Dissolvable Bridge Plug for High-Pressure Well Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bridge plugs used in cased wells for perforating and fracturing applications are difficult to remove efficiently, especially in horizontal sections, requiring significant time and resources due to their durable metal components, which often result in incomplete removal and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A dissolvable bridge plug with metal-based anchoring and support features, such as slips and a mandrel, made from reactive metals like aluminum with alloying elements (e.g., lithium, gallium, indium, zinc, or bismuth), that degrade under downhole conditions, allowing for efficient removal after high-pressure applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If durable metal features (slips, mandrel) are used in bridge plug, then anchoring strength and sealing reliability are improved, but plug removal difficulty increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge plug is divided into two functional segments: durable metal features (slips, mandrel) for anchoring and sealing during operation, and a dissolvable body portion that degrades after use. This segmentation allows each part to have optimized properties for its specific function - the metal parts provide mechanical strength while the dissolvable portion enables easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The material composition of the bridge plug body portion is changed from permanent metal to dissolvable materials (fiberglass, polymer, cement) that can degrade under downhole conditions. This parameter change in material properties allows the plug to transition from a durable anchored state to a removable degraded state, solving the contradiction between anchoring strength and removal ease.
2Strength
If conventional durable materials are used for bridge plug, then structural integrity during high-pressure operations is maintained, but removal requires extensive drilling time and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge plug is designed with built-in dissolvable characteristics in its body portion that will automatically degrade after serving its anchoring and sealing function. This preliminary design feature eliminates the need for extensive drilling operations later, as the plug body will have already broken down into removable fragments after the fracturing operation completes.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge plug body portion is designed as a disposable component made from dissolvable materials that serve their purpose temporarily during the fracturing operation and then degrade naturally. This disposable approach replaces the need for permanent durable materials in the body portion, significantly reducing removal time and resources while maintaining structural integrity when needed.
3Force
If metal-based anchoring features are used, then plug anchoring strength is sufficient for high-pressure fracturing, but complete removal becomes impossible in horizontal sections
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge plug is segmented into permanent metal anchoring features (slips, mandrel) that provide the necessary holding force, and a temporary dissolvable body portion (fiberglass, polymer, cement) that can be completely removed. This segmentation allows the metal components to remain for anchoring while the body material degrades and can be fully extracted, even from horizontal well sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameters of the bridge plug body are changed from permanent metal to dissolvable materials that can degrade and be completely removed. This parameter change enables 100% removal of the plug body after the fracturing operation, eliminating the incomplete removal problem that occurs with conventional metal-based plugs in horizontal sections.
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 effective isolation during high-pressure operations and significantly reduces the time and cost associated with plug removal, with drill-out times decreased from hours to less than 15 minutes, while maintaining structural integrity during deployment.
Implementation Method 1
metal-based anchoring and support features, such as slips and a mandrel, made from reactive metals like aluminum with alloying elements (e.g., lithium, gallium, indium, zinc, or bismuth), that degrade under downhole conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A dissolvable bridge plug configured with components for maintaining anchoring and structural integrity for high pressure applications. These components may substantially dissolve to allow for ease of plug removal following such applications. The plug may effectively provide isolation in a cased well for applications generating over about 8,000-10,000 psi. At the same time, by employment of a dissolve period for the noted components, such a plug may be drilled-out in less than about 30 minutes, even where disposed in a lateral leg of the well.