Liner Assembly Tool Wedge Sealing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liner hanger systems fail to provide effective remedial solutions for expandable liner failures, leading to unisolated zones and loss of wellbore length, requiring costly sidetrack operations and rig downtime.
Innovation Solution
A liner assembly tool with a base tubular, pack-off element, and wedge system that uses fluid pressure to expand and seal the liner top to the wellbore wall, allowing for quick installation and effective sealing, even in deviated or horizontal wells, eliminating the need for conventional liner hangers and top packers in non-reservoir sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional liner hanger systems are used, then liner installation can be performed, but effective remedial solutions for liner failure are not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the sealing function into separate components: a packer element for sealing and a liner hanger for support. This segmentation allows the packer to be positioned and activated independently to provide remedial sealing even if the liner fails, addressing the reliability issue without requiring complete system replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The packer is pre-positioned on the liner before installation and can be independently activated to create a seal. This preliminary positioning ensures that remedial sealing capability is already in place before liner failure occurs, providing immediate remedial action without requiring additional intervention equipment.
2Reliability
If expandable liners are used to provide zonal isolation, then zone isolation can be achieved, but failures to expand leave annulus unisolated requiring costly remedial operations
Solution Approach 1:
The packer system is designed to self-activate through hydraulic pressure applied through the liner bore. When liner expansion fails, the packer can be independently activated using fluid pressure circulated through the existing liner, creating a seal without requiring rig intervention or sidetrack operations, thus eliminating rig downtime for remedial work.
Solution Approach 2:
Fluid pressure is used as an intermediary to activate the packer sealing mechanism. By circulating fluid through the liner bore, the packer can be activated remotely without direct mechanical intervention, enabling reliable zonal isolation restoration even when the liner expansion mechanism fails.
3Stability of the object's composition
If unexpanded liners are left in place, then existing wellbore structure is maintained, but pressure seal is lost preventing drilling operation restart
Solution Approach 1:
The packer system transitions from a static, pre-positioned state to an active sealing state through hydraulic activation. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to operational needs: remaining dormant to maintain wellbore structure stability, then activating to provide pressure sealing when drilling operation restart is required, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and operational flexibility.
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 robust, cost-effective sealing mechanism that reduces rig non-productive time and well equipment costs by enabling quick and reliable sealing of the wellbore liner, mitigating potential rig downtime and equipment losses.
Implementation Method 1
a wedge positioned to ride on the base tubular and expand the pack-off element to at least partially seal the liner top to a wellbore wall
Implementation Method 2
based on a particular fluid pressure supplied through the bore
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A liner assembly tool includes a base tubular (306) that includes a bore (308) therethrough; a wellbore liner (312) that includes a liner top and is coupled to the base tubular; a pack-off element (328) radially positioned between the base tubular and the wellbore liner to ride on the base tubular; and a wedge (334) positioned to ride on the base tubular and expand the pack-off element to at least partially seal the liner top to a wellbore wall based on a particular fluid pressure supplied through the bore.