Frangible Barrier Pump Protection Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for installing and retrieving production tubing strings in subterranean wells often result in damage to electric submersible pumps due to fluid flow during these operations, which is time-consuming and costly to mitigate.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a pump and motor protection tool that includes a frangible barrier and a sliding sleeve valve, which prevents fluid flow during installation and retrieval, and allows controlled fluid flow when the system is operational.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the production tubing string is installed or retrieved, then the well maintenance operation is completed, but the electric submersible pump is damaged by fluid flow during these operations
Solution Approach 1:
A protection tool is introduced as an intermediary device between the pump and the tubing string. This protection tool includes a frangible barrier and a valve mechanism that mediates the fluid flow, allowing tubing installation and retrieval operations while preventing harmful fluid flow to the pump. The frangible barrier acts as a temporary mediator that blocks fluid flow during operations, and can be selectively removed when operations are complete.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection tool is installed beforehand to preemptively prevent harmful fluid flow to the pump during tubing operations. The frangible barrier is positioned in advance to block the fluid path, and the valve is pre-configured to control flow direction. This preliminary protective action ensures the pump is protected before any damaging fluid flow can occur.
2Reliability
If the frangible barrier is used to block fluid flow, then the pump is protected during installation and retrieval, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protection tool employs a nested structure where the frangible barrier is housed within a protection tool body, which in turn contains the valve mechanism. This nested arrangement consolidates multiple protective functions into a single compact device that can be easily integrated into the existing tubing string without adding significant complexity to the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible barrier is designed as a disposable component that is sacrificed during the protection phase. It is a relatively simple, low-cost element that performs its protective function and then breaks or is removed, eliminating the need for complex reusable mechanisms while still providing effective pump protection during critical operations.
3Reliability
If the valve prevents fluid communication during installation, then the pump is protected, but fluid extraction efficiency is reduced when operational
Solution Approach 1:
The valve mechanism is designed to be dynamic rather than static, transitioning between closed and open states based on operational requirements. During tubing installation and retrieval, the valve closes to protect the pump. Once operations are complete, the valve opens to restore full fluid extraction efficiency. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt to different operational phases without permanent compromise to productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is pre-configured in the protection tool to close automatically during tubing operations, providing immediate protection. After operations are complete, a simple activation action opens the valve to restore full flow capability. This preliminary positioning of the valve in the closed protective state ensures pump safety during operations, while the ease of opening it afterward minimizes any impact on overall fluid extraction efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for use with a subterranean well can include connecting a tool in a tubing string uphole of an electric submersible pump, the tool including a frangible barrier and a valve, and installing the tubing string in the well, the frangible barrier preventing flow through a central flow passage of the tubing string, and the valve preventing fluid communication between the central flow passage and an annulus external to the tubing string. A system for use with a subterranean well can include an electric submersible pump, a valve connected uphole of the electric submersible pump, the valve selectively preventing and permitting fluid communication between a central flow passage extending through the valve and an annulus external to the valve, and a frangible barrier connected uphole of the electric submersible pump, the frangible barrier preventing fluid flow through the central flow passage.