Downhole Autonomous Release Tool for Stuck Drill String
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Drill strings often become stuck in wellbores due to the shape of the hole, accumulation of cuttings, or differential pressure, requiring costly and time-consuming remedial actions that involve prior knowledge of the stuck location and may result in equipment failure and scrap.
Innovation Solution
The development of downhole autonomous release tools integrated into drill strings, which include a sensor module to detect stuck points and a drive system to sever the string at predetermined intervals without surface support, allowing for autonomous operation and reduced operational time and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical and hydraulic tools are used to free the drill string from the wellbore, then the drill string can be freed, but prior knowledge of the stuck location is required and the process is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The drill string is equipped with autonomous release tools that can independently detect their own stuck condition using sensors and automatically execute the release operation without requiring surface intervention or prior knowledge of the stuck location. The system serves itself by integrating detection, decision-making, and execution capabilities directly into the drill string components.
Solution Approach 2:
Release tools are pre-installed at predetermined intervals along the drill string before drilling operations begin. This preliminary placement ensures that when a stuck condition occurs, the nearest release tool is already in position and can immediately respond without requiring time for tool deployment or location assessment.
2Reliability
If chemical methods or cutting the drill string are used to resolve stuck conditions, then the drill string can be freed, but equipment failure and scrap increase
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous release tools enable the drill string to self-release from stuck conditions through controlled mechanical separation, avoiding the need for chemical treatments or destructive cutting operations that would result in material loss and equipment scrap.
Solution Approach 2:
The release tool selectively separates only the stuck portion of the drill string from the wellbore while preserving the rest of the drill string for continued use, thereby minimizing material loss and avoiding the need to discard entire drill string assemblies.
3Reliability
If wire-line supported tools are used to locate and free the stuck point, then the stuck point can be addressed, but the system requires surface support and is more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The release tool is extracted from surface-supported systems and made fully autonomous by integrating all necessary sensors, processing capabilities, and actuation mechanisms into the downhole tool itself, eliminating the need for wire-line connections and surface control infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill string is divided into segments with autonomous release tools at predetermined intervals, allowing each segment to independently detect and respond to stuck conditions without requiring coordination or support from other parts of the system or from the surface.
4Extent of automation
If multiple release tools are interspaced along the drill string at predetermined intervals, then autonomous operation is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each release tool is designed as a universal, multi-functional unit that can detect stuck conditions, make autonomous decisions, and execute release operations. This standardized design allows multiple identical tools to be deployed at intervals without proportionally increasing system complexity, as each tool is a self-contained module with identical capabilities.
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
These tools enable efficient identification and release of stuck drill strings, reducing operational time, eliminating the need for prior knowledge of the stuck location, and minimizing equipment failure and scrap, thereby improving drilling efficiency and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor module can be placed on the body of the release tool and measures parameter (e.g., strain or a magnetic field) indicative of whether the specific release tool is uphole or downhole of the stuck point.
Implementation Method 2
The sensor module can be placed on the body of the release tool and measures parameter (e.g., strain or a magnetic field) indicative of whether the specific release tool is uphole or downhole of the stuck point.
Data Source
AI summary
A downhole release tools, systems, and methods are described. The tool configured to release a string in a wellbore includes: a cylindrical body with an uphole end defining a first set of internal threads and a downhole end defining a second set of internal threads; a sensor operable to measure strain in the cylindrical body, a magnetic field, or both; a release joint with an uphole end defining a first set of external threads and a frustoconical downhole end defining a second set of external threads, the release joint attached to the cylindrical body by engagement between the first set of external threads of the release joint and the second set of internal threads of the cylindrical body; safety pins rotationally fixing the release joint in position relative to the cylindrical body; and a drive system operable to rotate the release joint relative to the cylindrical body.