Compact Wet Connector for Trident Rigless ESP Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing wet connectors for downhole tool strings have a large overall size, making them inconvenient for electrical connections and other downhole operations due to their size, which is not compatible with the small inner diameter of wellbores.
Innovation Solution
A compact wet connector design featuring an insulating material body with a conductive core and insulating piston, filled with insulating oil, providing a two-layer insulation and ensuring electrical connectivity while preventing well fluid ingress through a sealing mechanism, with optional additional chambers and elastic components for enhanced insulation and pressure management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a conventional wet connector is used, then electrical connection is achieved, but the radial overall size is large making it inconvenient for downhole operations
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive core is nested within the insulating material body, which contains the first chamber filled with insulating oil. The male connector penetrates through the insulating piston to contact the conductive core chamber. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional elements to occupy overlapping spatial volumes, significantly reducing the radial overall size while maintaining all necessary electrical connection and insulation functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a conventional radial connection approach to a longitudinal penetration approach. The male connector enters through the insulating piston along the longitudinal axis to contact the conductive core chamber, utilizing the longitudinal dimension for connection operations. This dimensional shift allows the connector components to be arranged along the length rather than requiring large radial space, thereby reducing the radial overall size while preserving ease of operation.
2Volume of moving object
If the connector size is reduced, then downhole operation convenience is improved, but insulation reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating material body provides localized high-quality insulation around the conductive core and within the first chamber. The insulating oil fills the first chamber to provide liquid insulation, while the insulating piston with sealing lips creates localized sealing zones at critical interfaces. This distributed local quality approach ensures reliable insulation throughout the compact structure without requiring uniform thick insulation walls that would increase overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The wet connector employs a composite insulation system combining solid insulating material (the insulating material body and insulating piston) with liquid insulating oil in the first chamber. This composite approach leverages the advantages of both materials: the solid structure provides mechanical strength and shape maintenance, while the liquid oil provides excellent electrical insulation and can be pressurized to prevent fluid ingress. The combination achieves reliable insulation in a compact design that would be difficult to accomplish with a single material type.
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 compact design maintains a desirable insulation effect and prevents well fluid entry, ensuring reliable downhole operations by compressing insulating oil to create pressure greater than the well fluid pressure, thus enhancing the insulation and operational reliability of the wet connector.
Implementation Method 1
the insulating oil in the first chamber is compressed, and the pressure of the insulating oil in the first chamber is enabled to be greater than the pressure of well fluid outside the wet connector
Implementation Method 2
The insulating piston is hermetically connected to the first opening through a first sealing lip
Implementation Method 3
When the insulating oil in the first chamber is compressed, the insulating elastic bag moves toward the second chamber. The insulating oil in the second chamber is compressed, and the pressure of the insulating oil in the second chamber is enabled to be greater than the pressure of well fluid outside the wet connector
Implementation Method 4
The second opening is hermetically connected to the insulating piston through a second sealing lip
Data Source
AI summary
A wet connector for a downhole tool string includes an insulating material body, a conductive core and an insulating piston. The insulating material body is provided with a first chamber, and the first chamber is filled with insulating oil. A conductive core chamber of the conductive core is communicated with the first chamber. The insulating piston is hermetically connected to a first opening through a first sealing lip. When a male connector abuts against the insulating piston and moves toward the bottom of the conductive core chamber, the male connector is in contact with and electrically connected to the conductive core chamber and causes oil to flow from the conductive core chamber so that the insulating oil in the first chamber is compressed and a pressure of the insulating oil in the first chamber is enabled to be greater than a pressure of well fluid outside the wet connector.