Frac Ball Retrieval Tool for Hydraulic Lockout Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for retrieving frac balls in hydraulic fracturing are inefficient, requiring extensive time, fluid usage, and costly equipment, and often result in hydraulic lockouts due to the risk of frac balls preventing fluid and pressure movement in wellbores, especially when guns misfire or formation difficulties occur.
Innovation Solution
A frac ball retrieval device and method that uses a tool body configured to be transported through the wellbore casing, equipped with a trap and means for fluid passage, allowing for the efficient retrieval of frac balls by flowing them back towards the trap and retracting them from the wellbore, thereby alleviating lockout conditions and reducing the need for extensive flowback operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frac balls are used to isolate sections in hydraulic fracturing, then fluid and pressure control is improved, but hydraulic lockout occurs preventing further operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the frac ball from the wellbore using a retrieval device that captures the ball near its isolation point. The device includes a capture mechanism that secures the ball, allowing it to be removed from the wellbore entirely, thus eliminating the hydraulic lockout while maintaining the ability to control fluid and pressure in isolated sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the state of the frac ball from being permanently seated in the wellbore to being captured and removed. By altering the position and containment state of the ball through the retrieval device, the system transitions from a locked-out state to an operational state, enabling continued hydraulic fracturing activities.
2Ease of operation
If extensive flowback operations are used to retrieve frac balls, then frac balls can be removed from wellbore, but time and fluid usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by deploying the retrieval device to the frac ball location before initiating any flowback operations. The device captures the ball in place, and only then is minimal flowback used to retrieve the captured ball. This preliminary capture action eliminates the need for extensive flowback that would otherwise be required to move the ball to the surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The retrieval device acts as an intermediary between the frac ball and the flowback process. Instead of using flowback to directly retrieve the ball from its seated position, the device intercepts and secures the ball, transforming the retrieval process from a fluid-intensive operation to a mechanical capture followed by minimal fluid movement.
3Reliability
If frac balls are pumped down to seat in plugs, then section isolation is achieved, but retrieval becomes difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The retrieval device serves as an intermediary tool that interfaces with the seated frac ball through the plug structure. The device includes components that engage with the ball and the plug, allowing for controlled retrieval without requiring complex drilling or destruction of the isolation mechanism. This intermediary tool simplifies the retrieval process while maintaining reliable section isolation during the fracturing operation.
4Productivity
If ball-in-place method is used with guns fired on same run, then time and fluid usage are saved, but hydraulic lockout risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention prepares for potential lockout by having the retrieval device in place before the frac ball is pumped down. The device is positioned and ready to capture the ball if needed, allowing the operator to proceed with the efficient ball-in-place method while having a safety mechanism prepared. This preliminary preparation maintains operational efficiency while mitigating the reliability risk of lockout.
Solution Approach 2:
The retrieval device provides beforehand cushioning against the potential harm of hydraulic lockout. By having the capture mechanism ready in advance, the system creates a safety buffer that can prevent or quickly resolve lockout conditions, allowing the operator to use the more efficient ball-in-place method without fully accepting the lockout risk.
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 enables efficient retrieval of frac balls closer to their location, minimizing flowback requirements and reducing the time and cost associated with hydraulic fracturing operations, while allowing for immediate resumption of fluid and pressure operations by removing frac balls during lockout conditions.
Implementation Method 1
flowing back the wellbore so that the situated frac ball flows backwards towards the ball-retrieval tool
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and system for retrieving a fracturing ball in a wellbore casing. The system includes a wellbore retrieval tool comprising a tool body that is inserted into and transported along the wellbore casing. The tool is sized and configured to trap and hold the fracturing ball. When a hydraulic lock happens in the wellbore casing, the retrieval tool is lowered in a vertical section and the ball is flowed back along a horizontal section and captured by a trap in the retrieval tool. The retrieval tool may also be run in conjunction with a setting tool with a ball-in- place fracturing plug. In case of the hydraulic lock, the injection is tested following perforation with the retrieval tool still a location proximal to the ball, and the ball is immediately retrieved.