Disintegrable Plug Apparatus for Petroleum Well Pressure Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plug apparatuses for petroleum wells face challenges in reliable and safe removal during pressure testing, with traditional methods being unreliable, slow, or posing safety risks due to the use of explosives or complex mechanical devices.
Innovation Solution
A plug apparatus with an outer housing and axial bore containing sealing devices supported by locking and supporting bodies, which disintegrate under axial movement and loading from pin or blade-like loading devices, ensuring safe and reliable fluid flow once the sealing devices are subjected to point loading or cutting, allowing for controlled disintegration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If destructible plugs are made of rubber material that dissolves in well fluid or chemical, then the plug can be removed without explosives, but the removal process is unreliable and slow, and the exact removal time cannot be predicted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rubber (chemical dissolution) to glass/ceramic (mechanical fragmentation), and introduces a controlled loading mechanism that transforms the removal process from passive dissolution to active controlled breaking, achieving both reliability and time predictability
Solution Approach 2:
The loading devices are pre-positioned within the plug structure, and the sealing devices are designed with predetermined weak points that will break at a specific load threshold, ensuring controlled and predictable disintegration when pressure is applied
2Reliability
If explosives are used to break up the plug, then the plug removal is sure, but safety risks increase and there are stringent requirements regarding use and import of explosives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the explosive chemical system with a controlled mechanical loading system. The loading devices (pins, spikes, or blades) are actuated by a controlled mechanism that applies force progressively, eliminating the need for explosives while maintaining reliable plug destruction
Solution Approach 2:
The loading devices serve as an intermediary between the control system and the sealing devices. Instead of using explosives directly, the loading devices mediate the force application, controlling the disintegration process and eliminating safety hazards associated with explosives
3Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical loading devices are used to break up the plug, then the plug can be removed safely, but the devices are often highly complex and thus prone to faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the plug into distinct functional components: sealing devices with predetermined weak points, supporting bodies, and loading devices. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall system while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The loading devices are designed as simple, inexpensive components that can be easily replaced if needed. The sealing devices themselves are designed to be disposable, breaking away at a predetermined load, which simplifies the overall system complexity compared to complex reusable mechanical loading devices
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 plug apparatus provides a safe, reliable, and flexible solution for disintegration, ensuring complete disintegration of sealing devices and reducing operational risks, enhancing safety and efficiency in petroleum well pressure testing.
Implementation Method 1
this axial movement causing the at least one sealing device to be brought into contact with loading devices that are designed to subject the at least one sealing device to load, so as to produce disintegration of the at least one sealing device
Implementation Method 2
The loading devices used to subject the at least one sealing device to load so as to produce a weakness of the sealing device may be in the form of one or more pin devices, spikes, blades or the like, the loading devices being suitably configured to provide substantial point loading, cutting or scratching of the sealing devices
Data Source
AI summary
A disintegrable plug apparatus for use in connection with petroleum wells, especially during pressure testing of such petroleum wells. The plug apparatus has an outer housing surrounding at least one sealing device and a plurality of supporting bodies, where at least one of the supporting bodies is in engagement with a locking device for locking to a locking sleeve. After application of a predetermined pressure on the plug apparatus, the at least one supporting body and the at least one sealing device are permitted an axial movement such that the at least one sealing device is brought into contact with loading devices for disintegration of the at least one sealing device.