Dissolvable Downhole Tool Perforation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the subterranean drilling and completion industry, downhole tools often become unwanted obstructions, and existing methods to deform or remove them are not fully effective, as their presence can still be burdensome even in a deformed state.
Innovation Solution
A dissolvable tool with perforations is introduced, allowing a reactive environment to weaken and fracture the tool under mechanical stress, enabling controlled dissolution and removal without the need for retrieval or milling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a downhole tool is deformed by operator action, then the tool's presence becomes less burdensome, but the tool still remains as an obstruction that needs further removal
Solution Approach 1:
The tool body material undergoes parameter change by reacting with the downhole environment (acid, water, etc.), transitioning from a solid obstructive state to a dissolved state, eliminating the obstruction completely rather than merely deforming it
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful obstructive component (tool body) is extracted from the system through chemical dissolution, removing the obstruction entirely from the wellbore environment
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a downhole tool is completely removed through retrieval or milling, then the obstruction is eliminated, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The tool body performs self-service by automatically reacting with the downhole environment to dissolve itself, eliminating the need for complex external retrieval or milling operations
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical removal processes (retrieval, milling) are replaced by a chemical dissolution process, simplifying the removal mechanism from complex mechanical operations to a straightforward chemical reaction
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a downhole tool is completely removed through retrieval or milling, then the obstruction is eliminated, but the time required for removal increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The tool body automatically dissolves through reaction with the downhole environment, eliminating the time-consuming manual retrieval or milling operations
Solution Approach 2:
Time-consuming mechanical removal operations are replaced by a faster chemical dissolution process that occurs naturally in the downhole environment
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 effectively decreases in strength upon exposure to downhole environments, fracturing into small pieces that do not hinder further operations, thereby addressing the issue of unwanted tool presence and simplifying removal processes.
Implementation Method 1
positioning the tool within an environment reactive with at least a portion of the tool... reacting at least a portion of the tool exposed to the environment through the at least one perforation
Data Source
AI summary
A dissolvable tool includes, a body with a surface having at least one perforation therethrough, the at least one perforation being dimensioned to control a rate of intrusion of an environment reactive with at least a portion of the dissolvable tool located below the surface.