Hydraulic Setting Assembly for Oil Well Liners
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for installing liners in oil and gas wells face challenges such as mechanical hangers getting stuck, requiring separate packers for sealing, and limitations in load capacity due to the use of ductile metals, which are prone to relaxation and increased installation costs, especially at great depths where conditions are extreme.
Innovation Solution
The development of novel hydraulic actuators and anchor assemblies featuring a nondeformable mandrel, an expandable metal sleeve, and a swage that radially expands to contact the existing conduit, providing high load capacity and reliable sealing without the need for separate packers, and the use of clutch mechanisms for torque transmission to prevent damage to threaded connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical hangers with ductile metals are used to install liners, then the liners can be installed in existing casings, but the hangers get stuck and require separate packers for sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical hangers with a hydraulic expansion system. A hydraulic actuator expands a metal sleeve radially outward to engage the liner with the existing casing, eliminating the need for mechanical slips and separate packers. This substitution resolves the contradiction by providing reliable installation without getting stuck.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles to generate the expanding force. Hydraulic fluid acts on a piston within a cylinder, converting fluid pressure into radial expansion force on the metal sleeve. This hydraulic mechanism provides controlled, reliable engagement without the mechanical complexity that causes hangers to get stuck.
2Reliability
If ductile metals are used for hangers to enable expansion, then sealing is achieved, but load capacity is limited due to relaxation
Solution Approach 1:
The metal sleeve is designed with localized expansion properties - it expands radially under hydraulic pressure to create a seal, but its base structure maintains high strength. The expansion is controlled and localized to the engagement zone, while the rest of the hanger structure retains full load-bearing capacity, resolving the contradiction between sealing and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The hanger system combines a metal sleeve (for expansion and sealing) with a high-strength mandrel and support structure. This composite construction allows the sleeve to provide sealing through controlled expansion while the overall structure maintains high load capacity through the strong mandrel and support elements.
3Strength
If expandable metal sleeves are used to increase load capacity, then sealing is improved, but the force required for setting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic actuator provides mechanical advantage through fluid pressure multiplication. The hydraulic system converts relatively low input force into high output expanding force through the piston-cylinder mechanism, reducing the operator's effort while achieving the necessary expansion for high load capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal sleeve is designed to be dynamically expandable - it expands radially under hydraulic pressure and then maintains its expanded state through elastic deformation. This dynamic expansion allows the sleeve to achieve high load capacity while requiring controlled setting force that is managed by the hydraulic system.
4Temperature
If multiple liner sections are used to cover extreme depths, then coverage is achieved, but installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hanger system is designed as a modular assembly that can be segmented into multiple sections. Each section can be independently installed and set, allowing the system to cover extreme depths while maintaining cost-effectiveness through standardized, modular components that reduce overall installation complexity and cost.
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 enhances load capacity, reduces the force required for setting, and provides a reliable seal with minimal deformation, enabling efficient installation of liners and other tools in deep wells with high load-bearing capacity and resistance to corrosion, while minimizing the need for multiple liner sections and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a swage that radially expands to contact the existing conduit
Implementation Method 2
hydraulic actuators and anchor assemblies featuring a nondeformable mandrel, an expandable metal sleeve, and a swage
Data Source
AI summary
Novel hydraulic actuators and hydraulic setting assemblies are provided for use in downhole, oil and gas well tools. The novel hydraulic actuators include a cylindrical mandrel and an annular stationary sealing member connected to the mandrel. A hydraulic cylinder is slidably supported on the mandrel and stationary sealing member and is releasably fixed in position on the mandrel. The stationary sealing member divides the interior of the cylinder into a bottom hydraulic chamber and a top hydraulic chamber. An inlet port provides fluid communication into the bottom hydraulic chamber, and an outlet port provides fluid communication into the top hydraulic chamber. A balance piston is slidably supported within the top hydraulic chamber of the actuator. The piston includes an axially extending passageway. Fluid communication through the piston and between its upper and lower sides is controlled by a normally shut valve in the passageway. In the absence of relative movement between the mandrel and cylinder, the balance piston is able to slide in response to a difference in hydrostatic pressure between the outlet port, is which is on one side of the piston, and the portion of the top hydraulic chamber that is on the bottom side of the piston.