Fluidic Switch Well Stimulation Tool with Crossover Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional well stimulation and cleaning tools with fluidic switches often stop functioning if one of the legs becomes plugged, leading to a loss of pulsating action and reduced effectiveness in clearing blockages in well bores.
Innovation Solution
A well stimulation and cleaning tool with a fluidic switch that uses spaced-apart upper and lower fluid chambers interconnected by diffuser legs, where pressurized fluid creates turbulence and oscillates between legs due to a lateral crossover channel, intensifying the pulsed fluid flow before discharge into the well bore, preventing plugging and maintaining functionality even if one leg becomes blocked.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fluidic switch with two legs is used to create pulsating flow, then the cleaning and stimulation effectiveness is improved, but the reliability deteriorates when one leg becomes plugged
Solution Approach 1:
The fluidic switch is segmented into multiple independent legs (first leg and second leg) that can operate independently. Each leg has its own flow path from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, allowing one leg to continue functioning even if the other becomes plugged, thus maintaining continuous pulsating flow and cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different flow characteristics to different legs through the splitter. The first and second legs have different flow areas and/or flow path lengths, creating localized flow patterns that optimize cleaning effectiveness in different regions while allowing independent operation of each leg.
2Productivity
If the fluid flow path is made complex with multiple legs and chambers, then the pulsating action and cleaning capability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fluidic switch components into an integrated structure where the upper chamber, lower chamber, splitter, and legs are combined in a single tool body. This integration reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall device while maintaining the complex flow paths necessary for effective pulsating action.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluidic switch structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it creates pulsating flow, directs fluid to different legs, provides flow switching between legs, and maintains continuous operation even when one leg is blocked. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components and simplifies the overall device design.
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 maintains pulsating fluid flow and intensifies it before discharge, effectively breaking up scale and debris, protecting downstream components from plugging, and enhancing permeability and porosity of the formation without the need for moving parts, ensuring continuous operation and improved well bore cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
pressurized fluid creates turbulence and oscillates between legs
Implementation Method 2
pressurized fluid creates turbulence and oscillates between legs due to a lateral crossover channel
Implementation Method 3
a lateral crossover channel that will reduce the pressure in the leg where the fluid stream is not flowing and cause it to switch over to the other leg
Implementation Method 4
spaced-apart upper and lower fluid chambers interconnected by diffuser legs
Data Source
AI summary
A subterranean well stimulation and cleaning tool comprising an upper chamber, a splitter, at least two diffuser legs having proximal ends in fluid communication with the upper chamber and distal ends in fluid communication with a lower chamber, and a laterally disposed crossover channel connecting the at least two diffuser legs between the proximal and distal ends, whereby fluid pulses are generated inside the upper chamber from a substantially constant fluid flow received into the tool from the well surface and are alternately directed through the at least two diffuser legs and into the lower chamber, where the fluid pulses are intensified prior to discharging them from the tool through a nose block or other device disposed downstream of the tool.