Retrievable Bridge Plug Debris Basket
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Solution Overview
Problem
During the hydraulic fracturing process, the setting, pressure application, and release of retrievable bridge plugs result in the breaking off of sealing element parts, which can cause debris to fall and interfere with the fracturing process, potentially leading to premature or insufficient actuation of frac sleeves and complicating the removal of the plug.
Innovation Solution
A basket is attached below the retrievable plug to capture and retain any broken sealing element segments, with a breakaway support rod and acceleration brake to prevent freefall, ensuring debris is contained and allowing for safe removal of the plug and basket as a single piece.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sealing element is compressed during setting and pressure application, then the bridge plug achieves sufficient sealing force and pressure containment, but portions of the sealing element break off and create debris that can interfere with frac sleeve actuation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful debris generated during plug setting and pressure application by incorporating a debris collection mechanism. The setting tool includes a debris collection chamber that captures broken sealing element portions, preventing them from contaminating the wellbore and interfering with subsequent frac sleeve actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary debris collection chamber between the sealing element and the wellbore environment. This chamber acts as a mediator that captures debris during the setting and pressure application process, preventing direct contact between debris and critical components like ball seats and frac sleeves.
2Ease of operation
If the plug is released and retrieved to the surface, then the frac sleeves can be actuated, but debris may fall and cause premature or insufficient actuation of frac sleeves
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts debris from the wellbore environment during plug retrieval by maintaining the debris collection chamber attached to the plug assembly. As the plug is retrieved to the surface, the chamber continues to contain debris, preventing it from falling onto ball seats and causing premature or insufficient frac sleeve actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris collection chamber serves as an intermediary protective barrier during plug retrieval operations. It mediates between the retrieved plug and the wellbore environment, ensuring that debris generated during setting and pressure application does not contaminate critical actuation components.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a debris barrier is used to capture debris, then debris is contained, but the device complexity increases with additional components like baskets and support rods
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the debris collection function with the existing plug assembly structure. The debris collection chamber is integrated into the plug body or setting tool, combining multiple functions (sealing, pressure containment, and debris collection) into a unified assembly, thereby reducing overall device complexity compared to adding separate debris barrier components.
Data Source
AI summary
A basket is attached below a retrievable bridge plug used during the pressure testing of a well to verify integrity prior to fracturing operations. After the pressure integrity test above the plug, the plug is released and retrieved and a series of balls of increasing diameter are dropped on increasingly larger ball seats to allow shifting sleeves to an open position from the heel of the well toward the surface to sequentially frac in that direction. If any segments of the sealing element break off they are captured and removed in the basket that has flow through opening small enough to retain the debris and allow flow through the basket during removal. The basket is slotted for through fluid flow and can have a breakaway for the support rod if the basket sticks when the plug is removed.