Autonomous Pipe Cutting System for Stuck Drill Strings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drill strings often become stuck in wellbores during drilling operations, leading to blocked circulation and rendering hydraulic tools ineffective for severing, necessitating costly and potentially hazardous methods for removal.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system with a locking unit, punching unit, and cutting unit, powered by a motor and controlled by a sensor module and control unit, which identifies stuck locations and autonomously severs the pipe without prior knowledge of the stuck location or the need for wireline or coiled-tubing, even in cases of blocked circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydraulic tools are used to sever the drill string, then the cutting operation can be performed, but circulation must be unblocked first which increases time and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hydraulic cutting tools with a mechanically-driven cutting system. The motor (142) drives the cutting unit (136) through mechanical transmission, eliminating the need for hydraulic circulation. This mechanical substitution allows cutting operations to proceed without requiring unblocked circulation, directly resolving the technical contradiction between ease of operation and time loss.
2Productivity
If the drill string is cut without identifying the stuck location, then operation time is reduced, but the cut may occur at an incorrect location requiring additional retrieval operations
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor module (130) performs preliminary detection of the stuck location by identifying changes in drill string properties (such as torque, vibration, or acoustic signals) before the cutting operation begins. The control unit (138) processes this sensor data to locate the stuck position, then positions the cutting unit (136) accordingly. This preliminary action ensures accurate cut location identification while maintaining efficient operation, resolving the contradiction between productivity and precision.
3Reliability
If a mechanical autonomous system is deployed to cut the pipe, then hydraulic circulation requirements are eliminated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical autonomous system integrates multiple functions into a single device: the motor (142) provides mechanical power, the sensor module (130) detects stuck location, the control unit (138) processes information and makes decisions, and the cutting unit (136) performs the cutting operation. This multi-functional integration eliminates dependency on hydraulic circulation while managing complexity through functional consolidation, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If wireline or coiled-tubing is used to deploy cutting tools, then the cutting operation can be performed, but the operation becomes more hazardous and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical autonomous system is self-propelled and self-controlled, deploying itself down the drill string without requiring wireline or coiled-tubing deployment equipment. The system autonomously navigates to the stuck location using sensor feedback and performs the cutting operation independently. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex surface deployment equipment, reducing both cost and hazard level, thereby resolving the contradiction between cost-effectiveness and harmful factors.
Data Source
AI summary
A mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system for cutting a pipe in a wellbore includes a locking unit that prevents the system from moving within the pipe when engaged to an inner surface of the pipe, a punching unit that moves a plurality of punching elements radially relative to an axis of the system, and a cutting unit that is designed to sever the pipe. The locking unit, the punching unit, and the cutting unit are attached to a body of the mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system. The body includes a motor that rotates the cutting unit. The mechanical autonomous pipe cutting system further includes a sensor module that detects interactions between the pipe and walls of the wellbore and a control unit in electronic communication with the sensor module, the locking unit, and the punching unit. The control unit actuates the locking unit and operates the punching unit subsequent to identifying a location where interaction between the pipe and the walls of the wellbore limits a downhole movement of the pipe based on an output of the sensor module.