Adjustable Mill with Interchangeable Cutters for Fishing Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the oil and gas industry, conventional drill bits are inadequate for removing equipment or 'fish' lost in wells due to their inability to effectively drill through metals, and existing mills are limited to specific shapes, making it difficult to accurately match the shape of the fish downhole.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable mill system with a tubular body, cylinder, and lock ring, which can change modes by interacting with different lock ring seats, allowing it to adapt to various fish shapes by altering its cutting configuration and mode of operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional drill bits are used to drill through fish, then drilling through formations and plastics is effective, but drilling through metals is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The mill is designed with replaceable cutter elements that can be swapped depending on the material being drilled. The cutting structure includes interchangeable components such as teeth, inserts, or blades that can be replaced to match different fish materials (metal, plastic, formation), allowing the same mill body to adapt to various drilling requirements.
2Reliability
If mills are designed in different shapes for different fish shapes, then drilling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mill is divided into modular components: a mill body and interchangeable cutting elements. This segmentation allows the cutting portion to be replaced without replacing the entire mill, enabling adaptation to different fish shapes and materials while maintaining a single mill body inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The mill body is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple types of cutting elements. By making the cutting portion interchangeable, a single mill body can perform multiple drilling functions on different fish types, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated mill designs.
3Reliability
If mills are designed in different shapes for different fish shapes, then drilling effectiveness is improved, but the need to match specific shapes downhole becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mill incorporates interchangeable cutting elements that can be swapped to match different fish configurations. This dynamic reconfiguration capability allows the mill to adapt to various fish shapes downhole without requiring pre-knowledge of the exact fish geometry, as the cutting portion can be adjusted to match the encountered fish type.
4Device complexity
If a single mill design is used for all fish types, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different fish shapes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mill is divided into a permanent mill body and replaceable cutting elements. This segmentation maintains simple inventory (one mill body type) while providing versatility through interchangeable cutting portions that can be selected or configured to match different fish shapes and materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting elements can be changed to alter the mill's effective shape and cutting characteristics. By changing parameters such as cutter angle, cutter material, cutter arrangement, or cutter geometry, the same mill body can be adapted to handle different fish types, achieving versatility without increasing base device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a deployment device and an adjustable mill. The deployment device has a box end with internal threads. The adjustable mill has a tubular body, a cylinder, and a lock ring. The tubular body has a lateral end and a pin end. The pin end has external threads, the lateral end is partially enveloped by cutters, and the lateral end comprises an inner wall defining an orifice. The cylinder is movably disposed within the orifice. The cylinder is partially enveloped by the cutters. The lock ring is disposed circumferentially around the cylinder. The lock ring interacts with a lock ring seat machined into the inner wall of the lateral end to place the adjustable mill in a mode. The internal threads of the adjustable mill and the external threads of the deployment device interact to form a connection between the adjustable mill and the deployment device.