Downhole Setting Tool with Gas Expansion Piston for Frac Plug
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing downhole setting tools for frac plugs face challenges in operation and manufacture, particularly in efficiently engaging and setting frac plugs in subterranean hydrocarbon formations, and there is a need for enhanced functionalities and reliability in multistage fracturing operations.
Innovation Solution
A downhole setting tool design featuring a mandrel with a chamber for expandable gas, a firing head to generate pressurized gas, a barrel piston with an expansion region, and a primary bleed system with multiple bleed ports and corresponding plugs, allowing for axial movement to engage the frac plug and facilitate self-venting, along with optional features like a stroke indication system and liquid escape conduit for improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a setting tool uses a mandrel with a chamber for expandable gas and a barrel piston to engage frac plugs, then the setting operation becomes more effective, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The setting tool is divided into distinct functional components: a mandrel with a chamber for expandable gas, a barrel piston assembly, and a setting sleeve. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, improving reliability while maintaining manufacturability through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The mandrel is positioned within the barrel piston, and the setting sleeve is nested within the barrel piston as well. This nested configuration reduces the overall tool footprint and simplifies the external structure while maintaining the complex internal functionality required for effective frac plug setting.
2Reliability
If the setting tool includes a primary bleed system with multiple bleed ports and plugs, then the self-venting capability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bleed ports are pre-positioned in the barrel piston, and bleed plugs are pre-installed in these ports during tool assembly. This preliminary configuration ensures that the self-venting capability is built-in from the start, improving reliability without requiring complex post-manufacturing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The bleed system is designed to automatically vent pressure from the chamber after the frac plug is set. The bleed plugs are positioned to be expelled by pressure differential when needed, allowing the tool to self-regulate its pressure without external intervention, improving reliability while keeping the manufacturing process relatively simple.
3Reliability
If the barrel piston is designed to stroke axially over the mandrel to engage the frac plug, then the setting operation becomes more reliable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel piston is actuated by expandable gas contained in the mandrel chamber. This pneumatic actuation mechanism provides reliable axial movement of the barrel piston over the mandrel to engage the frac plug, achieving dependable setting operation while avoiding complex mechanical actuation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrel piston is designed to move dynamically from a retracted position to a stroked position where it engages the frac plug. This dynamic configuration allows the tool to adapt to different setting conditions while maintaining a relatively simple structural design compared to fully rigid or mechanically complex actuation systems.
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 sets frac plugs by generating pressurized gas to drive the barrel piston, ensuring reliable engagement and self-venting, while the optional features enhance operational efficiency and reduce the risk of tool damage from fluid pressure.
Implementation Method 1
a firing head secured to the upper end of the mandrel and configured for igniting a power charge to generate pressurized gas within the chamber
Implementation Method 2
an expansion region defined between the mandrel and the barrel piston and being in fluid communication with the gas port so as to receive the pressurized gas, the expansion region being further defined by seals provided in between the mandrel and the barrel piston, thereby enabling the pressurized gas to exert force on the mandrel and the barrel piston to cause a stroke of the barrel piston over the mandrel as the expansion region expands axially
Data Source
AI summary
A setting tool for setting frac plugs and the like can include a mandrel having a chamber for housing expandable gas and a gas port in fluid communication with the chamber; a firing head secured to the mandrel for igniting a power charge to generate pressurized gas within the chamber; a barrel piston housing the mandrel and connected to a sleeve for setting the frac plug; and an expansion region defined between the mandrel and the barrel piston and receiving the pressurized gas which exerts force to cause a stroke of the barrel piston over the mandrel as the expansion region expands axially. The setting tool can include various features, such as certain gas bleed systems, an enhanced shear screw assembly, a bleed port and plug assembly, a scribe line, a particular gas port configuration, a liquid escape conduit, no-shoulder barrel configuration, and/or a low-force design for frac plugs.