Multi-tooth Jaw Torque Stopper for Casing Rotation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current torque stopper devices with pivotable jaws are cumbersome to select and often incorrectly sized, leading to inefficiencies and failures in preventing rotation of downhole tools, especially due to non-universal casing sizes and weights, resulting in time-consuming part selection and potential operational failures.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tooth jaw design for torque stopper devices featuring a base with hinge connections and radial tips of varying lengths, allowing for effective engagement with a range of casing diameters and weights, and a repair kit for replacing single-tooth jaws with multi-tooth jaws to enhance operational reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single-tooth jaw design is used in torque stopper devices, then the device structure is simple, but the device fails to accommodate a range of casing sizes and weights, requiring multiple different jaw sizes and leading to selection errors and operational failures
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw is segmented into multiple teeth (typically 3-5 teeth) arranged radially around the jaw body, each tooth capable of independently engaging with the casing inner wall. This segmentation allows the jaw to adapt to various casing diameters and weights by engaging different numbers and combinations of teeth, eliminating the need for multiple jaw sizes while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-tooth jaw design provides universal applicability across different casing sizes and weights within a standard range. A single jaw design can serve multiple functions by engaging different subsets of its teeth depending on the casing dimensions, replacing the need for multiple specialized single-tooth jaws for different casing specifications
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different jaw sizes are provided to accommodate various casing sizes, then the adaptability to different casing specifications is improved, but the part selection process becomes time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-tooth jaw serves as a universal component that can be used with standard casing sizes (typically 4-1/2 inches to 10-3/4 inches outer diameter) without requiring size-specific selection. The operator simply installs one type of multi-tooth jaw regardless of the specific casing dimensions within the standard range, eliminating time-consuming selection processes and reducing errors
Solution Approach 2:
The jaw teeth are designed to dynamically engage with the casing wall based on the actual casing dimensions encountered during operation. The number and arrangement of engaged teeth automatically adapt to the casing size, providing the appropriate level of anti-rotation capability without requiring pre-selection based on precise casing measurements
3Reliability
If a multi-tooth jaw design is implemented, then the reliability of rotation prevention is improved through multiple engagement points, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw is manufactured as a segmented structure with multiple teeth that can be produced using standard machining processes. Each tooth is a simple radial protrusion that can be machined from a single block of material or formed through stamping/extrusion processes, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving the reliability benefits of multiple engagement points
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-tooth jaw maintains reliability across varying casing specifications by changing the engagement parameters (number of teeth engaged, depth of engagement) rather than changing the fundamental jaw structure. This allows a single jaw design to provide reliable rotation prevention for different casing sizes without requiring complex manufacturing variations
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-tooth jaw for a torque stopper device prevents rotation of downhole tools suspended in a wellbore casing. The jaw includes a base for positioning adjacent an outside wall of the torque stopper and a hinge connection allowing the jaw to pivot around an axis of rotation running lengthwise through the base. The jaw further includes a plurality of radial tips, i.e., teeth, each a different distance from the axis of rotation. When viewed from a side with the axis of rotation being a point around which the jaw pivots, the tips are in ascending order of distance with a first, leading tip having a shortest distance from the axis of rotation as the jaw pivots from a stowed to a deployed position. A torque stopper device with the multi-tooth jaw supports a range of casing internal diameters. A repair kit allows swapping a one-tooth jaw with the multi-tooth jaw.