Debris-Resistant Tubular Testing System with Filtered Bypass
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tubular string testing systems face challenges in preventing debris-induced malfunctions and ensuring effective pressure testing during installation, leading to inefficiencies and potential leaks.
Innovation Solution
A tubular string testing system that includes a filter to prevent debris from clogging bypass passages, with a valve and check valves that allow fluid communication between sections, and a bypass passage with check valves downstream of the filter, which can be closed in response to pressure differentials to prevent flow when the filter becomes clogged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bypass passage is provided to maintain fluid communication when the valve is closed, then reliability is improved, but debris may clog the bypass passage causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
A filter is introduced as an intermediary component within the bypass passage to intercept and remove debris from the fluid stream. The filter acts as a mediator between the fluid containing debris and the bypass passage, preventing debris from reaching and clogging critical components while maintaining the bypass function.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful element (debris) is extracted from the fluid stream using the filter before the fluid enters the bypass passage. This removal of the harmful factor allows the bypass passage to function reliably without the risk of debris-induced clogging or malfunction.
2Productivity
If pressure testing is performed during tubular string installation, then productivity is improved, but debris may cause leaks requiring retrieval and reinstallation
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure testing is performed during the installation process itself, before the tubular string is fully set in place. This preliminary action allows detection and correction of leaks while the string is still accessible, eliminating the need for costly retrieval and reinstallation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter serves as a protective intermediary during pressure testing by removing debris that could otherwise cause leaks or malfunctions during the testing operation, ensuring reliable test results without compromising tubular string integrity.
3Reliability
If check valves are installed downstream of the filter to prevent reverse flow, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The check valve is designed to automatically prevent reverse flow without requiring external control mechanisms. The valve self-activates based on pressure differential, opening to allow forward flow and closing to prevent reverse flow, thereby providing reliable flow direction control with minimal added complexity.
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 system effectively prevents debris-induced malfunctions, allows for continuous fluid flow during installation, and enables reliable pressure testing by filtering debris and maintaining fluid communication through bypass passages, ensuring the tubular string can be tested and installed efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a filter which filters fluid that flows through the bypass passage
Implementation Method 2
a valve which selectively permits and prevents fluid communication between sections of the flow passage
Implementation Method 3
a bypass passage which provides fluid communication between the sections of the flow passage when the valve is closed
Implementation Method 4
Flow through the bypass passage is prevented in response to a predetermined pressure differential being created across the filter
Data Source
AI summary
A tubular string testing system for use with a tubular string having a longitudinally extending flow passage can include a valve which selectively permits and prevents fluid communication between sections of the flow passage, a bypass passage which provides fluid communication between the sections of the flow passage when the valve is closed, and a filter which filters fluid that flows through the bypass passage. A method of testing a tubular string can include permitting fluid to flow through a bypass passage which connects sections of a flow passage extending longitudinally through the tubular string, a filter filtering the fluid which flows through the bypass passage, a valve of a tubular string testing system preventing flow of the fluid between the sections of the flow passage through the valve, and flow through the bypass passage being prevented in response to a predetermined pressure differential being created across the filter.