Experimental and numerical simulation investigation on tubular expansion process

Abstract

Solid expansion technology has brought a revolution for oil and gas drilling and production. The performance of the expandable tubular is determined by the strength of material and the dimensional accuracy of the tube. In this study, the expansion pressures of two expandable tubulars at an expansion ratio of 15.0% were measured by full-scale tests. A 3D finite-element-method model was developed using Abaqus to dynamically simulate the expansion process of solid expandable tubulars. The simulated expansion pressures are in good agreement with experimental results, which proves the validity of the model. Based on the FEM model, the relationship between wall thickness uniformity after expansion and the strain hardening exponent of tubular material was investigated. The results show that the expandable tubular with a high strain hardening exponent can obtain more uniform wall thickness after expansion. The FEM model may be applied for design of expansion process and development of expandable tubulars in the future.