Expandable Cementing Device for Accurate Wellbore Plug Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for establishing a cement plug in a well bore often result in incorrect placement and poor quality, leading to a low success rate, which is time-consuming and costly, due to factors like mud removal issues, temperature estimation errors, slurry design problems, and well angle inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A cementing device with a foldable and expandable bottom element and propulsive devices is used to create a false bottom in the well bore, ensuring accurate placement and retention of the cement plug by expanding when exiting the transport pipe, allowing for precise formation of a cement plug at the desired location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cement plug is placed off bottom in the well bore, then the placement process is simpler, but the cement plug is not found at the expected location and ends up further down the well bore
Solution Approach 1:
A false bottom is created in advance at the desired location using an expandable device that is deployed before cementing operations. This preliminary false bottom ensures that subsequent cement slurry is contained at the correct position, preventing the cement plug from migrating further down the well bore while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If a cement plug is placed in the correct position, then placement accuracy is improved, but the cement plug is soft or does not provide a tight seal
Solution Approach 1:
A false bottom structure is established beforehand at the target location to provide a solid, rigid base. This pre-formed false bottom creates proper containment and support for the cement slurry, ensuring that the resulting cement plug achieves both correct positioning and adequate hardness with a tight seal.
3Manufacturing precision
If a foldable and expandable bottom element is used to create a false bottom, then cement plug placement accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom element is designed with foldable and expandable characteristics, transitioning from a compact folded state during transport through the well bore to an expanded state at the deployment location. This dynamic transformation allows the device to maintain simple storage and transport properties while achieving the complex function of creating an accurate false bottom at the target position.
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
The device significantly improves the success rate of cement plug placement by ensuring the cement slurry forms a tight seal at the correct location, reducing the need for multiple attempts and associated costs.
Implementation Method 1
the cementing device is designed to be pushed through a transport pipe, which is typically the drill pipe, by a fluid to the end of the transport pipe
Implementation Method 2
a bottom element of the cementing device is expanded such that a false bottom is created within the well bore
Data Source
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AI summary
There is disclosed a cementing device (10) for establishing a false bottom in a well bore for formation of a cement plug in the well bore. The cementing device (10) comprises a tool body (14) which has a front end (15) and a rear end (16). The cementing device (10) further comprises at least one propulsion device (24) which is attached to the front end (15) and/or the rear end (16) of the tool body (14) and is adapted for being propelled by a fluid.