TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a barrel slip, and specifically, to a barrel slip that is at least partially manufactured using additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing.

BACKGROUND

In the course of treating and preparing subterranean wells for production, a well packer is run into the well on a work string or a production tubing. The purpose of the packer is to support production tubing and other completion equipment, such as a screen adjacent to a producing formation, and to seal the annulus between the outside of the production tubing and the inside of the well casing to block movement of fluids through the annulus past the packer location. The packer is provided with a barrel slip that has opposed camming surfaces which cooperate with complementary opposed wedging surfaces, whereby the barrel slip is radially extendible into gripping engagement against the well casing bore in response to relative axial movement of the wedging surfaces. Due to the geometric shape of the barrel slip components, the barrel slip may prematurely set, teeth of the barrel slip may not provide a consistent grip on the casing, and some portions of the barrel slip may deploy before others resulting in a suboptimal grip on the casing.

Accordingly, a need has arisen for a barrel slip that is at least partially manufactured using additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, to improve loading of the barrel slip and gripping of the casing by the barrel slip.

