Knitted Wire Mesh Impression Tool for Borehole Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current impression tools used in the oil and gas industry, typically made of lead, face issues such as high re-use costs due to health and environmental concerns, and are unreliable in high-temperature environments where lead can melt or lose tensile strength, making it difficult to obtain accurate impressions of objects within boreholes.
Innovation Solution
A tool comprising a block of knitted wire mesh held by a gripper, where the block is formed from discrete elements that deform or move to create impressions, allowing for flexible deformation and retention of impressions without the need for hazardous lead materials, and can be reused or recycled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lead-based impression tools are used, then impressions can be obtained, but health and environmental hazards increase and re-use costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from lead to thermoplastic polymer, which maintains the impression-taking capability while eliminating the toxic hazards associated with lead. The thermoplastic material can be heated and molded to capture impressions effectively without the health and environmental risks of lead-based materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable thermoplastic impression elements that can be easily replaced. Instead of reusing and cleaning lead blocks (which incurs costs and health risks), single-use thermoplastic elements are inserted, used once to obtain the impression, and then discarded, eliminating cleaning costs and health hazards while maintaining effective impression capture.
2Ease of manufacture
If lead is alloyed to lower melting point, then easier processing is achieved, but reliability decreases at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thermoplastic polymer materials that combine ease of thermal processing with high temperature stability. These composite or engineered polymer materials can be heated to molding temperatures for easy impression taking, yet maintain their structural integrity and dimensional stability at the high temperatures encountered in borehole environments, unlike lead alloys that lose strength near their melting points.
3Productivity
If lead block is reused, then cost reduction is achieved, but cleaning and preparation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces reusable lead blocks with disposable thermoplastic impression elements. Each element is pre-formed and ready to use, requiring no cleaning or preparation. After a single use, the element is discarded and replaced with a fresh one, eliminating the time-consuming cleaning process while maintaining cost-effectiveness through the lower material cost and reduced operational complexity.
4Reliability
If lead melts or loses tensile strength, then impression may be lost, but this occurs in high temperature environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters from lead to thermoplastic polymer with a higher melting point and better temperature stability. The thermoplastic material is processed at elevated temperatures to achieve the desired impression capture, yet once set, it maintains its shape and structural integrity at the high temperatures found in boreholes, preventing the material failure that occurs with lead.
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 knitted wire mesh tool provides a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for obtaining detailed impressions of objects within boreholes, maintaining structural integrity across a range of temperatures and allowing for reusability or recycling, thus overcoming the limitations of traditional lead-based tools.
Implementation Method 1
a block of knitted wire mesh held by a gripper, wherein the block comprises a plurality of discrete elements that deform and/or move so as to create the impression
Data Source
AI summary
An impression tool for providing an impression of an object in a borehole includes a block held by a gripper. The block has a plurality of discrete elements that can deform or move so as to create an impression of an impacted object. The bock can be formed of knitted wire mesh. The tool is impacted on an object such that an impression is formed in the block.