Integrated Float Collar With Ball Retention for Wellbore Cementing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wellbore cementing technologies face challenges in efficiently managing the flow of fluids and securing cement liners, particularly in preventing premature release of setting and releasing balls, ensuring anti-rotation, and maintaining fluid integrity during cementing operations.
Innovation Solution
A combination landing and float collar with a float valve, receiver, and a ball receptacle that includes a sheath-bonded tubular housing, a baffle, and a plug seat, designed to securely hold setting and releasing balls until threshold pressures are reached, allowing controlled fluid flow and preventing premature release, while ensuring anti-rotation and fluid sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional float collar and landing collar are used separately, then the functions are simple and device complexity is low, but the productivity is reduced due to multiple components and the reliability is compromised due to potential misalignment or failure at interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the float collar and landing collar into a single integrated combination collar that performs both functions simultaneously. The float valve assembly and landing nose are integrated within one collar structure, eliminating the need for separate float collar and landing collar components, thereby improving productivity while maintaining functional simplicity
2Reliability
If a ball receptacle with sheath bonding is used, then the reliability of ball retention is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to bonding quality control
Solution Approach 1:
The ball receptacle is pre-formed with integrated sheath bonding during the manufacturing process rather than requiring post-assembly bonding operations. The sheath is预先 bonded to the receptacle structure, ensuring consistent bonding quality and reducing the need for complex quality control procedures during assembly, thereby maintaining reliability while managing manufacturing precision requirements
3Reliability
If a baffle is added to prevent ball passage, then the reliability of controlled ball release is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle is strategically positioned only at the critical location where ball passage needs to be controlled, rather than providing complete obstruction throughout the receptacle. This localized approach ensures reliable controlled ball release while minimizing the addition of complex internal structures, maintaining simplicity in non-critical areas
4Reliability
If anti-rotation features are incorporated, then the reliability of preventing liner rotation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to alignment tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-rotation features utilize asymmetric geometries such as keyways, splines, or cam surfaces that provide inherent mechanical interference preventing liner rotation. These asymmetric features are designed with generous tolerances that do not require high precision manufacturing, as the asymmetric shape itself provides the anti-rotation function through geometric constraint rather than precision alignment
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 solution provides efficient control over fluid flow and securement of cement liners, ensuring reliable setting and releasing operations, reducing turbulence and erosion, and maintaining fluid integrity during wellbore cementing processes.
Implementation Method 1
a first sheath bonding the receiver to an inner surface of the housing within a flow bore thereof; a second sheath bonding the float valve to the inner surface of the housing within the flow bore
Implementation Method 2
a float valve; a combination landing and float collar for use in a wellbore
Implementation Method 3
a baffle disposed in the chamber and operable to prevent passage of the ball therethrough
Implementation Method 4
A tapered male member having a corrugated outer surface which can enter a corresponding recess in another well tool to inhibit relative rotation therebetween
Data Source
AI summary
A combination landing and float collar for use in a wellbore includes: a float valve; a receiver including a plug seat and a ball seat; a tubular housing having a coupling formed at a longitudinal end thereof for assembly as part of a downhole tubular; a first sheath bonding the receiver to an inner surface of the housing within a flow bore thereof; a second sheath bonding the float valve to the inner surface of the housing within the flow bore thereof; a chamber formed in the housing between the first and second sheaths and operable to keep a ball released from the ball seat; and a baffle disposed in the chamber and operable to prevent passage of the ball therethrough.