Cable Clamp Housing for Pipe Attachment Without Well Sticking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for attaching and protecting cables to pipes in the oil and gas industry face issues such as low operational reliability due to shock loads, paraffin deposition, and large size, which impede well fluid flow and increase the likelihood of sticking during round-trip operations.
Innovation Solution
A cable protection apparatus with a housing featuring pivotally attached clamps and locks with connecting loops and protrusions, allowing for a rigid connection and adjustable installation on pipes of different diameters, reducing the overall diameter and preventing sticking through a compact bolted connection and internal nut design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the apparatus uses a one-piece housing with covers mounted on hinges and screws, then the attachment structure is more secure, but the attachment points and screws can be destroyed due to contact with pipe walls and joints during round-trip operations
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into upper and lower parts that can be assembled around the cable, allowing the attachment structure to be configured without external screws that contact pipe surfaces. The segmentation enables the use of internal threading and locking mechanisms that are protected from external damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper and lower housing parts are designed to nest together with internal threading, where the screw threads are contained within the housing structure rather than extending externally. This nesting protects the critical attachment points from contact with pipe walls and joints during operations.
2Strength
If the apparatus uses a large cross-section housing, then the cable is better protected, but the free cross-section of the well is reduced and fluid crossflow is impeded during round-trip operations
Solution Approach 1:
The clamps are designed with pivotal attachment allowing them to flex and adapt to pipe diameter variations. This dynamic design enables the clamps to conform to the pipe surface, reducing the overall cross-sectional area of the apparatus while maintaining secure cable attachment and protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus design allows adjustment of geometric parameters, particularly the clamp opening angle and housing dimensions, to optimize the balance between cable protection and minimal interference with well fluid flow. The clamps can be positioned to provide necessary protection while minimizing the apparatus's external footprint.
3Strength
If the apparatus uses external bolted connections, then the assembly is more secure, but the size increases and the likelihood of sticking in the well increases
Solution Approach 1:
The screw connection is integrated within the housing structure, merging the fastening function into the housing itself rather than using separate external bolts. This integration eliminates protruding connection elements that could contact pipe surfaces and cause sticking, while maintaining secure attachment through internal threading and locking mechanisms.
4Strength
If the apparatus uses thrust springs for cable attachment, then the cable can be securely held, but paraffin and salts deposit on the springs, preventing reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The thrust springs are removed from the design entirely, extracting the problematic component that accumulated paraffin and salt deposits. The cable attachment function is achieved through alternative means such as friction fits, elastic deformation of the housing, or mechanical interlocking features that do not involve spring mechanisms, thereby eliminating the deposition issue and enabling reuse.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a safety apparatus for cable power lines of submersible electric motors used as drives of centrifugal pumps for the production of oil and other formation fluids. The apparatus contains a housing with a slot for a cable, and clamps arranged along the edges of a first side wall of the housing. Each clamp has one end hinged on the first side wall of the housing, and another end hingedly connected to a corresponding lock. Each lock contains connecting loops with protrusions, and the clamps each clamp is made with recesses and a thrust protrusion corresponding to the protrusions of the loops. Each lock further contains connecting protrusions to create a rigid connection a second side wall of the housing when the lock and the housing are pulled together.