Pipe Drifting in Wells with Buoyant Restriction Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe drifting operations in downhole applications require costly equipment and risk leaving obstructions due to the need for slick lines or wirelines, and existing methods are inefficient in detecting restrictions within tubulars.
Innovation Solution
A drift bar with a density lower than the wellbore fluid is used to float on the surface, allowing detection of restrictions by its absence or presence, enabling tubular installation without slick lines or wirelines and reducing the risk of leaving obstructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional pipe drifting operations use slick lines or wirelines, then detection capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the detection function from complex external equipment (slick lines, wirelines) and integrates it into a simple float device. The float naturally rises to indicate passage through the tubular, eliminating the need for separate detection systems while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The float device performs self-detection by utilizing its own buoyancy-driven rising motion as the detection mechanism. When the float passes through the tubular, its emergence at the surface automatically indicates successful passage, requiring no external power source or complex sensing equipment.
2Measurement precision
If traditional pipe drifting operations use slick lines or wirelines, then detection capability is improved, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the time-consuming setup and operation of slick lines or wirelines, replacing them with a simple float that requires minimal preparation. The float is simply dropped into the well and automatically performs detection during its rise, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining detection capability.
3Measurement precision
If drift bar density is made less than wellbore fluid density to enable floating, then detection capability is improved, but control over drift bar position becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses buoyancy as a counterweight force to gravity, creating a natural rising motion of the float. This buoyant force automatically propels the float upward through the tubular and to the surface, eliminating the need for active position control mechanisms while providing clear detection signals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method allows for efficient pipe drifting operations without additional equipment, reducing installation time and mitigating the risk of leaving obstructions, while ensuring sufficient inner diameters for tubulars, thus optimizing well operations.
Implementation Method 1
A drift bar is lowered into a well formed in a subterranean formation. The drift bar has a density that is less than a density of a wellbore fluid residing in the well.
Data Source
AI summary
A drift bar is lowered into a well. The drift bar has a density that is less than a density of a wellbore fluid residing in the well. A tubular is lowered into the well below a surface level of the wellbore fluid residing in the well. The tubular defines an inner bore having an inner diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the drift bar. The drift bar is positioned to pass through the inner bore of the tubular as the tubular is lowered into the well. After the tubular is positioned below the surface level, an absence or presence of the drift bar floating at the surface level is detected. An absence or presence of a restriction in the inner bore of the tubular is determined in response to detecting the presence or absence, respectively, of the drift bar floating at the surface level.