Injection Valve Arrangement With Switched Bypass
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the resource recovery industry, there is a challenge in ensuring that fluids are injected into a subsurface environment without being lifted by produced fluid pressure or lost to the formation, due to varying hydrostatic pressures between the injection fluid and the formation or production fluid.
Innovation Solution
An injection arrangement with a principal fluid pathway and a bypass pathway, equipped with check valves and a switch that automatically adjusts fluid flow based on pressure conditions to prevent fluid infiltration or loss, allowing injection at lower pressures by bypassing the check valves when formation pressure is high and sealing when it is low.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a check valve is used in the principal fluid pathway to prevent fluid loss to the formation, then fluid integrity is improved, but injection pressure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid pathway is segmented into a principal pathway with check valve and a bypass pathway without check valve. The switch mechanism divides control between two pathways, allowing selection of appropriate pathway based on pressure conditions. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling fluid integrity protection through the check valve when needed, while allowing low-pressure injection through the bypass pathway when formation pressure is high.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between principal and bypass pathways based on real-time pressure conditions. The switch mechanism responds to formation pressure changes, automatically selecting the appropriate pathway. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by maintaining fluid integrity when pressures are favorable while enabling injection when pressures are unfavorable.
2Reliability
If a check valve is installed to prevent produced fluid from lifting injection fluid, then fluid separation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve arrangement is segmented into distinct functional components: check valve for fluid separation, bypass pathway for alternative flow, and switch mechanism for pathway selection. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, resolving the contradiction by providing robust fluid separation through the check valve while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch mechanism serves multiple functions: it controls the bypass pathway, responds to pressure conditions, and coordinates with the check valve. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by integrating fluid separation capability into a unified system that manages both separation and pressure control without requiring entirely separate systems.
3Reliability
If injection pressure is increased to prevent fluid loss to formation, then injection control is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the injection pathway based on formation pressure conditions. When formation pressure is high, the bypass pathway is used requiring lower energy. When formation pressure is low, the principal pathway with check valve is used maintaining injection control. This dynamic pathway selection resolves the contradiction by optimizing energy consumption based on real-time pressure conditions while maintaining injection control when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter (injection pressure) based on the selected pathway. The bypass pathway operates at lower pressure parameters while the principal pathway operates at higher pressure parameters. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by using low-energy low-pressure injection when possible while maintaining high-pressure injection control capability when formation pressure is low.
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
This solution enables efficient and controlled fluid injection by managing pressure differences, reducing the need for high injection pressures and preventing costly losses of injection fluids to the formation, while ensuring fluid integrity throughout the well's life cycle.
Implementation Method 1
ensure that fluids in a production string for example do not lift a column of to be injected fluid due to produced fluid pressure being greater than the hydrostatic pressure of the to be injected fluid
Implementation Method 2
allowing injection at lower pressures by bypassing the check valves when formation pressure is high
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of an injection arrangement including a principal fluid pathway having a first check valve; a bypass pathway fluidly connected to the principal fluid pathway upstream of the first check valve and connected to the principal fluid pathway downstream of the first check valve. Also a method for injecting a fluid including supplying an injection fluid to an injection arrangement as in any prior embodiment; flowing fluid through the bypass pathway; preventing fluid flow through the bypass pathway; and then flowing fluid through the principal fluid pathway.