Flexible Epoxy Wellbore Liner for Sealing Irregular Voids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lost circulation technologies face challenges in sealing un-uniform and larger voids in wellbores, leading to inefficient and costly drilling fluid loss mitigation, requiring frequent cessation of drilling operations to address fluid losses.
Innovation Solution
A downhole liner delivery tool with a flexible membrane coated with epoxy, stored in a tubular work string, which deploys a wellbore liner using a hydraulic circulation system to expand and engage the wellbore wall, providing a seal across the formation to prevent fluid loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lost circulation technologies (LCM) are used to seal formation voids, then sealing of uniform voids up to 4-6mm is achieved, but sealing of un-uniform and larger voids is ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible liner made of elastomeric material that can conform to irregular wellbore shapes and seal un-uniform voids of various sizes. The liner's flexibility allows it to adapt to the complex geometry of formation losses, overcoming the limitation of conventional LCM that only works for uniform voids up to 4-6mm.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner material properties are specifically designed with elastomeric characteristics that allow it to deform and conform to the wellbore geometry. The material's elastic modulus and flexibility parameters are optimized to enable sealing of un-uniform and larger voids while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If drilling operations cease to resolve fluid losses, then fluid loss mitigation is attempted, but drilling productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible liner is deployed proactively to seal formation voids before they cause significant drilling fluid losses. By preventing fluid loss at the source, the liner eliminates the need to cease drilling operations for mitigation, thereby maintaining drilling productivity while ensuring reliable fluid loss control.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner acts as an intermediary barrier between the drilling fluid and the formation voids. It provides a physical seal that prevents fluid loss without requiring interruption of drilling operations, thus resolving the contradiction between reliable fluid loss control and drilling continuity.
3Reliability
If increasingly coarse grades of LCM are pumped to mitigate fluid losses, then sealing capability is improved for larger voids, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the complex process of pumping increasingly coarse LCM grades and replaces it with a single flexible liner deployment. This eliminates the need for multiple LCM grades and associated complex mitigation procedures, simplifying the overall process while maintaining sealing capability for larger voids.
4Reliability
If junk plugs or cement are used to isolate loss-inducing formation, then fluid loss is controlled, but drilling operations must cease and additional intervention is required
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible liner enables continuous drilling operations by providing immediate sealing of formation voids. Unlike junk plugs or cement that require cessation of operations for deployment and setting, the liner can be deployed and become effective without interrupting the drilling process, thus eliminating operational interruptions and time loss.
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 tool effectively reduces drilling fluid losses by deploying a flexible, epoxy-coated wellbore liner that can seal irregular wellbore dimensions, allowing for continuous drilling operations and reducing the need for frequent intervention.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic circulation system arranged in at least a portion of the interior volume and configured to circulate a fluid in the interior volume to urge the wellbore liner from the liner store and deploy the wellbore liner
Implementation Method 2
a flexible membrane that comprises an imbedded epoxy or is coated with an epoxy
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
A downhole liner delivery tool includes a housing configured to couple to a tubular work string. The housing includes an interior volume. The tool also includes a liner store enclosed within the interior volume. The liner store is configured to enclose at least a portion of a wellbore liner that includes a flexible membrane. The flexible membrane includes an imbedded epoxy. The tool also includes a hydraulic circulation system arranged in at least a portion of the interior volume and configured to circulate a fluid to expand the wellbore liner from the liner store to an exterior of the housing to contactingly engage a wellbore wall.