Multi-Segmented Plug for Deviated Borehole Cementing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-stage cementing operations in oil and gas industries face challenges in efficiently sealing and isolating annuli between casing strings and borehole walls, particularly in deviated boreholes where traditional single-body plugs fail to engage correctly, leading to incomplete cementation and reduced well integrity.
Innovation Solution
A multi-segmented plug system is introduced, comprising a nose segment, tail segment, and coupler, allowing for controlled movement and engagement with stage tools to seal off annuli, enabling effective multi-stage cementing by using the plug's movable components to expand packer elements and expose ports for cement injection, even in deviated boreholes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional single-body plug is used in deviated boreholes, then the plug structure is simple, but the plug fails to engage correctly with stage tools, leading to incomplete cementation
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is divided into multiple segments (first segment, second segment, third segment) that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the plug to adapt to deviated borehole geometries while maintaining reliable engagement with stage tools, resolving the contradiction between engagement reliability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug incorporates movable segments connected by couplers that allow relative movement. This dynamic structure enables the plug to adjust its configuration in response to borehole deviations, maintaining engagement reliability without requiring a completely complex rigid structure.
2Reliability
If a multi-segmented plug with movable components is used, then reliable sealing and cementation is achieved in deviated boreholes, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug body is segmented into multiple movable sections connected by couplers, allowing the structure to adapt to deviated boreholes while maintaining sealing reliability. The segmentation enables each segment to move independently to accommodate geometric variations without requiring an overly complex overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug utilizes changes in relative position and orientation of its segments through the coupler mechanism to adapt to different borehole geometries. This parameter change approach allows the plug to maintain sealing reliability across varying conditions without fixing the structure in a single complex configuration.
3Reliability
If complete hardening of previous cement stages is required, then cementation quality is ensured, but the total cementing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-segmented plug enables preliminary sealing of the borehole at intermediate stages without requiring complete hardening of previous cement. The plug's reliable sealing action allows subsequent cement stages to be pumped and set independently, reducing the time loss associated with waiting for full hardening while maintaining cementation quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug system enables continuous multi-stage cementing operations where each stage can proceed without waiting for complete hardening of the previous stage. The movable segments maintain sealing integrity throughout the process, allowing continuous useful action in cement placement without time-consuming interruptions.
Data Source
AI summary
A plug for use in a cementing operation in a borehole includes a tail segment and a nose segment separate from the tail segment. The plug also includes a coupler configured to couple the tail segment to the nose segment, in which the tail segment is movable with respect to the nose segment.