Non-welded Sand Control Screen for Heavy Oil Thermal Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sand control screens fail in high-temperature and high-pressure oil wells, especially during multi-cycle steam-huff-and-puff methods, due to chemical corrosion and metallurgical phase transformations in welded structures, leading to poor reliability and potential safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A sand control screen with a non-welded support disk and a filtering sleeve featuring a bridge-like steam injection sand control structure, utilizing a wedge insertion locking and sealing mechanism, and a corrugated structure to enhance mechanical stability and prevent erosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a welded support disk is used to fasten the filtering sleeve, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the reliability deteriorates in high temperature and high pressure conditions due to chemical corrosion and metallurgical phase transformations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the welded connection (thermal-chemical process) with a mechanical expansion connection. The support disk is made of a material with higher thermal expansion coefficient than the base pipe, and upon heating, it expands radially to press against the filtering sleeve, achieving fastening without welding. This substitutes the thermal-chemical welding process with a purely mechanical expansion-based fastening system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the thermal expansion parameter change of the support disk material. By selecting a material with a specific thermal expansion coefficient higher than the base pipe, the support disk undergoes dimensional change when heated, transforming from a loose fit to a tight mechanical interference fit. This parameter change enables reliable fastening in high temperature conditions without welding.
2Ease of manufacture
If the filtering sleeve structure is conventional, then the manufacturing is simple, but the resistance to steam erosion and sand damage deteriorates during multi-cycle steam-huff-and-puff operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curved bridge-like structures instead of straight conventional filtering sleeves. The bow-shaped curved structures form arches that span across the base pipe holes, creating a more robust configuration that better resists steam erosion and sand impact. The curvature distributes stress more effectively compared to straight structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtering sleeve is constructed as a composite structure combining different materials with complementary properties. The base pipe uses corrosion-resistant material, while the filtering sleeve incorporates erosion-resistant materials and features a corrugated outer surface that adds mechanical strength and protects against steam and sand damage, creating a multi-layer protective system.
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 reliable sand control and extended service life by preventing chemical corrosion, maintaining structural integrity under high temperatures and pressures, and effectively filtering steam and sand particles, thus ensuring safe and efficient heavy oil thermal recovery.
Implementation Method 1
a non-welded support disk mounted on the core base pipe and fastening the filter sleeve to the core base pipe by means of a wedge insertion locking and sealing structure
Implementation Method 2
a corrugated structure to enhance mechanical stability and prevent erosion
Implementation Method 3
a bridge-like steam injection sand control structure... effectively filtering steam and sand particles
Data Source
AI summary
A sand control screen for heavy oil thermal recovery, including: a core base pipe having a plurality of base-pipe holes distributed on a pipe body thereof; a filtering sleeve sleeved on the core base pipe and arranged with respect to the base pipe holes; and a non-welded support disk mounted on the core base pipe and fastening the filter sleeve to the core base pipe by means of a wedge insertion locking and sealing structure. The invention solves the problems in the prior art in which sand control screen has a poor reliability in a high-temperature condition of a thermal production well, resulting in potential safety risks of down hole sand control operation of the screens. In addition, the sand control screen of the present invention has a long service life, thus improving cost effectiveness of oil wells.