Control Line Piston Shears Pins for Tubing Disconnect
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wellbore completion methods require over pull or slack off forces to shear pins, leading to potential damage and increased costs due to the need for heavily designed tubing configurations.
Innovation Solution
A control line activated tubing disconnect latch system that uses a piston to shear a set of pins connecting the tubing sections, allowing for selective disconnection of production tubing without requiring over pull or slack off forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional over pull or slack off forces are used to shear pins, then the tubing can be disconnected, but the tubing may be damaged and costs increase due to heavily designed tubing configurations
Solution Approach 1:
A control line acts as an intermediary mechanism to transmit force from the surface to a downhole piston, which then shears the pins. This intermediary system allows controlled disconnection without requiring direct over-pull forces on the tubing, thereby reducing damage risk while maintaining operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional direct mechanical over-pull system is replaced with a controlled piston-based shearing mechanism activated by control line pressure. This substitution allows precise control of the shearing force application point and magnitude, reducing unnecessary tubing stress and damage while enabling reliable disconnection
2Ease of operation
If heavily designed tubing configurations are used to withstand over pull forces, then the tubing can be disconnected, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control line and piston system serve as intermediaries that eliminate the need for heavily designed tubing configurations. The piston, activated by control line pressure, provides the precise shearing force needed to disconnect tubing, allowing standard tubing designs to suffice and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
3Ease of operation
If a control line activated piston system is used to shear pins, then tubing can be selectively disconnected without over pull forces, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latch system is segmented into distinct functional components: a control line for activation, a piston for force application, pins for connection, and a collet for engagement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system by assigning specific functions to specific elements, reducing unnecessary complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The piston is designed to automatically engage with the collet and shear the pins when activated by control line pressure. The system is self-actuating through the pressure differential created by control line activation, eliminating the need for external over-pull forces or complex control mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining selective disconnection capability
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 enables safer and more economical wellbore completions by reducing the risk of tubing damage and lowering operational costs, while providing a simple and selective method for tubing disconnection.
Implementation Method 1
pressuring a control line with a fluid, the control line connected to a piston configured to travel from an unexpanded position to an expanded position
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus are disclosed that use a control line to expand a piston that shears pins to disconnect a latching system for wellbore operations.