Deployable Milling and Scraping Tool for Borehole Abandonment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for abandoning a borehole are inefficient and costly due to the need for multiple tool deployments and withdrawals to remove the inner casing and cement debris, which increases the time and resources required for plugging and abandoning a borehole.
Innovation Solution
A milling and scraping tool with selectively deployable milling and scraping blades that can cut and remove the inner casing and scrape away cement in a single operation, reducing the number of tool deployments and withdrawals by integrating milling and scraping functions into a single tool body with telemetry and hydraulic systems for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate tools are deployed to remove inner casing and scrape cement, then each function can be performed with dedicated equipment, but the number of tool deployments and withdrawals increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines milling blades for cutting inner casing and scraping blades for removing cement into a single integrated tool assembly. This merging eliminates the need to deploy and withdraw separate milling tools and scraping tools, reducing the number of operations while maintaining both cutting and scraping functions in one tool deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool assembly is designed with multi-functionality, capable of performing both milling (cutting inner casing) and scraping (removing cement) operations. The selective deployability of different blade sets allows the same tool to adapt to different operational requirements, making it a universal solution for multiple tasks that previously required separate specialized tools.
2Reliability
If multiple separate tools are used for milling and scraping operations, then each operation can be optimized with specialized equipment, but the overall cost and resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging milling and scraping functions into one tool assembly, the patent reduces the total number of tools required for abandonment operations. This consolidation decreases equipment costs, reduces the need for multiple tool launches and retrievals, and lowers overall operational resources while maintaining the effectiveness of both milling and scraping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-functional tool assembly performs both milling and scraping operations, eliminating the need for separate specialized tools. This universality reduces equipment investment, lowers operational costs, and improves productivity by completing multiple tasks in a single tool deployment cycle.
3Ease of operation
If the inner casing is removed in multiple separate operations, then each operation can be controlled independently, but the complexity of the abandonment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of milling and scraping operations into a single integrated system. While the tool assembly contains both milling blades and scraping blades that can be selectively deployed, the overall process complexity is reduced by eliminating the need to coordinate multiple separate tool deployments, launches, and retrievals.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool assembly incorporates selectively deployable blades that can be activated or deactivated based on operational requirements. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different stages of the abandonment process, maintaining ease of control while reducing overall process complexity by consolidating multiple operations into one tool.
Data Source
AI summary
A milling and scraping tool for preparing a borehole to be plugged includes a tool body including a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion extending therebetween and a milling system arranged between the first end and the second end. The milling system includes one or more selectively deployable milling blades. The one or more selectively deployable milling blades is shiftable between a retracted position and a deployed position. A scraping system is arranged on the tool body. The scraping system includes a plurality of selectively deployable scraping blades selectively deployable from a retracted position to a deployed position.