Expandable Conduit Actuator for Pipeline Blockage Reopening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Production pipelines for oil and gas often experience blockages due to sedimentation of substances like gas hydrates and scale, which can completely block fluid flow, leading to costly delays if left unmitigated.
Innovation Solution
A flow management system featuring an expandable device attachable to a conduit wall, adjustable between expanded and collapsed configurations via electrical current, using a piezoelectric element to compact blockages and reopen the conduit to fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an expandable device is used to compact blockages in production pipelines, then fluid flow is reestablished, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical actuation systems with piezoelectric actuators that use electrical fields to generate mechanical displacement. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining the ability to expand and collapse the device for blockage mitigation, directly resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and device complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the ability of piezoelectric materials to change their physical dimensions in response to electrical parameter changes. By applying voltage to the piezoelectric actuators, the device transitions between expanded and collapsed states, enabling flow restoration without complex mechanical linkages or moving parts, thus resolving the technical contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If piezoelectric actuators are used to control the expandable device, then the ease of operation is improved, but the use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic electrical pulses to the piezoelectric actuators rather than continuous power application. The device is activated in cycles - expanding to compact blockages, holding position, then collapsing - which reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining ease of remote operation through simple on/off electrical control signals.
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
Effectively reestablishes fluid flow by compacting and then collapsing the expandable device to clear blockages, preventing costly delays and reducing the need for conventional remediation methods, while being durable enough to withstand multiple actuation cycles and environmental pressures.
Implementation Method 1
The expandable device is adjustable between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration in response to a presence of or a lack thereof an electrical current. The expandable device includes a piezoelectric element that is configured to expand to the expanded configuration in response to an internal charge generated by the current.
Data Source
AI summary
A flow management system includes an expandable device configured for attachment to a wall surface of a conduit and being adjustable between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration, an electric actuator in fluid communication with the expandable device, and a control module. The control module is configured to control the electric actuator to flow a current to the expandable device to expand the expandable device for compacting a flow blockage within the conduit to create a channel adjacent the flow blockage and to terminate a flow of the current to the expandable device to collapse the expandable device for opening the channel to a fluid flow within the conduit.