Downhole Plug Insert for Rapid Tool Redeployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the oilfield industry, downhole tools like bridge plugs and frac plugs face challenges with pressure testing failures and perforating gun malfunctions, where the inability to pump tools back into place due to plugged wells necessitates slower mechanical retrieval, hindering operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A downhole plug system featuring an insert with a first obstructing member, such as a burst disk or bullet, that can be removed by increased pressure, allowing fluid communication and enabling tool redeployment, and a second obstructing member to reblock fluid flow when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a downhole plug is used to isolate well sections, then pressure containment is improved, but tool redeployment speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plug system is segmented into modular components: a permanent plug body and a removable insert with obstructing members. This segmentation allows the plug to maintain pressure containment while enabling rapid tool redeployment by simply removing the insert rather than retrieving the entire plug assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert containing the obstructing members is extracted as a separate removable component from the plug body. This extraction mechanism allows the obstructing members to be removed when pressure is applied, enabling fluid flow and tool redeployment while the permanent plug remains in place to maintain pressure containment.
2Reliability
If obstructing members are used to block fluid flow, then well isolation is improved, but operational flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The obstructing members are designed to be dynamically removable from the plug body when pressure is applied. This dynamic characteristic allows the system to transition from a blocked state (providing well isolation) to an open state (providing operational flexibility for tool redeployment), combining both benefits in a single system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes its flow parameters from blocked to open based on pressure conditions. When pressure is applied, the obstructing members are removed, changing the flow parameter from zero flow to full flow, thereby providing operational flexibility while maintaining well isolation capability.
3Ease of operation
If mechanical tractor is used to move perforating gun, then tool redeployment is achieved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses hydraulic pressure (pneumatics and hydraulics principle) to automatically remove the obstructing members from the plug. This eliminates the need for mechanical tractor operations, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining ease of operation for tool redeployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical system (tractor) is replaced with a pressure-based system. Instead of using mechanical force to move tools, the invention uses pressure to remove obstructing members, creating fluid flow that enables tool redeployment without mechanical intervention, thereby reducing time 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
Facilitates faster and more efficient redeployment of perforating guns by allowing fluid flow through the plug when pressure is applied, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime in well operations.
Implementation Method 1
The first obstructing member is configured to be removed when a pressure within the well reaches a predetermined actuation pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A downhole plug, an insert for a downhole plug, and a method for plugging a well. The insert includes a body configured to be disposed at least partially within a seat of the plug, and a first obstructing member coupled with the body. The first obstructing member is configured to substantially obstruct a bore through the body and to be removed from the body when a predetermined actuation pressure is applied.