Downhole Chemical Injection Valve with Electrically-Driven Sphere
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chemical injection systems for wells face issues with incrustation formation, oxidation of components, and limited control over injection volume and pressure, leading to frequent interventions, safety risks, and high operational costs due to the need for multiple valves and power units.
Innovation Solution
An exclusively electrically-driven valve system using a single chemical injection fluid line and multiposition sphere, powered by a single electric cable, with embedded sensing electronics for real-time data collection and control, allowing precise chemical injection and maintenance without intervention, and incorporating a one-way safety valve for enhanced reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional one-way check valves are used for chemical injection, then the system can control opening and closing, but the valves suffer from wear, sealing issues, and require frequent intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical one-way check valves with an electrically-driven valve system that uses an electric motor and multiposition sphere mechanism. This substitution eliminates the wear and sealing issues associated with traditional mechanical check valves, as the new system uses electric actuation with minimal moving parts that are subject to wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded sensing electronics continuously monitor the valve operation and automatically adjust the multiposition sphere to maintain optimal performance. The system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment, reducing the need for manual intervention and repairs while maintaining high reliability.
2Ease of operation
If multiple valves and power units are used for chemical injection control, then injection control capability is improved, but device complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple valve functions and power units into a single integrated electrically-driven valve assembly. The unified system includes the electric motor, multiposition sphere, embedded sensors, and control electronics all in one unit, eliminating the need for separate valves and power units while maintaining comprehensive injection control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The single electrically-driven valve system performs multiple functions: it controls chemical injection timing, regulates injection volume through the multiposition sphere, monitors operational parameters via embedded sensors, and adjusts pressure. This multi-functional design replaces what previously required multiple specialized components.
3Reliability
If intermittent opening and closing regime is used, then valve wear is reduced, but injection volume control accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic multiposition sphere mechanism that can be positioned at multiple discrete angles to precisely control injection volume. The electric motor provides precise angular positioning of the sphere, allowing accurate control of chemical flow rate and total injection volume without requiring frequent valve opening/closing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
Embedded sensing electronics continuously monitor the actual injection volume and provide feedback to the control system. The system automatically adjusts the multiposition sphere position to compensate for variations and achieve the target injection volume with high precision, maintaining accuracy without increasing valve wear.
4Strength
If discontinuous operating pressure is maintained, then valve stress is reduced, but injection consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded pressure sensors continuously monitor operating pressure and provide real-time feedback to the control system. The system automatically adjusts the electric motor's control of the multiposition sphere to maintain consistent injection pressure, ensuring uniform chemical distribution while keeping valve stress within acceptable limits through smooth pressure regulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the position of the multiposition sphere to modulate the injection rate and maintain stable pressure. By changing the sphere's angular position, the system can smoothly vary the flow characteristics to compensate for pressure fluctuations, ensuring consistent injection performance without subjecting the valve to stressful pressure cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve for downhole chemical injection control, having a single chemical injection fluid line (2) to feed all the injection points, regardless of the number of zones, exclusively electrically-driven by a single electric cable (3), with embedded sensing electronics (7), which communicate and activate an electric motor (4), coupled to a multi-position sphere (5) for dosing the chemical injection fluid, which, according to the electric motor rotation, is moved, altering its position, to enable the passage of interest to be selected, according to the volume of chemical fluid to be injected, a single turn of the sphere being required to commute all the possible positions, the performance of which is low in power consumption, and for a short period of time, having after its positioning in the desired passage zero consumption to maintain this position.