Movable Seat Restriction Engager for Multi-Location Borehole Plugging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for plugging multiple locations in earth formation boreholes, such as those used in hydrocarbon recovery and gas sequestration, face challenges with increasingly restrictive dimensions within the borehole, which impede flow and limit tool size, when using sequentially smaller ball seats and larger balls.
Innovation Solution
A selectively movable seat arrangement that includes a restriction engager and counter mechanism, allowing a selected number of restriction engagers to pass through before sealing, using pivot arms or deformable arms to create a seal and prevent further passage, thereby maintaining a pressure differential for tool actuation and fracturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sequentially smaller ball seats and larger balls are used to plug multiple locations, then the ability to plug multiple locations is improved, but the borehole dimensions become increasingly restrictive which impedes flow and limits tool size
Solution Approach 1:
The ball seat is designed with movable arms that can dynamically change the effective seat diameter. The arms can be positioned to create different sized openings, allowing the same seat to accommodate balls of different diameters without requiring sequentially smaller seats at different locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball seat is divided into multiple independent arms that can move separately. This segmentation allows each arm to be independently positioned to accommodate different ball sizes, enabling a single seat to handle multiple plugging locations with different diameter requirements.
2Ease of operation
If sequentially smaller ball seats are used at locations further from surface, then deeper locations can be plugged first, but this creates increasingly restrictive dimensions that negatively impact flow
Solution Approach 1:
The movable arms allow the ball seat to adapt its opening size dynamically. This maintains larger effective dimensions in the borehole while still enabling sequential plugging operations, as the same seat can accommodate different ball sizes without requiring progressively smaller seat diameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The effective diameter parameter of the ball seat can be changed by adjusting the position of the movable arms. This allows the seat to maintain a consistent physical diameter while changing its functional opening size to accommodate different ball diameters, preserving flow capacity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sequentially smaller ball seats are used, then multiple locations can be plugged, but the size of tools that can be run into the borehole is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ball seat with movable arms provides a consistent physical diameter throughout the borehole, unlike sequentially smaller seats. This maintains adequate tool access and run-in capability while still enabling multi-location plugging through the dynamic adjustment of the arms to accommodate different ball sizes.
Data Source
AI summary
A restriction engaging system includes, a restriction engager, one or more restrictions, and at least one counter configured to permit or prevent passage of a restriction engager through one of the one or more restrictions.