Hydraulic Piston Pump for Gas-Lock Mitigation in Curved Wellbores
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing downhole pumps are unsuitable for curved wellbores due to issues with fatigue, wear, inefficiency, and corrosion, and are affected by substances like scale, wax, and asphaltenes, necessitating improved pumping systems for deep, deviated, and horizontal wellbores that can be efficiently controlled and combat deposition and corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A pump system driven by hydraulic pressure, utilizing a piston assembly with interconnected chambers and valves to manage fluid flow, allowing for efficient operation in curved wellbores by regulating pressure imbalances and minimizing friction, with modular configurations to accommodate varying wellbore conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a downhole pump with high-speed rotating shaft is used, then pumping efficiency is improved, but fatigue and wear occur in curved wellbores
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional high-speed rotating electric motor with a hydraulic piston system driven by pressurized fluid injected through the production tubing. This substitution eliminates the rotating shaft and associated fatigue/wear issues while maintaining pumping capability through reciprocating piston motion driven by fluid pressure differentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydraulic pressure from injected fluid to drive the piston assembly. The pressurized fluid creates pressure imbalances that move the piston reciprocally, converting hydraulic energy into mechanical pumping action without requiring rotating machinery or electrical components downhole.
2Length of stationary object
If rod lift pump is used to reach deep wellbores, then pumping depth is increased, but friction between rods and tubulars causes wear and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the driving mechanism from the surface and places it downhole in the form of a piston assembly. The production tubing itself serves as the fluid injection conduit, eliminating the need for separate rod strings that cause friction and wear while enabling deep wellbore pumping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical rod lift system with a hydraulic piston system. Instead of transmitting mechanical force through rods that contact and friction against tubulars, the system uses fluid pressure transmitted through the production tubing to directly drive the piston, eliminating rod-tubular friction losses.
3Adaptability or versatility
If pump operates in deviated or horizontal wellbores, then wellbore accessibility is improved, but rod wear and tubular wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces rod-based mechanical transmission with a hydraulic piston system that operates independently of wellbore orientation. The piston assembly responds to pressure differentials created by fluid injection, eliminating mechanical contact and wear between rods and tubulars that plagues rod lift systems in deviated and horizontal wells.
Solution Approach 2:
The production tubing serves multiple functions: as the conduit for producing formation fluids and as the injection line for driving the piston. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate rod strings and reduces mechanical complexity, enabling effective operation in vertical, deviated, and horizontal wellbores without wear issues.
4Power
If electric motor is used to drive downhole pump, then pumping power is sufficient, but electrical insulation longevity and heat dissipation become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electric motor with a hydraulic piston system that converts fluid pressure energy into mechanical pumping power. This eliminates electrical insulation and heat dissipation problems by using purely mechanical/hydraulic components that are inherently more reliable in the harsh downhole environment.
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 system effectively extracts fluids from deviated and horizontal wellbores by minimizing wear and friction, reducing the risk of buckling, and facilitating efficient fluid production while managing deposits and corrosion, thus enhancing operational efficiency and longevity.
Implementation Method 1
The pump is driven by the successive application and release of hydraulic pressure via a power fluid
Implementation Method 2
applying a first pressure to a fluid, thereby moving a drive piston in a first direction within a drive chamber and moving a production piston in the first direction within a production chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A pump includes a drive chamber with a drive piston and a production chamber with a production piston. The drive piston is coupled to the production piston. The pump further includes a passage in fluidic communication with the drive piston and a port fluidically coupling the passage with the production chamber. In operation, a first pressure is applied to fluid in the passage, thereby moving the drive piston. Then a second higher pressure is applied to fluid in the passage, thereby opening a valve associated with the port. In an example operation, fluid flows from the passage into the production chamber, and flushes gas out of the production chamber, thereby alleviating gas-locking. In another example operation, fluid including a treatment chemical flows from the passage into the production chamber. A surface equipment package includes a controller configured to monitor and control operation of the pump.