Dump Bailer Wiper Plug Segmentation for Wellbore Cementing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies for depositing large volumes of flowable materials, such as cement slurry, in wellbores are inefficient due to uncontrolled deposition and require complex equipment, lacking the ability to accurately place and refill without exposing the lubricator assembly to the surroundings.
Innovation Solution
A dump bailer with a main chamber divided by a longitudinally displaceable wiper plug and tensioned valve systems that allows filling and controlled deposition of flowable materials within a lubricator assembly at wellbore shut-in pressure, enabling precise placement and rapid refilling without opening the assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single large container is used to contain 970 litres of cement slurry, then the required volume can be achieved, but the container becomes too long for practical handling
Solution Approach 1:
The main chamber is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a displaceable wiper plug, creating two separate containment spaces. This segmentation allows the total volume to be achieved while keeping each segment manageable in length and enabling independent filling and deployment operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If wireline services are used for depositing flowable material, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but the ability to place large volumes (50 meters of cement plug) is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper plug is designed to be displaceable within the main chamber, dynamically changing the volume distribution between upper and lower chambers. This dynamic configuration enables the system to accommodate large volumes of cement slurry while maintaining wireline service advantages, effectively bridging the gap between wireline cost-effectiveness and coil tubing volume capacity.
3Manufacturing precision
If a displacement piston arrangement is used to divide substances, then separation is achieved, but filling can only be done by taking the system out of the well
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper plug acts as an intermediary element that separates the upper and lower chambers while allowing controlled interaction between them through displacement. This intermediary design enables filling operations to be performed in-situ within the wellbore, eliminating the need to retrieve the system for refilling while maintaining effective substance separation.
4Productivity
If compressed gas is used to release sealing mixture, then injection is achieved, but control of injection is poor and containment volume is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces compressed gas injection with a pump-based mechanical system that delivers flowable material through the filling valve. This substitution provides precise control over injection rate and volume while maintaining high productivity, and the pump can be controlled to deliver exact volumes required for different wellbore plugging scenarios.
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
Enables accurate, controlled deposition of large volumes of flowable materials at a desired depth with reduced leakage and faster refilling, competing with drilling equipment in terms of speed and cost efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a pump for pumping wellbore fluid from a pump inlet to the upper chamber
Implementation Method 2
a first tensioned valve system configured so that, when the pump is active, liquid communication between the pump and the upper chamber is open while liquid communication between the upper chamber and the surroundings is closed
Implementation Method 3
a main chamber divided by a longitudinally displaceable and sealing wiper plug into an upper chamber and a lower chamber for containing the flowable material
Data Source
AI summary
A dump bailer for being filled with a flowable material in a lubricator assembly and for depositing the flowable material in a wellbore, wherein the dump comprises a filling valve for filling flowable material into the dump bailer and a means for orientation of the dump bailer along a longitudinal axis. The invention also relates to a lubricator assembly configured to allow filling a flowable material into a dump bailer positioned within the lubricator assembly, wherein the lubricator assembly comprises an inlet for injection of flowable material and a guide for providing the dump bailer with a correct position and orientation. The invention further relates to a method for filling a flowable material into a dump bailer positioned within a lubricator assembly and for depositing the flowable material in a wellbore.