Ceramic Frangible Dome for Controlled Wellbore Rupture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure isolation mechanisms in well drilling and completion operations, such as tubing end-plugs and rupture domes, face challenges in deviated or non-vertical wells, including difficulty in retrieval, interference with further operations, and irregular rupture passages that restrict fluid flow or cause equipment damage.
Innovation Solution
A frangible dome with a specific arcuate shape and surface features that control fragmentation upon rupture, made from materials like ceramics or cast metal, designed to withstand high pressure on one side and rupture under controlled pressure differential on the other side, ensuring controlled size and shape of fragments to avoid plugging or equipment damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic or aluminum disc plug is used to seal the tubing string, then pressure isolation is achieved, but the metal remains at the bottom workface interfering with further drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a frangible dome made of sacrificial material (such as ceramic, glass, or cast metal) that is designed to be destroyed after serving its temporary pressure isolation function. The dome is intentionally made vulnerable to rupture by external tools or pressure, allowing it to be removed completely from the wellbore, thus eliminating the interference problem caused by permanent metal plugs.
2Ease of operation
If a frangible dome is used to provide pressure isolation, then the seal can be broken remotely, but the rupture may create irregular passages and harmful fragments
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible dome is designed with pre-defined break lines or weakness patterns that guide the rupture process. These segmented design features ensure that when the dome ruptures, it breaks into controlled small fragments rather than large irregular pieces, preventing wellbore plugging and maintaining smooth fluid flow paths after rupture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of dome rupture into a beneficial outcome by designing the frangible material and geometry to fragment in a controlled manner. The rupture, which could otherwise create dangerous projectiles and blockages, is transformed into a clean breakdown into small harmless particles that can be easily flushed from the wellbore.
3Ease of operation
If a breaking implement is dropped down the tubing to rupture the dome, then the dome can be broken, but the method is ineffective in deviated or horizontal wellbores
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gravity-dependent mechanical dropping method with alternative rupture mechanisms such as externally actuated breaking tools deployed via wireline or coiled tubing, or pressure-actuated rupture systems. These substituted methods do not rely on gravity and can effectively rupture the frangible dome in vertical, deviated, or horizontal wellbores alike.
4Reliability
If the dome is designed to withstand high pressure from one side, then pressure isolation is maintained, but the dome must be broken by external force
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible dome is designed with asymmetric pressure resistance characteristics, being strong withstanding high pressure from the wellbore side while having a vulnerable opposite side or pre-defined weakness that allows controlled rupture. This parameter differentiation enables the dome to maintain reliable pressure isolation during normal operations while allowing simple external rupture when needed, without requiring complex rupture mechanisms.
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 solution provides reliable pressure isolation in deviated or non-vertical wells, allowing for controlled rupture and removal of the dome without leaving harmful fragments, enhancing operational efficiency and safety by maintaining a clean passage and preventing interference with wellbore equipment.
Implementation Method 1
designed to hold high fluid pressure applied to the convex side, and to break when fluid pressure applied to the concave side exceeds a threshold
Implementation Method 2
The breakaway section when ruptured as a result of application of pressure to the concave side exceeds the threshold, designed to break into pre-determined fragments defined at least in part by the features included in its surface
Data Source
AI summary
A one-time-use pressure-actuated conduit closure is provided, to selectively withstand fluid pressure from one side of the device until the closure is removed remotely, the closure device being a frangible dome designed to withstand fluid pressures from one side but to rupture upon application of higher pressure on its other side, which provides a mechanism to isolate downhole fluid under (high) pressures in part of a well during operations for a period of time selected by an operator, and then to remove the isolation by breaking the rupture dome remotely by application of extra fluid pressure or other forces from surface. The frangible dome has features in at least one surface to guide and control its breakage to provide controlled shard sizes and shapes and a predictable opening for minimal obstruction of the conduit when broken away.