Dissolvable Tubular Plug with Sliding Barriers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing temporary plugs in tubular systems, such as those used in hydrocarbon recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration, often require time-consuming interventions like drilling or milling, which can be costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A dissolvable tool with a body and barriers designed to slide and seal within a structure, maintaining a fluid volume between them, allowing predictable dissolution and customizable configuration for controlled removal without intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional intervention methods (drilling or milling) are used to remove temporary plugs, then the plug can be removed, but the time and equipment required increase operational complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is designed to dissolve automatically through exposure to formation water, eliminating the need for external intervention equipment or operations. The plug serves itself by using the natural formation water to trigger its dissolution, thereby removing the complexity of drilling or milling operations while maintaining reliable removal functionality.
2Productivity
If dissolvable plugs are used to avoid intervention, then equipment and time requirements are reduced, but the dissolution timing and reliability become unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is pre-configured with specific material properties and geometric characteristics that determine its dissolution rate. The plug's design includes predetermined dissolution parameters such as material composition, surface area, and thickness, which ensure predictable dissolution timing based on known formation water conditions, thereby maintaining reliability while avoiding intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug utilizes changes in physical and chemical parameters of formation water (such as temperature, pressure, and composition) to control its dissolution rate. By monitoring and accounting for these parameter changes, the system achieves predictable dissolution timing while maintaining operational efficiency without requiring intervention.
3Loss of substance
If the plug dissolves using formation water, then no additional downhole fluids are needed, but the dissolution rate may be affected by variable formation water conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is designed to respond to variable formation water conditions by adjusting its dissolution rate according to changes in temperature, pressure, and water composition. This parameter-responsive design ensures consistent dissolution behavior across different formation conditions while avoiding the need for additional downhole fluids, thereby maintaining reliability without increasing fluid consumption.
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 tool ensures reliable and predictable dissolution, reducing downtime and intervention costs by maintaining a consistent fluid volume and allowing for customizable deployment and removal without the need for additional downhole fluids, ensuring efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
a body made of a material dissolvable in the fluid
Implementation Method 2
at least one barrier connected to the body configured to slidably fluidically seal to a structure
Data Source
AI summary
A dissolvable tool includes a body having at least a portion configured to dissolve in a fluid, and a barrier connected to the body. The barrier is configured to slidably fluidically seal to a structure that the body and the barrier are movable within to maintain a volume of the fluid between the barrier and the body while the barrier and the body are moved through the structure.