Automated Drone Delivery System for Wellbore Tool Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drilling and completion operations in oil and gas wells are inefficient and hazardous due to the need for manual handling of wireline cables and tools, which are time-consuming, costly, and expose personnel to risks in the 'red zone' around the wellhead.
Innovation Solution
A drone delivery system that conveys and deploys downhole tools into the wellbore, reducing the need for manual intervention by using a drone magazine, conveyance system, and wellhead receiver to automate the process, allowing for multiple tool deployments without retraction of the wireline.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual handling of wireline cables and tools is used, then personnel can directly control tool deployment, but operational time increases and personnel are exposed to hazards in the red zone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling of wireline cables and tools with an automated drone delivery system. The drone autonomously conveys tools from a magazine through a conveyance system to the wellhead receiver, eliminating the need for personnel to manually handle equipment in the hazardous red zone while reducing operational time through continuous automated operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple downhole tools are deployed using traditional wireline methods, then each tool requires separate attachment and deployment steps, but the process becomes more time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tool deployment process into independent modular components: a drone magazine containing multiple individual tools, a conveyance system that handles each tool separately, and a wellhead receiver that processes each tool independently. This segmentation allows multiple tools to be deployed in sequence without requiring complex reconfiguration, as each tool is handled as an independent unit through the standardized conveyance system.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyance system is designed as a universal multi-functional device that can handle various types of downhole tools through a standardized interface. The same conveyance mechanism and wellhead receiver can deploy different tool types (perforating guns, plugs, jet cutters, etc.) without requiring specialized equipment for each tool type, thereby simplifying the overall deployment process while maintaining versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wireline cable is repeatedly deployed and retrieved for additional tool deployments, then tools can be changed, but operational time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-loading multiple downhole tools into the drone magazine before the deployment operation begins. This allows the conveyance system to immediately retrieve and deploy additional tools from the pre-stocked magazine without requiring wireline retraction and re-attachment, eliminating repeated trips to the surface and significantly improving operational efficiency while maintaining the ability to change tools as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A drone conveyance system for deploying drones into an oil or gas wellbore is described. The system includes a platform, a drone magazine, a platform receiver, a conveyance, and a wellhead receiver. A drone magazine contains a plurality of the drones and selectively releases/feeds the drones into the platform receiver. More than one drone magazine, each containing different drone types, may supply drones to the platform receiver such that different drones may be ordered for disposal into the wellbore. The platform receiver prepared the drones to be moved from the platform to the wellhead by the conveyance. The wellhead receiver accepts the drones from the conveyance and prepares each received drone for dropping into the wellbore via the wellhead.