Wellbore stresses induced by the nonlinear deformation of an inflatable packer. (Q5955294)

This paper presents a packer model to describe the stress state generated at the wellbore wall by packer inflation. The packer model consists of an inflatable, reinforced, initially cylindrical membrane made of elastomer. The wellbore is considered as rigid and as long as the packer shape is to be found. Once the packer shape has been computed, the pressure profile, acting along the contact zone between the packer and the wellbore, is found via a nonlinear integral equation. The rock is now described as an elastic material loaded axisymmetrically by the induced pressure. Two approaches, a finite element one and a semi-analytical one, are used to determine the stress state in the rock.