Ball Valve Deployment for Single-Trip Wellbore Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The construction of productive wells for hydrocarbon recovery is challenging, time-consuming, and costly, with each trip to deploy or retrieve equipment from the wellbore increasing the risk of damage and downtime, leading to significant expenses.

Innovation Solution

A system for deploying a lower completion string and isolating it fluidically using a ball valve, allowing for a single-trip deployment and isolation, with a mandrel that can close the valve and disconnect from the lower completion string, and a remote reopening feature to reopen the valve without additional trips.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple trips are made to deploy and service equipment in the wellbore, then equipment can be deployed and retrieved, but downtime and equipment damage risk increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewellbore operation reliabilityVSAvoiddowntime between trips

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The ball valve is pre-installed on the lower completion string before deployment into the wellbore. This preliminary placement allows the valve to be ready for immediate use when the work string returns, eliminating the need for additional trips to install isolation equipment and reducing downtime between operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The ball valve acts as an intermediary isolation mechanism that enables the work string to be retrieved without requiring permanent disconnection from the lower completion string. The valve mediates between the need to retrieve equipment for servicing and the need to maintain wellbore connectivity, allowing rapid re-entry without additional trips.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the work string is disconnected from the lower completion string to retrieve equipment, then equipment can be serviced, but fluidic isolation must be maintained to prevent wellbore damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment retrieval easeVSAvoidisolation mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ball valve is integrated directly onto the lower completion string, merging the isolation function with the completion equipment itself. This integration eliminates the need for separate isolation devices and simplifies the overall system while maintaining ease of equipment retrieval and servicing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The ball valve is designed to be operated remotely via the work string, allowing the lower completion string to self-isolate without requiring additional equipment or complex external isolation mechanisms. The simple ball valve design with remote operation capability enables easy equipment retrieval while maintaining fluidic isolation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12398619B2Single-trip deployment and isolation using a ball valve

Publication Date: 2025.08.26 HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES INC

AI summary

A downhole deployment and isolation system may be used to deploy a completion string, service the well, and isolate the lower completion string, optionally in a single trip. The lower completion string may be run into the well with a valve in an open condition, such as a ball valve propped open by a mandrel. The mandrel may be operable to both disconnect the work string from the lower completion string and to close the valve upon disconnecting such as by removing the mandrel from the ball. The valve may be remotely reopened with fluid pressure form surface.