage  100  and the passage  98  of the slip joint  24 , and the o-ring  127  provides a fluid seal between the annulus  35  and the passage  121 .  
         [0033]     The lowering continues until the shoe  32  of the expansion apparatus  30  reaches the bottom  12  of the well bore  10 . However, during this movement, a relatively high predetermined displacement resistance may be encountered as a result of (1) the shoe  32  reaching a relatively narrow or collapsed section of the well bore  10 , (2) the shoe  32  or the member  34  becoming jammed or stuck in the well bore, (3) the friction between the member  34  and the well bore  10  being too high, or (4) any similar resistance.  
         [0034]     If a resistance is encountered, the string  16  is further lowered into the well bore  10  which also lowers the mandrel extension  46 , the mandrel  56 , the string  22 , the member  92  and the member  102  relative to the expansion apparatus  30 , the shoe  32 , the sub  28 , the member  34 , the cap  72 , the members  112  and  120  and the string  26  which are prevented from further movement by the resistance. This causes the external splines  62   a  and  62   b  of the mandrel  56  to disengage from the internal splines  74   a  and  74   b  of the cap  72 , respectively, and the shoulder  66  of the mandrel  56  to disengage from the surface  78  of the cap  72 , as shown in  FIG. 2a . Also, since the tubular member  120  is stationary in the well bore  10 , the above lowering of the tubular member  102  causes the channels  110   a  and  110   b  of the member  102  to engage the protrusions  126   a  and  126   b , respectively, of the tubular member  120  and thus connect the member  102  to the member  120  as shown in  FIG. 2   b , and therefore to the string  26 , the expansion apparatus  30 , and the tubular member  34 . It is noted that the grooves  68  allow fluid to flow between the annulus  35  and the ports  80   a  and  80   b.    
         [0035]     In this position, a torque from the rig  18  is applied to the string  16  in any conventional manner, to rotate the string  16  clockwise, as viewed downwardly towards the bottom  12  of the well bore  10 , to apply a right hand torque that is transmitted from the string  16  through the coupling  37 , the mandrel extension  46 , the mandrel  56 , the string  22 , the tubular member  92 , the tubular member  102 , the tubular member  120 , the string  26 , the sub  28 , the expansion apparatus  30 , the shoe  32  and the member  34 , due to the above-described connections between these components. However, it is noted that even thought the cap  72  will rotate due to its connection with the member  34 , torque is not directly transferred between the mandrel  56  and the cap  72  since the external splines  62   a  and  62   b  of the mandrel  56  are spaced, and therefore disengaged, from the internal splines  74   a  and  74   b , respectively, of the cap  72 .  
         [0036]     This torque thus causes the shoe  32  and the member  34  to rotate in a clockwise direction, as defined above and hopefully free them from the above-described resistance, thus allowing the string  16  and the series of components  14  to be lowered further until the shoe  32  reaches the bottom  12  of the well bore  10 . Due to the above-described left hand thread engagement configuration of the various joint interconnections of the member  34 , the interconnections are not loosened due to this rotation.  
         [0037]     Assuming that the shoe  32  reaches the bottom  12  of the well bore  10  either directly by the lowering operation described above, or as a result of the shoe  32  and/or the member  34  being freed up as described above, and further lowered as necessary, the expansion apparatus  30  can be conditioned for expansion in the following manner.  
         [0038]     In particular, the string  16 , and therefore the coupling  37 , the mandrel extension  46  and the mandrel  56 , are raised as necessary in order to directly connect the mandrel  56  with the cap  72  by engaging the external splines  62   a  and  62   b  of the mandrel with the internal splines  74   a  and  74   b , respectively, of the cap, and by engaging the shoulder  66  of the mandrel  56  with the surface  78  of the cap  72 . This also raises the string  22  and the tubular members  92  and  102  of the slip joint  24 , thereby disengaging the channels  110   a  and  1   10   b  from the protrusions  126   a  and  126   b , respectively and thus disconnecting the member  102  from the member  120 .  
         [0039]     Left hand torque is then applied to the string  16 , thereby rotating the string  16  in a counterclockwise direction towards the bottom  12  of the well bore  10 . This torque is transmitted from the string  16 , through the coupling  37 , the mandrel extension  46 , the mandrel  56 , and to the string  22 . The mandrel  56  also transmits the torque directly to the cap  72 , via the engagement of the splines  62   a  and  74   a , and  62   b  and  74   b . Thus, the cap  72  is rotated counterclockwise until it disengages from the threaded connection  86  and therefore the casing adapter  88 . It is understood that, during this rotation, the anti-torque ring  84  functions in a conventional manner, allowing the cap  72  to be removed from the casing adapter  88 . However, during this rotation, the torque is not transmitted from the string  22  to the string  26  since there is no engagement between the members  102  and  112 , nor between the members  102  and  120 , as described above and as shown in  FIG. 1   b.    
         [0040]     Once the cap  72  is disengaged from the casing adapter  88  in the above manner as shown in  FIG. 3   a , the string  16  is raised further, thereby raising the coupling  37 , the mandrel extension  46 , the mandrel  56 , the cap  72  (via the shoulder  66  of the mandrel  56 ) and the string  22 . As the string  22  is raised, the tubular members  92  and  102  are also raised until the protrusions  108   a  and  108   b  of the member  102  engage the channels  118   a  and  118   b  of the member  112 , as shown in  FIG. 3   b . This places the components in condition for an expansion procedure in which the expansion apparatus  30  expands the tubular member  34 . In this context, one of several existing expansion procedures may be employed to expand the member  34  such as, for example, the methods disclosed in detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (attorney&#39;s docket no. 25791.238.02), which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/450,504, attorney docket no. 25791.238, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0041]     It is understood that the above-mentioned right hand torque can be applied to the string  16  to rotate the shoe  32  and the member  34  for reasons other than those discussed above. For example, before the cap  72  is disengaged from the adapter  88 , and therefore the member  34  in the above manner, it is sometimes desired to introduce a hardenable fluidic sealing material into at least a lower region of the annulus  36  between the member  34  and the wall of the well bore  10 . To this end, the sealing material would be introduced from the rig  18  into the string  16  and pass through the tool  20 , the string  22 , the slip joint  24 , the string  26  and the expansion apparatus  30  and flow into at least a lower region of the annulus  36  between the member  34  and the wall of the well bore  10 . In this situation, the application of right hand torque in the above manner to rotate the member  34  would more evenly distribute the sealing material in the lower region of the annulus  36 . In this context, examples of methods for employing the sealing material in the above manner are disclosed in detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (attorney&#39;s docket no. 25791.238.02), which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/450,504, attorney docket no. 25791.238, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, it is understood that the above-mentioned right hand torque can be applied in known casing drilling applications.  
         [0042]     It is also noted that when the above components are in condition for an expansion procedure, the series of components  14  may be entirely positioned below the casing  19 , or the series may be entirely positioned within the casing, or a portion of the series may be within the casing  19  and another portion of the series may be below the casing  19 , such as, for example, the tool  20  being positioned within the casing  19  and the majority of the member  34  being positioned below the casing  19 .  
         [0000]     Variations  
         [0043]     It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the teachings of the present illustrative embodiments may be used to provide a well bore casing, a pipeline, or a structural support. Furthermore, the elements and teachings of the various illustrative embodiments may be combined in whole or in part in some or all of the illustrative embodiments. Further examples of variations are as follows:  
         [0044]     1. The mandrel extension  46  may be combined with the mandrel  56  to form an integral component.  
         [0045]     2. Additional external splines may be added to the mandrel  56 , and additional corresponding internal splines may be added to the cap  72 .  
         [0046]     3. Additional grooves and fluid ports for fluid flow may be formed in the shoulder  66  and the cap  72 , respectively.  
         [0047]     4. Conventional supporting structures such as, for example, solid centralizers or standoffs, may be added in any conventional manner in order to decrease the possibility of the member  34  buckling during the above-described operation.  
         [0048]     5. Instead of or in addition to torque pins, other conventional mechanisms may be used to rotatably lock the above-described rotatably-locked connections.  
         [0049]     6. Additional channels may be formed in the tubular member  112  of the slip joint  24  and these additional channels may be coupled to additional protrusions that may be added to the tubular member  102 .  
         [0050]     7. Additional channels may be formed in the tubular member  102  of the slip joint  24  and these additional channels may be coupled to additional protrusions that may be added to the tubular member  120 .  
         [0051]     8. Instead of or in addition to using the above-described channels and protrusions of the tubular member  102 , the channels of the tubular member  112 , and the protrusions of the tubular member  120 , it is understood that other conventional torque transmission mechanisms may be used to selectively transmit torque between the tubular member  102  and the tubular member  112 , and to selectively transmit torque between the tubular member  102  and the tubular member  120 .  
         [0052]     9. It is understood that the foregoing disclosure may be employed in many different applications, including cased hole applications or openhole applications and all types and variations thereof.  
         [0053]     10. In addition to a vertical well bore as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , it is understood that the foregoing disclosure may be applied to horizontal well bores and multilateral wells, including main well bores and all branches thereof.  
         [0054]     Spatial references, such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, “below”, “between”, “vertical”, “bottom”, “angular”, etc., are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the specific orientation or location of the structure described above.  
         [0055]     Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, a wide range of modifications, changes and substitutions is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. In some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.