Plastic Cable Protector for Diverter Seal Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing blowouts in oil and gas exploration and completion operations, particularly in offshore environments, are inadequate as they fail to safely handle the significant volume expansion of gas and can damage cables, compromising seal integrity and operator safety.
Innovation Solution
A protector apparatus formed of plastics material with multiple bores to receive strings and cables, designed to engage with diverter bags to prevent damage and ensure proper sealing, featuring movable components for ease of use and handling, and interlocking profiles to resist rotation and secure the apparatus in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a cable runs from the rig to the well-head beside the string, then cable installation is straightforward, but the cable presents an obstacle to adequate seal formation by the bag or packer around the string
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a protector assembly that segments the workspace by providing a dedicated bore for the cable and a separate engagement surface for the packer. This physical segmentation allows the packer to seal around the string without interference from the cable, while the cable maintains its routing path through the protector assembly's cable bore.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector assembly acts as an intermediary component between the cable and the packer/string system. It provides a structured interface that guides the cable through its own bore while presenting a clean external surface for packer engagement, thereby mediating the spatial conflict between cable routing and seal formation.
2Reliability
If a deploying bag or diverter is used according to the known approach, then blowout diversion is achieved, but the cable is liable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protector assembly segments the operational zones by providing a dedicated cable bore that shields the cable from the diverter bag deployment area. The cable passes through this protected bore, physically separating it from the high-stress environment where the bag is deployed around the string, thereby preventing cable damage while maintaining blowout diversion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector assembly provides beforehand protection by creating a protective structure around the cable before the diverter bag is deployed. The assembly's rigid or semi-rigid construction cushions the cable against potential damage from bag deployment forces, ensuring cable integrity throughout the blowout diversion operation.
3Weight of moving object
If the protector assembly is formed substantially of plastics material, then the assembly is lightweight and readily deployed, but structural strength must be sufficient to engage with the diverter
Solution Approach 1:
The protector assembly utilizes plastics material that combines lightweight properties with sufficient structural strength. The material selection and design create a composite-like structure where the plastics provide both low weight for easy deployment and adequate strength to engage with the diverter bag, resolving the contradiction between weight and strength requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to protector apparatus (30) for protecting at least one cable (24) during operation of a diverter (28). The protector apparatus (30) comprises at least one protector assembly substantially formed of a plastics material. The protector assembly defines a plurality of bores, a first of the plurality of bores being configured to receive a string (23) and a second of the plurality of bores being configured to receive a cable (24). The protector assembly is further configured to define an external surface with which an operating diverter engages when the protector apparatus is in use and a string is received in the first bore.