Capillary Injection Through Safety Valve Bypass

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing subsurface safety valves in wellbores often obstruct the deployment of capillary tubing strings, making it difficult and costly to inject production-enhancing fluids, especially in depleted wells, due to their design and installation requirements, which necessitate costly retrieval and reinstallation of production tubing.

Innovation Solution

A conversion kit and method that enhances wireline retrievable surface controlled subsurface safety valves with a bypass passageway apparatus, allowing fluid injection while maintaining safety valve operation without removing the production tubing, using a capillary fluid flow path and injector system that includes adapters, packings, and a tubing string hanger.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If subsurface safety valves are installed in production tubing to prevent blowouts, then well safety is improved, but the ability to deploy capillary tubing for fluid injection is obstructed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewell safetyVSAvoidfluid injection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the injection function from the production tubing by using a separate capillary tubing string that can be deployed independently through the safety valve. This segmentation allows the safety valve to remain in place for blowout prevention while the capillary tubing provides the injection capability without interfering with the safety function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The capillary tubing is nested within the production tubing structure, with the capillary tubing string being deployed through the safety valve assembly. This nesting allows the smaller diameter capillary tubing to pass through the safety valve without removing the production tubing, enabling dual functionality within the same wellbore structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Adaptability or versatility

If production tubing is retrieved and reinstalled to deploy capillary tubing for fluid injection, then fluid injection capability is improved, but operational cost and time are increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefluid injection capabilityVSAvoidtubing retrieval and reinstallation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The safety valve is pre-configured with a receiving assembly and seal that anticipate the deployment of capillary tubing. This preliminary preparation allows the capillary tubing to be deployed through the safety valve without requiring retrieval of the production tubing, saving significant operational time and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The receiving assembly with its seal acts as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates the deployment of capillary tubing through the safety valve. This intermediary structure enables the capillary tubing to pass through the safety valve assembly without removing the production tubing, avoiding the costly retrieval and reinstallation process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If capillary tubing is deployed through production tubing to inject stimulation chemicals, then production stimulation capability is improved, but deployment difficulty increases due to obstructions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction stimulation capabilityVSAvoidcapillary tubing deployment ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The capillary tubing is extracted as a separate deployable element from the production tubing system. By taking out the injection function into a separate capillary tubing string that can be independently deployed through the safety valve, the system eliminates the obstruction problem that would otherwise require removal of the production tubing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system adds a dimensional layer by introducing capillary tubing that runs concentrically within the production tubing. This dimensional arrangement allows the capillary tubing to be deployed through the safety valve assembly without interfering with the production tubing obstructions, enabling stimulation chemical injection through a different spatial pathway.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS8251147B2Method and apparatus for continuously injecting fluid in a wellbore while maintaining safety valve operation

Publication Date: 2012.08.28 BAKER HUGHES CO

AI summary

The present disclosure is directed to a wellbore injection system. The wellbore injection system comprises a capillary fluid flow path positioned in a subsurface wellbore so as to allow fluid communication through the wellbore, the wellbore having a wellbore pressure. A receptacle is in fluid communication with a second fluid flow path that is positioned below the capillary fluid flow path in the wellbore. An injector is attached to a distal end of the capillary fluid flow path, the injector comprising an injector flow path. The injector is capable of being removably attached to the receptacle to provide fluid communication between the capillary fluid flow path and the second fluid flow path through the injector flow path. An isolation mechanism is capable of isolating the capillary fluid flow path from the wellbore pressure when the injector is not attached to the receptacle.