Hydraulically Activated Setting Tool for Well Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional setting tools for well operations require high forces to activate auxiliary tools, which are difficult to achieve and pose safety hazards due to high pressure and toxic residues, making the process cumbersome, time-consuming, and dangerous.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulically actuated setting tool that uses well fluid pressure to actuate a floating piston, which pushes fluid to actuate an attached piston, eliminating the need for explosive charges and reducing residue buildup by using well fluid to directly actuate the tool and simplify the cleaning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional powder-actuated setting tools are used to generate high pressure for activating auxiliary tools, then the required activation force is achieved, but safety hazards increase due to high pressure and toxic residues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical-mechanical system (powder charge ignition) with a purely hydraulic system. Well fluid under hydrostatic pressure directly acts on the floating piston to generate the necessary activation force, eliminating combustion and toxic residues while maintaining the required force output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using well fluid pressure to drive the floating piston. The hydraulic system transmits force through the well fluid to the attached piston, providing a safe and efficient method for activating auxiliary tools without explosive charges.
2Force
If traditional setting tools are used with power charges, then activation force is generated, but the process becomes time-consuming due to cleaning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the power charge component from the setting tool system. By removing the explosive charge and its associated residue generation, the tool eliminates the time-consuming cleaning step while retaining the ability to generate necessary activation force through hydraulic pressure alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The well fluid serves dual purposes: it provides the activation force through the floating piston and simultaneously acts as a clean working medium that leaves no residue requiring cleanup. The system is self-cleaning in essence, as the hydraulic fluid can be easily managed and reused without contamination issues.
3Force
If high pressure is used to activate setting tools, then activation force is sufficient, but the operation becomes dangerous to workers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces well fluid as an intermediary medium between the energy source (hydrostatic pressure) and the activation mechanism (pistons). This intermediary transfers force safely without requiring direct contact with high-pressure gas or explosive materials, protecting workers from hazards while achieving necessary activation force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the dangerous mechanical system involving explosive charges and high-pressure gas with a safer hydraulic system using well fluid. The substitution maintains force generation capability while eliminating the sources of worker hazard associated with traditional powder-actuated systems.
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 provides a safer, more efficient method for setting auxiliary tools by leveraging hydrostatic pressure, reducing the risk of injury and simplifying the cleaning process, as the well fluid's pressure is controlled to actuate the tool without the need for explosive charges, resulting in a safer and more efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
uses well fluid pressure to actuate a floating piston
Implementation Method 2
A hydraulically actuated setting tool that uses well fluid pressure to actuate a floating piston
Data Source
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AI summary
A hydraulically activated setting tool (1000, 1200) for setting an auxiliary tool in a well, the setting tool including a housing (1006) that prevents a well fluid from entering inside the housing; a floating piston (1010) placed inside the housing and closing an end of a pressure chamber (1004); an attached piston (418) placed inside the housing and configured to actuate the auxiliary tool; a fluid chamber (412) located between the floating piston (1010) and the attached piston (418), wherein the fluid chamber (412) holds a fluid (413); and a communication element (450, 1042, 1280, 1490) configured to establish a fluid communication between an outside and an inside of the housing. The fluid communication makes a well fluid in the well to directly act on the floating piston.