Degradable Isolation Device with Dissolvable Sensor Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Monitoring and gathering data from wellbores during hydraulic fracking operations is challenging due to their subterranean location, making it difficult to accurately detect and monitor conditions at or near the target region, especially since wellbores extend thousands of feet below the surface.
Innovation Solution
Deploying wellbore isolation devices equipped with dissolvable materials and integrated sensors that measure conditions during fracking operations, allowing the sensors to be released and carried by wellbore fluids to the surface for data collection, where they can transmit measurements to detectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surface-based sensors are used to monitor wellbore conditions, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to the inability to accurately detect conditions at or near the target region thousands of feet below the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The isolation device is divided into dissolvable portions and non-dissolvable portions, with sensors integrated into the dissolvable portion. This segmentation allows the sensor to be deployed to the target region for precise measurement, then automatically released and retrieved after serving its purpose, eliminating the need for complex retrieval mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor is pre-integrated into the dissolvable portion of the isolation device before deployment. This preliminary integration ensures the sensor is already in position to capture critical data during fracking operations, eliminating the need for separate sensor deployment operations and reducing overall system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are deployed to the target region within the wellbore, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases due to the need for integration, release, and retrieval mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The dissolvable portion automatically releases the sensor from the isolation device through self-dissolution in the wellbore environment, eliminating the need for external retrieval mechanisms. The sensor serves itself by being carried back to the surface by the wellbore fluid, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The wellbore fluid acts as an intermediary that carries the released sensor from the target region back to the surface. This natural fluid transport mechanism eliminates the need for complex active retrieval systems, reducing device complexity while ensuring the sensor returns with valuable data.
3Ease of operation
If dissolvable materials are used in the isolation device, then ease of operation improves through automatic sensor release, but reliability deteriorates due to potential premature dissolution or incomplete dissolution
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the isolation device have different dissolution properties - the portion containing the sensor is designed to dissolve at a specific rate and location, while other portions may have different dissolution characteristics. This local quality control ensures the sensor is released at the optimal time and place, balancing ease of operation with reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dissolution rate and timing are controlled by adjusting parameters of the dissolvable material, such as composition, thickness, or environmental sensitivity. These parameter changes allow the device to maintain structural integrity during deployment while ensuring reliable automatic release of the sensor under specific wellbore conditions.
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
Enables precise monitoring of wellbore conditions during and after fracking operations, overcoming the limitations of surface-based sensors by placing sensors closer to the target region and allowing for the collection of data on wellbore conditions, facilitating better operational control and resource extraction.
Implementation Method 1
the dissolvable portion dissolves when exposed to the wellbore fluid
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments include methods to obtain measurements of a wellbore and data logging devices. In one embodiment, the method includes measuring, by a sensor of a wellbore isolation device, at least one condition of the wellbore proximate to the sensor. The wellbore isolation device has a dissolvable portion, and the sensor is releasable from the wellbore isolation device upon dissolution of the dissolvable portion. The method also includes storing measurements of the at least one condition of the wellbore in a machine-readable medium. The method further includes providing the stored measurements of the sensor to a controller following dissolution of the dissolvable portion.