Extendable Spool for Flow Line Length Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for accounting for length variances in oil or gas wellbore equipment, such as flow redirection through hoses or swiveling elbows, lead to erosion issues, especially during high-pressure operations like hydraulic fracturing, and are not scalable to larger diameters, requiring multiple lines and increased setup time.
Innovation Solution
An extendable spool that adjusts length by extending the flow line rather than redirecting it, minimizing erosion and allowing for scalability from small to large diameters by using a threaded tube and inner tube configuration with smooth surfaces and beveled shoulders, and hydraulic cylinders for length adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If flow redirection through hoses or swiveling elbows is used to account for length variances, then length adjustment is achieved, but erosion is accelerated on the redirecting parts and downstream parts
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of redirecting flow through turns (traditional method), the invention extends the flow line in a straight direction using an extendable spool mechanism. This inverts the traditional approach by maintaining linear flow path while achieving length adjustment, thereby eliminating erosion caused by flow redirection.
Solution Approach 2:
The spool is designed with extendable and retractable features, allowing dynamic adjustment of flow line length during operations. The spool can be extended to account for length variances and retracted when not needed, providing adaptive length control without compromising flow direction.
2Length of moving object
If flow redirection through elbows or hoses is used for length make-up, then length adjustment is possible, but the method is not easily scalable to larger diameters due to required wall thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The extendable spool design provides a universal solution that works across multiple diameter sizes. By using a straight extension mechanism rather than bent elbows or flexible hoses, the same basic design principle can be applied to small, medium, and large diameter flow lines without the scalability limitations of wall thickness requirements.
3Length of moving object
If multiple redirected-flow lines are used to account for length differences in large diameter lines, then length variance is compensated, but setup time increases and complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention consolidates the function of multiple redirected-flow lines into a single extendable spool unit. Instead of installing multiple separate lines with elbows and hoses to compensate for length differences, one extendable spool provides the same length adjustment capability, reducing setup time and simplifying installation.
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 extendable spool reduces erosion and setup time by allowing continuous length adjustment without flow redirection, enabling efficient handling of length differences in large diameter lines with fewer lines and less complex installations.
Implementation Method 1
The spool may be extended or retracted using, for example, hydraulic cylinders
Implementation Method 2
threaded tube and inner tube configuration with smooth surfaces and beveled shoulders
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable spool is disclosed. The length of the extendable spool is able to continuously varied. The extendable spool accounts for length variances in flow lines by extending the flow line rather than redirecting the flow. Because the flow direction does not make any turns, erosion is minimized on both the extendable spool and downstream parts. The extendable spool is readily scalable from small diameters to large diameters. Because of this, it requires fewer lines and therefore less setup time to account for length differences between large diameter lines.