US20160237775A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20160237775A1
Application number: US15/139,564
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward J. O'Malley
Original assignee: Baker Hughes Inc
Current assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC
Priority date: 2013-07-18
Filing date: 2016-04-27
Publication date: 2016-08-18
Also published as: US9359857B2; US20150021041A1; WO2015009390A1

Abstract

A setting assembly includes an inflatable packer, a housing including a chamber, a setting material disposed in the chamber and having a first phase of matter and a second phase of matter, the setting material occupying a greater volume in the second phase than in the first phase, the setting material arranged to exert a setting force on the inflatable packer during transition of the setting material from the first phase to the second phase, and at least one pressure relief member within the chamber, the pressure relief member configured to protect the inflatable packer from rupturing.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/945,092 filed Jul. 18, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In the drilling and completion industry, the formation of boreholes for the purpose of production or injection of fluid is common. The boreholes are used for exploration or extraction of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, oil, gas, water, and alternatively for CO2 sequestration. It is often necessary to isolate a zone within the borehole or within a tubular structure within the borehole, such as a casing or tubing string. Zone isolation is typically performed using packers which perform well for such a purpose. The packer is typically a flexible, elastomeric device that has a smaller initial outside diameter that then expands externally to seal to the borehole or outer tubing, thus separating the annulus between a tubular that supports the packer and the borehole or outer tubing into separate zones. Packers may be set through inflation or compression and are useful in both production and injection operations where zone isolation is useful. Some packers are also re-settable allowing for multiple uses and trips within the borehole.

One situation in which zonal isolation is useful is steam assisted gravity drainage (“SAGD”). SAGD is a process for the recovery of heavy oil in which two parallel adjacent horizontal boreholes are drilled in a formation. The upper borehole (an injection well) injects steam to the formation and reduces the viscosity of the heavy crude oil or bitumen, allowing it to flow down to the lower borehole (a production well) that collects the heated crude oil or bitumen.

The art would be receptive to alternative devices and methods for isolation within a borehole, as well as alternative devices and methods useful in SAGD.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A downhole system includes a tubular structure having a longitudinal axis, and a setting assembly. The setting assembly includes an inflatable packer, a housing including a chamber, the housing connected to the tubular structure and sharing an interior flowpath with the tubular structure, the chamber disposed exteriorly of the interior flowpath, a setting material disposed in the chamber and having a first phase of matter and a second phase of matter, the setting material occupying a greater volume in the second phase than in the first phase, the setting material arranged to exert a setting force on the inflatable packer during transition of the setting material from the first phase to the second phase, and at least one pressure relief member within the chamber, the pressure relief member configured to protect the inflatable packer from rupturing.

A method of setting an inflatable packer, the method including enclosing a phase changeable setting material within a chamber of a housing in a solid state, heating the setting material to melt the setting material to a liquid state to expand a volume of the setting material, harnessing the expansion of the setting material as a setting force to set the inflatable packer, and protecting the inflatable packer from rupture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a downhole tool having a setting assembly using packers;

FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the setting assembly ofFIG. 1 with the packer in an unset condition;

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the setting assembly ofFIG. 1 with the packer in a set condition;

FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of the setting assembly ofFIG. 1 with the packer in a set condition;

FIG. 5 shows a partial cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of the setting assembly ofFIG. 1 with the packer in a set condition;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a setting assembly; and,

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a downhole tool having a setting assembly using packers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of adownhole tool8 including asetting assembly10. Thesetting assembly10 is thermally energized due to the inclusion of asettable member12 being settable and unsettable in response to thermal conditions. Thesetting assembly10 includes at least onesettable member12 which has a set condition which is distinct from the initial condition. In the illustrated embodiment ofFIG. 1, the settable member includes first andsecond packers14. The set condition of thepackers14 is the expanded condition shown inFIG. 1. Thepackers14 in the expanded condition divide anannulus16 between theformation wall18 of aborehole20 and atubular structure22 of thedownhole tool8 into three exemplary zones A, B, and C. Thedownhole tool8 may be provided within anopen borehole20 for a SAGD process, however thedownhole tool8 may alternatively be provided within a cased borehole or other tubular. Also, while twopackers14 are shown, it should be understood that any number ofpackers14 may be employed with thedownhole tool8. Thedownhole tool8 includes a longitudinally extendingflowpath24 useful for the injection ofsteam26, as indicated by the arrows. Thetubular structure22 includesapertures28 that allow the injectedsteam26 to escape thetool8 in a radial direction and into theannulus16, as indicated byarrows30. Because thepackers14 are in their expanded condition, the steam injected in Zone A is at least substantially separated from steam injected in Zone B, which is at least substantially separated from steam injected in Zone C.

Turning toFIG. 2, thesetting assembly10 is shown in an initial or un-set condition with thepacker14 in the non-expanded state. Thelongitudinal axis32 of thedownhole tool8 is depicted, and therefore it should be understood that only one half of the cross-section of thedownhole tool8 is illustrated inFIG. 2. Thetubular structure22 extends to, is continuous with, or otherwise includes a tubularshaped mandrel34. While themandrel34 itself is shown as a one-piece unit such as a solid pipe, alternate embodiments of thesetting assembly10 may include two or more sections of tubulars, such as threaded pipes, screwed or otherwise secured together to serve as themandrel34. Themandrel34 has anexterior surface36 defining an outer diameter of themandrel34. Exterior to themandrel34 is anouter section38 that at least substantially radially surrounds themandrel34. Theouter section38 is affixed to themandrel34 at first and

second ends

40,42 thereof either directly or via first and second connecting

members

44,46. The remainder of theouter section38 includes aninterior surface52 that is positioned in a spaced relation with respect to themandrel34. Theouter section38 includes arigid portion48 and aflexible portion50. In the exemplary embodiment shown, therigid portion48 includes anaperture54, such as a cylindrically shaped aperture, and theflexible portion50 spans theaperture54 from afirst section56 of therigid portion48 to asecond section58 of therigid portion48. Theflexible portion50, which is also tubular, may include first and

second ends

60,62 that are overlapped by the first and

second sections

56,58 of therigid portion48 and may be elastomeric to have a stretched and unstretched condition. Theinterior surface52 of theouter section38, at least along therigid portion48, defines an interior diameter that is greater than the outer diameter of themandrel34 and the area between themandrel34 and theouter section38 encloses achamber64 to secure a variable volume, phasechangeable material66 therein which is changeable between different states of matter. Themandrel34,outer section38, and connecting

portions

44,46 if used, together form ahousing68 that defines thechamber64.

Thematerial66 is changeable between different states of matter. Each distinct form is called a phase. A solid has a definite shape and volume, while a liquid has a definite volume but takes the shape of a container. In an exemplary embodiment of thesetting assembly10, the variable volume, phasechangeable material66 is or at least includes paraffin. Paraffin expands up to 20% by volume when changing (melting) from a solid state phase to a liquid state phase. While paraffin alone is usable as theparaffin material66, theparaffin material66 can alternatively include other components in addition to paraffin to vary the melting point of theparaffin material66. Alternatively, the paraffin itself can be selected to have the melting point qualities suitable for a particular operation. The paraffin may be selected to remain solid at ambient downhole conditions, but to melt at temperatures expected during thermal injection operations.

In use, thedownhole tool8 having thesetting assembly10 is run downhole to a selected position withinborehole20. During this process, thepacker14 is in a non-expanded condition shown inFIG. 2. Theparaffin material66 is in a solid state due to the ambient temperature near the surface and of the downhole environment being such that theparaffin material66 remains in a solid state, or at least substantially in a solid state, such that theflexible portion50 remains non-expanded. With reference toFIG. 3, when thedownhole tool8 reaches a selected location within theborehole20, and when the environment of thedownhole tool8 experiences an increase in temperature, such as via the injection ofsteam26 through theflowpath24 of thedownhole tool8 in a SAGD operation, theparaffin material66 melts and increases in volume. Because themandrel34 and therigid portion48 are not expandable, theflexible portion50 is forced to expand radially outwardly to accommodate the increased volume of theparaffin material66 within thechamber64. Theflexible portion50 expands to fill the width of theannulus16 from theouter section38 to theformation wall18 in the expanded condition shown inFIG. 3. Thechamber64 is sized such that theflexible portion50 ofouter section38 will be “inflated” due to the thermal expansion of theparaffin material66 upon melting. The inflation will be to an extent that theformation wall18 will be contacted with some pressure and a seal effected. In the inflated state, thetool8 acts to compartmentalize a section of the well during thermal injection, such as in SAGD wells. When thermal injection ceases, theborehole20 will cool and the paraffin will contract and solidify. That is, when the heat is removed, such as by the cessation of steam injection, theparaffin material66 will begin to solidify and reduce in volume allowing theflexible portion50 to retract from theformation wall18 in order to either allow zones A, B, and C to have fluidic communication, remove thedownhole tool8 from theborehole20, or reposition thedownhole tool8 as desired. By utilizing the heat from injectedsteam26 to set thepackers14, no additional equipment is required to set or unset thepackers14, and thus there is no risk of such equipment becoming damaged in the SAGD operation.

While the above described embodiment advantageously utilizes the heat from injectedsteam26 to set thepackers14, in an alternative exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 4, aheating member70 is incorporated in thedownhole tool8 to selectively heat theparaffin material66 when desired. Theheating member70 may take the form of a tubular member, coiled member, or any other shape capable of conducting heat to thechamber64 andparaffin material66. While the heating member is illustrated as positioned adjacent the settingassembly10 and along themandrel34, it could alternatively be positioned anywhere within or along thedownhole tool8 in a location that conducts heat towards thematerial66. The heating of theheating member70 may be operated from the surface via acontrol line72.

FIG. 5 shows another alternate embodiment of a settingassembly110. The settingassembly110 is substantially the same as the settingassembly10 ofFIGS. 2-4 except for the inclusion ofpressure relief members112 provided within thechamber64 to protect theflexible portion50 from rupturing due to excess heat or a smaller than expected diameter of the borehole20 or width of theannulus16. An exemplary embodiment of thepressure relief member112 includes amovable block114 andspring116. Themovable block114 may be substantially ring-shaped to fill a cross-section of thechamber64, and to separate an area of thechamber64 filled with the material66 from anarea120 of thechamber64 not filled with thematerial66. Themovable block114 is sealed to the interior of thechamber64, such as via O-ring118 to prevent the material66 from enteringarea120. While first and secondpressure relief members112 are provided at the first and second ends40,42 of the settingassembly110, respectively, it would also be within the scope of these embodiments to provide a singlepressure relief member112. Thepressure relief members112 are biased away from the first and second ends40,42 of the settingassembly112, respectively. The spring force of thespring116 and the flexibility of theflexible portion50 are such that the bias of thespring116 cannot be overcome by the volume expansion of the material66 until after theflexible portion50 has been expanded. In other words, it requires less force to expand theflexible portion50 to theformation wall18 than it does to compress thespring116. After the temperature rises and theflexible portion50 expands, theflexible portion50 protected from rupturing due to overheating or overexpansion because the increasing volume (beyond what is required by the expansion of the flexible portion50) is absorbed by the pressure relief member(s)112. That is, when theflexible portion50 can no longer expand, the increasing volume presses theblock114 towards the respective first or

second end

40,42 by compressing thespring116 in the directions122,124, respectively, as indicated by the arrows to accommodate the increased volume and thus prevent the rupturing of theflexible portion50.

WhileFIGS. 2-5 illustrate a settingassembly10 in which thesettable members12 arepackers14 which are set through inflation, the settingassembly10 may alternatively include compression set packers as thesettable member12. A compression set packer expands in response to compression of an elastomeric material of the packer, forcing the sides of the packer to bulge radially outwardly.FIG. 6 shows one exemplary embodiment of a settingassembly210 usable in conjunction with a compression setpacker212, shown inFIG. 7. In an exemplary embodiment, the settingassembly210 includes a wireline pressure setting assembly (“WLPSA”)214 that may be employed to ensure the successful setting of one or more settable members such as, but not limited to, bridge plugs, retainer production packers, and cement retainers. While a prior WLPSA builds up pressure through the products of combustion, the settingassembly210 uses the variable volume, phasechangeable material66, such as paraffin material, sealed therein to build up the pressure necessary to set the settable member. The settingassembly210 includes an enclosedtubular housing216 containing apiston head218 of apiston220 therein. Apiston rod222 of thepiston220 extends from thepiston head218 and then exteriorly of theenclosed housing216. Thepiston rod222 includes anengagement feature224 that engages with either the settable member, a cooperating feature that engages with the engagement feature to set the settable member, or another engagement feature that engages with the settable member or cooperating feature. In an exemplary embodiment, thepiston rod222 includes a threadedend226 and may connect with a variety of potential engagement features thereon. In an exemplary embodiment of a settingassembly210 for acompression packer212, the cooperating feature is a compressingmember228 such that movement of thepiston220 translates to movement of the compressingmember228. The compressingmember228 is configured to be capable of compressing thecompression packer212, and therefore may be substantially ring shaped, however it may include apertures, petals, or be foldable as necessary. Thepiston220 is longitudinally moveable between afirst end230 of an interior of thehousing216 and asecond end232 of the interior of thehousing216. Thepiston head218 is disposed between the first and second ends230,232 and a seal, such as O-ring234 may be secured around thepiston head218 to separate afirst area236 between thepiston head218 and thefirst end230 from asecond area238 between thepiston head218 and thesecond end232. Thesecond area238 is filled with thematerial66. Thefirst area236 may include a spring (not shown) or other biasing member that biases thepiston head218 towards thesecond end232 to return to its initial position after removal of heat. In normal surface or ambient temperatures, thepiston rod222 will be in a position such that the compressingmember228, or other cooperating feature, does not compress thecompression packer212, or otherwise set the settable member. However, upon application of heat, such as injection ofsteam26 shown inFIG. 7 or via acontrol line72 andheatable member70 shown inFIG. 6, thematerial66 will begin to melt and expand in volume as previously described. Volume expansion of theparaffin material66 pushes thepiston head218 towards thefirst end230, which in turn pulls the piston rod indirection240, as well as the compressingmember228 indirection240. Movement of the compressingmember228 indirection240 compresses thepacker212 between the compressingmember228 and another plate or compressingmember242.

WhileFIG. 6 demonstrates a wireline operation of the settingassembly210, an alternate exemplary embodiment incorporating the material66 to move a piston could also be configured to encircle thedownhole tool208, such as shown inFIG. 7. In such an embodiment, thepiston head244 would be substantially ring shaped, as would thesurrounding housing246. Thepiston rod248 need not be ring shaped, so long as the connection to compressingmember228 is sufficient to pull the compressingmember228 indirection240 without damage. Also, whileFIG. 7 illustrates a SAGD operation, application of heat may alternatively be accomplished viacontrol line72 andheating member70. The compressingmember228 is positioned at one side of thecompression packer212 and a remainder of the settingassembly310 is provided on an opposite side of thecompression packer212 inFIG. 7, however the settingassembly310 could be alternatively arranged to accommodate varying settable members.

Thus, an isolation tool for wells using thermal injection (such as SAGD completions) has been described that uses a thermally energizable, phase and volume changeable material to deploy and energize a settable member, such as a packer, seal, or other settable member. A method of setting the settable member includes enclosing the phase changeable setting material within a chamber of a housing in a solid state, heating the setting material to melt the setting material to a liquid state to expand a volume of the setting material, and harnessing the expansion of the setting material as a setting force to set the settable member.

Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:

Embodiment 1: A setting assembly comprising: an inflatable packer; a housing including a chamber; a setting material disposed in the chamber and having a first phase of matter and a second phase of matter, the setting material occupying a greater volume in the second phase than in the first phase, the setting material arranged to exert a setting force on the inflatable packer during transition of the setting material from the first phase to the second phase; and, at least one pressure relief member within the chamber, the pressure relief member configured to protect the inflatable packer from rupturing.

Embodiment 2: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first phase of the setting material is solid and the second phase is liquid.

Embodiment 3: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the housing includes a mandrel and an outer section, the outer section including a rigid portion and a flexible portion, the flexible portion forming the packer.

Embodiment 4: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments wherein the at least one pressure relief member includes a spring biased movable device longitudinally movable between the mandrel and the rigid portion of the outer section.

Embodiment 5: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the rigid portion includes a gap, the flexible portion spanning the gap in the rigid portion.

Embodiment 6: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the flexible portion is elastomeric.

Embodiment 7: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the housing further includes first and second connecting members at uphole and downhole ends of the setting assembly, the first and second connecting member connecting the rigid portion of the outer section to the mandrel.

Embodiment 8: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one pressure relief member is configured to enlarge an available volume of the chamber after the inflatable packer has expanded.

Embodiment 9: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one pressure relief member includes a spring biased movable device, the device biased within the chamber to permit the material to occupy a first volume within the chamber, and the device movable within the chamber to allow the material to occupy a second volume within the chamber greater than the first volume.

Embodiment 10: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein a force to expand a flexible portion of the inflatable packer is less than a force to move the movable device against its spring bias.

Embodiment 11: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the inflatable packer is a first inflatable packer, and further comprising a second inflatable packer, a tubular structure extending between the first and second inflatable packers having a radial aperture, wherein steam injected through the tubular structure and out the radial aperture transitions the setting material from the first phase to the second phase to set the first and second inflatable packers and isolate a zone between the first and second inflatable packers.

Embodiment 12: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising a heat source to transition the setting material from the first phase to the second phase.

Embodiment 13: The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the heat source is heated fluid pumped into a borehole.

Embodiment 14. The setting assembly of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the heat source is a heating element adjacent the housing, the heating element selectively controlled by a control line.

Embodiment 15: A downhole system comprising a tubular structure having a longitudinal axis, and a setting assembly, the setting assembly including: an inflatable packer; a housing including a chamber, the housing connected to the tubular structure and sharing an interior flowpath with the tubular structure, the chamber disposed exteriorly of the interior flowpath; a setting material disposed in the chamber and having a first phase of matter and a second phase of matter, the setting material occupying a greater volume in the second phase than in the first phase, the setting material arranged to exert a setting force on the inflatable packer during transition of the setting material from the first phase to the second phase; and, at least one pressure relief member within the chamber, the pressure relief member configured to protect the inflatable packer from rupturing.

Embodiment 16: A method of setting an inflatable packer, the method comprising: enclosing a phase changeable setting material within a chamber of a housing in a solid state; heating the setting material to melt the setting material to a liquid state to expand a volume of the setting material; harnessing the expansion of the setting material as a setting force to set the inflatable packer; and, protecting the inflatable packer from rupture.

Embodiment 17: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein harnessing the expansion of the setting material includes inflating a flexible member of the inflatable packer with expanding setting material.

Embodiment 18: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein protecting the inflatable packer from rupture includes enlarging an available volume of the chamber after the inflatable packer inflates.

Embodiment 19: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein protecting the inflatable packer from rupture includes relieving pressure within the chamber during expansion of the setting material by moving a spring biased device with expanding setting material to increase a volume of the chamber, wherein the inflatable packer expands prior to moving the spring biased device.

Embodiment 20: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein heating the setting material includes injecting heated fluid into a borehole.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should further be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The modifier “about” used in connection with a quantity is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity).

The teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a wellbore, and/or equipment in the wellbore, such as production tubing. The treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof. Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc. Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.

Claims

1. A setting assembly comprising:

an inflatable packer;

a housing including a chamber;

a setting material disposed in the chamber and having a first phase of matter and a second phase of matter, the setting material occupying a greater volume in the second phase than in the first phase, the setting material arranged to exert a setting force on the inflatable packer during transition of the setting material from the first phase to the second phase; and,

at least one pressure relief member within the chamber, the pressure relief member configured to protect the inflatable packer from rupturing.

2. The setting assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the first phase of the setting material is solid and the second phase is liquid.

3. The setting assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the housing includes a mandrel and an outer section, the outer section including a rigid portion and a flexible portion, the flexible portion forming the packer.

4. The setting assembly ofclaim 3 wherein the at least one pressure relief member includes a spring biased movable device longitudinally movable between the mandrel and the rigid portion of the outer section.

5. The setting assembly ofclaim 3, wherein the rigid portion includes a gap, the flexible portion spanning the gap in the rigid portion.

6. The setting assembly ofclaim 3, wherein the flexible portion is elastomeric.

7. The setting assembly ofclaim 3, wherein the housing further includes first and second connecting members at uphole and downhole ends of the setting assembly, the first and second connecting member connecting the rigid portion of the outer section to the mandrel.

8. The setting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one pressure relief member is configured to enlarge an available volume of the chamber after the inflatable packer has expanded.

9. The setting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one pressure relief member includes a spring biased movable device, the device biased within the chamber to permit the material to occupy a first volume within the chamber, and the device movable within the chamber to allow the material to occupy a second volume within the chamber greater than the first volume.

10. The setting assembly ofclaim 9, wherein a force to expand a flexible portion of the inflatable packer is less than a force to move the movable device against its spring bias.

11. The setting assembly ofclaim 1 wherein the inflatable packer is a first inflatable packer, and further comprising a second inflatable packer, a tubular structure extending between the first and second inflatable packers having a radial aperture, wherein steam injected through the tubular structure and out the radial aperture transitions the setting material from the first phase to the second phase to set the first and second inflatable packers and isolate a zone between the first and second inflatable packers.

12. The setting assembly ofclaim 1 further comprising a heat source to transition the setting material from the first phase to the second phase.

13. The setting assembly ofclaim 12 wherein the heat source is heated fluid pumped into a borehole.

14. The setting assembly ofclaim 12 wherein the heat source is a heating element adjacent the housing, the heating element selectively controlled by a control line.

15. A downhole system comprising a tubular structure having a longitudinal axis, and a setting assembly, the setting assembly including:

an inflatable packer;

a housing including a chamber, the housing connected to the tubular structure and sharing an interior flowpath with the tubular structure, the chamber disposed exteriorly of the interior flowpath;

16. A method of setting an inflatable packer, the method comprising:

enclosing a phase changeable setting material within a chamber of a housing in a solid state;

heating the setting material to melt the setting material to a liquid state to expand a volume of the setting material;

harnessing the expansion of the setting material as a setting force to set the inflatable packer; and, protecting the inflatable packer from rupture.

17. The method ofclaim 16 wherein harnessing the expansion of the setting material includes inflating a flexible member of the inflatable packer with expanding setting material.

18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein protecting the inflatable packer from rupture includes enlarging an available volume of the chamber after the inflatable packer inflates.

19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein protecting the inflatable packer from rupture includes relieving pressure within the chamber during expansion of the setting material by moving a spring biased device with expanding setting material to increase a volume of the chamber, wherein the inflatable packer expands prior to moving the spring biased device.

20. The method ofclaim 16 wherein heating the setting material includes injecting heated fluid into a borehole.