Consumable Downhole Tool Self-Destruction via Thermite Combustion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for removing downhole tools from well bores are time-consuming and expensive, often requiring milling or drilling, and existing methods for disposable tools like frac plugs and drill collars are inefficient, with inconsistent results or difficulty in cutting thick-walled drill collars for retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A consumable downhole tool made of materials like magnesium that burn away when exposed to heat and oxygen, using a torch with a fuel load such as thermite to produce molten plasma for self-destruction, eliminating the need for mechanical removal and allowing for the reuse of drill collars by cutting them at the stuck point.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional milling or drilling methods are used to remove downhole tools, then the tools can be removed from the well bore, but the operation is time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical removal methods (milling or drilling) with a chemical combustion system. A torch assembly burns consumable materials (magnesium, aluminum, thermite) to generate heat and plasma that consumes the downhole tool body, eliminating the need for mechanical cutting operations and significantly reducing removal time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the tool body by using consumable materials that react to heat and plasma. The tool body is designed to transition from a solid structural form to a consumed/combusted state, enabling rapid removal without mechanical intervention
2Productivity
If explosives are used to fragment the downhole tool, then the tool can be broken apart, but the results are inconsistent and debris may fall into the well bore
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces explosive fragmentation with a controlled combustion process. Instead of using explosives to shatter the tool, a torch assembly systematically burns consumable materials that gradually consume the tool body in a predictable and controlled manner, ensuring consistent results and preventing uncontrolled debris distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The consumable materials (magnesium, aluminum, thermite) serve dual purposes: they provide the energy for combustion and simultaneously constitute the tool body that needs to be removed. The tool body consumes itself through the combustion process, eliminating the need for separate fragmentation operations
3Ease of repair
If thick-walled drill collars are cut for retrieval, then the drill collars can be salvaged, but cutting is difficult due to wall thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces difficult mechanical cutting operations with a chemical combustion process. The torch assembly burns through the thick walls of drill collars using consumable materials that generate intense heat and plasma, making the cutting operation easier and more effective than traditional mechanical methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the removal mechanism from mechanical cutting to chemical combustion. The consumable materials undergo phase changes and chemical reactions that generate the necessary energy to penetrate and consume the thick-walled drill collar material, simplifying the retrieval operation
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
This method reduces the time and cost of tool removal by allowing disposable downhole tools to self-destruct, enabling more efficient well operations and facilitating the retrieval of drill collars by cutting them effectively at the stuck point, thus salvaging more of the drill string.
Implementation Method 1
a torch with a fuel load that produces heat and oxygen when burned
Implementation Method 2
the material comprises a metal, and the metal may comprise magnesium, such that the magnesium metal is converted to magnesium oxide when exposed to heat and a source of oxygen
Implementation Method 3
The nozzles distribute molten plasma produced when the fuel load is burned
Data Source
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AI summary
A downhole tool having a body or structural component comprises a material that is at least partially consumed when exposed to heat and a source of oxygen. The material may comprise a metal, such as magnesium, which is converted to magnesium oxide when exposed to heat and a source of oxygen. The downhole tool may further comprise a torch with a fuel load that produces the heat and source of oxygen when burned, The fuel load may comprise a flammable, non-explosive solid, such as thermite.