Disintegratable Plug Element for Well Completion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plug arrangements for boreholes face challenges such as high friction during installation, difficulty in removal, and safety concerns due to the use of explosives, leading to inefficiencies and potential operational hazards in hydrocarbon well completion and production.
Innovation Solution
A plug arrangement featuring a disintegratable plug element made of crushable glass or ceramic materials, housed in a pressure-resistant pipe string with a seal element and an activation mechanism that allows axial movement and controlled disintegration under pressure, reducing friction and eliminating the need for explosives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional metal plugs are used to block pipelines, then the plug provides strong sealing capability, but the plug becomes difficult to remove and generates debris in the well
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is segmented into multiple glass layers (typically 3-5 layers) bonded together with adhesive layers. This segmentation allows the plug to be crushed into manageable pieces rather than remaining as a single difficult-to-remove solid mass, while still providing adequate sealing capability when intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the plug are changed by using glass material with specific strength characteristics and bonding layers with controlled adhesive strength. The plug is designed to maintain strength during installation and service, but can be crushed into pieces for removal, transforming from a permanent block to a removable segmented structure.
2Ease of operation
If explosive charges are used to remove plugs, then the plug can be shattered effectively, but safety risks increase due to potential undetonated explosives and handling complications
Solution Approach 1:
The explosive removal mechanism is replaced with a mechanical crushing system. A crushing device is run through the pipe string and applies mechanical force to crush the glass plug into pieces, eliminating the need for explosives while achieving effective plug removal through controlled mechanical action.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass plug is designed as a disposable element that can be easily crushed and left in the well as small pieces, or removed if necessary. The focus shifts from creating a permanent, strongly bonded plug to using a material that can be easily destroyed mechanically, accepting that the plug serves its temporary blocking function and is then discarded.
3Strength
If a single strong glass layer is used for the plug, then the plug provides adequate sealing strength, but the plug becomes difficult to crush for removal
Solution Approach 1:
The single strong glass layer is divided into multiple thinner glass layers (typically 3-5 layers) bonded together. Each individual layer is easier to crush than a single thick layer, while the bonded structure maintains adequate sealing strength when intact. The bonding layers create planes of weakness that facilitate crushing during removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is constructed as a composite structure with alternating glass layers and adhesive bonding layers. This composite design provides the strength needed for sealing while the interface between layers creates controlled weakness planes that allow the plug to be crushed into manageable pieces for removal, combining the benefits of strength and crushability.
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 efficient installation and removal of completion pipes with reduced friction and enhanced safety, maintaining structural integrity and operational efficiency in hydrocarbon well operations.
Implementation Method 1
a seal element arranged to seal between the plug element and the pressure-resistant wall, wherein the seal element is arranged to seal between the plug element and the pressure-resistant wall in both the first and the second position
Implementation Method 2
When the plug is to be removed it is well known to use explosive charges to crush or shatter the plug, normally by placing the explosive inside the plug, or on the surface thereof
Implementation Method 3
the plug element is movable in the axial direction of the pipe string between a first position in which the plug element is spaced from a loading device that is fixed in the plug housing and a second position in which the plug element is in contact with the loading device
Data Source
AI summary
A completion pipe comprising a plug arrangement and a method for arranging a completion pipe in a well. The arrangement includes a disintegratable plug element arranged in a plug housing in a pipe string, a seal element arranged to seal between the plug element and the pipe string. The plug element is movable in the axial direction of the pipe string between a first position and a second position.