Downhole Rotary Slip Ring Joint for Rotating Wellbore Control Lines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in efficiently accessing and rotating control lines through tortuous wellbores, such as those found in horizontal multistage hydraulic stimulation and multistage hydraulic fracturing operations, due to limitations in rotating control lines beyond 360-degrees, which can lead to stress and damage to seals and housings.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a downhole rotary slip ring joint (DRSRJ) that allows selective rotation of control lines, including features like pressure-compensated designs, torsion limiters, and redundant slip ring contacts, enabling continuous or limited rotation and ensuring reliable communication while withstanding high pressures and torques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If control lines are rotated beyond 360 degrees in existing technologies, then access to specific wellbore areas is enabled, but stress and damage to seals and housings occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary slip ring joint is divided into multiple independent slip ring assemblies, each capable of rotation. This segmentation allows the control lines to rotate in discrete segments rather than as a continuous rigid structure, enabling multi-directional access to wellbore areas while distributing mechanical stress across multiple sealed interfaces rather than concentrating it in a single housing seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static, fixed-orientation control line assembly to a dynamic rotary slip ring joint that can rotate to different orientations. This dynamic capability enables the control lines to adapt their orientation to access specific wellbore areas while the rotary mechanism manages stress through controlled rotation rather than rigid deformation of seals and housings.
2Reliability
If thicker walled tubing is used to withstand rotation stress, then reliability improves, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical approach of using thick-walled tubing to withstand rotation stress with a rotary slip ring joint mechanism. Instead of relying on the tubing's structural strength to handle rotational forces, the slip ring joint provides a dedicated rotational interface that manages stress through its bearing and sealing design, allowing the use of thinner-walled tubing while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If continuous rotation is allowed, then adaptability to tortuous wellbores improves, but stress on control lines increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary slip ring joint segments the rotation capability into multiple independent slip ring assemblies, each handling a portion of the rotational movement. This segmentation allows the control lines to navigate tortuous wellbores through a series of discrete rotational steps rather than continuous rotation, reducing cumulative stress on the control lines while maintaining adaptability to complex wellbore geometries.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a downhole rotary slip ring joint, a well system, and a method for accessing a wellbore. The downhole rotary slip ring joint, in one aspect, includes an outer mandrel, an inner mandrel operable to rotate relative to the outer mandrel, an outer mandrel communication connection coupled to the outer mandrel, and an inner mandrel communication connection coupled to the inner mandrel. The downhole rotary slip ring joint, according to this aspect, further includes a passageway extending through the outer mandrel and the inner mandrel, the passageway configured to provide continuous coupling between the outer mandrel communication connection and the inner mandrel communication connection regardless of a rotation of the inner mandrel relative to the outer mandrel, wherein the downhole rotary slip ring joint is operable to be coupled to a wellbore access tool.