Friction Reduction Device for Drill Pipe Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling technologies face challenges in reducing mechanical friction and wear on tubulars in well bores, leading to inefficiencies and damage during managed pressure and underbalanced drilling, where tubulars experience friction and wear due to rotation and contact with surfaces, and are prone to buckling and damage from vibrations and variations.
Innovation Solution
A friction reduction device with a cylindrical design featuring tapered portions and a middle section, made from abrasion-resistant materials with low-friction coatings, is attached to the tubulars to reduce friction and maintain effective pressure seals, comprising a compression fitting sleeve or integrally formed with the tubulars, facilitating smooth passage through seal elements and drill pipes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealing elements are used to control pressure in the well bore, then pressure control is improved, but friction and wear on tubulars increase
Solution Approach 1:
A friction reduction device is introduced as an intermediary component between the tubular and the seal element. This device includes a low-friction surface that contacts the seal element, allowing the tubular to pass through the seal while minimizing friction and wear. The low-friction surface may be achieved through specialized coatings or materials on the outer surface of the tubular or on the inner surface of the friction reduction device.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction characteristics of the tubular surface are modified by changing the physical or chemical parameters of the surface. This includes applying low-friction coatings, using specialized materials with lower coefficients of friction, or altering surface roughness to reduce contact friction with the seal element, thereby allowing smooth passage through the pressure seal.
2Productivity
If tubulars rotate during drilling, then drilling operation is enabled, but friction and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The friction reduction device acts as a mediator between the rotating tubular and the stationary seal element or drill pipe contact surfaces. By providing a low-friction interface, it enables the tubular to rotate freely with minimal resistance and wear, maintaining drilling productivity while protecting the tubular from damage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If friction reduction device is added to tubulars, then friction and wear are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The friction reduction device is merged with the tubular structure, either as an integral component or as a tightly fitted attachment. This integration minimizes the number of separate parts and simplifies the overall device configuration. The low-friction surface is applied directly to the tubular or to a simple cylindrical friction reduction device that attaches easily, avoiding complex mechanisms while still achieving the friction reduction goal.
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 device effectively reduces friction and wear, enhances torque transmission, and prevents buckling, thereby improving drilling efficiency and protecting tubulars from damage while maintaining effective pressure control in drilling systems.
Implementation Method 1
made from abrasion-resistant materials with low-friction coatings
Data Source
AI summary
A device to couple to a rotatable drill pipe to control pressure of a drilling system is disclosed. The device includes an inner surface to wrap around a portion of a rotatable drill pipe and having an inner diameter. A first tapered portion is opposite a second tapered portion, with a middle portion therebetween including an outer diameter greater than the inner diameter. The first and second tapered portions each taper from the outer surface to the inner surface. The middle portion, the first tapered portion, and the second tapered portion form an outer surface to sealingly pass through a seal element of a controlled-pressure drilling system. At least a portion of the outer surface corresponding to the middle portion includes a low-friction material.