Downhole Fracture Valve Piston Segmentation for Debris Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing downhole tools face issues with debris clogging and erosion, which prevent effective setting and opening of packing elements and fracture valves during fracturing operations, leading to pressure drops and potential damage to components.
Innovation Solution
A fracture valve with a tubular mandrel, piston, and latch mechanism, along with erosion-resistant components and filtered inlet ports, is designed to control fluid communication and resist debris, ensuring reliable operation and protection of packing elements from excessive pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a piston or pistons are used to actuate the setting apparatus for packing elements or opening apparatus for fracture valve, then the valve can be controlled to open and packing elements can be set, but debris or other material can block or clog the pistons and apparatus, inhibiting or preventing setting of the packing elements or opening of the fracture valve
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is divided into a outer piston and an inner piston that can move independently relative to each other. The outer piston responds to hydraulic pressure to initially move the fracture valve from closed to open position, while the inner piston responds to mechanical movement of the workstring to subsequently move the packing elements from unset to set position. This segmentation allows debris to be managed separately for each function, reducing the likelihood that debris will simultaneously block both pistons and prevent both operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer piston performs the preliminary action of opening the fracture valve in response to hydraulic pressure before the inner piston acts to set the packing elements. This preliminary action allows the fracture valve to be opened and fluid flow to be established before the packing elements are set, ensuring that the valve is already open and less susceptible to clogging by debris that might be present during the packing element setting operation.
2Productivity
If conventional fracture valve components are used, then the valve can perform fracturing operations, but the treating fluids may cause massive erosion of the fracture valve components, such as the valve ports, which may result in disruptive pressure drops across the tools
Solution Approach 1:
The fracture valve components, particularly the valve ports and passages, are constructed using composite materials that combine a base metal structure with an erosion-resistant coating or overlay material. This composite construction allows the valve to maintain its structural integrity and functional capability for fracturing operations while the erosion-resistant outer layer protects against damage from high-velocity treating fluids containing sand or granular aggregate, preventing disruptive pressure drops.
3Device complexity
If a single piston is used to control both fracture valve opening and packing element setting, then the device complexity is reduced, but the piston must respond to both hydraulic pressure and mechanical movement, making it more susceptible to debris clogging and operational failure
Solution Approach 1:
The single piston control function is segmented into two independent pistons: an outer piston dedicated to fracture valve opening and an inner piston dedicated to packing element setting. This segmentation allows each piston to be optimized for its specific function and reduces the likelihood that debris will simultaneously affect both control mechanisms, thereby improving overall reliability while maintaining acceptable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dual-piston system introduces dynamic independence where the outer and inner pistons can move independently in response to different stimuli (hydraulic pressure for outer piston, workstring movement for inner piston). This dynamic separation allows the system to adapt to different operational conditions and debris scenarios, improving reliability by ensuring that failure of one piston does not necessarily prevent the other from functioning.
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 reliable packing and fracturing operations by preventing debris clogging and erosion, maintaining consistent pressure and flow rates, and protecting packing elements from damage, thus ensuring efficient fluid injection and retrieval.
Implementation Method 1
a piston or pistons movable in response to hydraulic pressure in order to actuate the setting apparatus for the packing elements or opening apparatus for the fracture valve
Implementation Method 2
A latch is disposed between the piston and the mandrel, the latch operable to resist movement of the piston relative to the mandrel
Implementation Method 3
a first packer having a packing element is set above the area of interest, and a second packer also having a packing element is set below the area of interest
Implementation Method 4
the treating fluids may cause massive erosion of the fracture valve components, such as the valve ports, which may result in disruptive pressure drops across the tools
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
An apparatus and method for operating a packer and a fracture valve is shown. The packer may include a tubular mandrel having a longitudinal bore with an annular packing element and a first piston disposed around the mandrel, wherein the first piston is operable to set the packing element, and a second piston operable to isolate fluid communication between the first piston and the mandrel bore. The fracture valve may include a tubular mandrel having a longitudinal bore and a port, a piston operable to close fluid communication between the bore and the port, and a latch disposed between the piston and the mandrel operable to resist movement of the piston.