Offset Centerline Gauge Mandrel for ESP Pressure Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is challenging to accurately monitor and predict failures in electric submersible pumps (ESPs) deployed in wellbores due to difficulties in measuring operating conditions and parameters with sufficient accuracy, leading to increased costs for operators when ESPs fail.
Innovation Solution
A gauge mandrel with a primary fluid passageway and a gauge sensor configuration that includes offset tubing coupling centerlines, creating a tortuous path for fluid flow and improving sensor readings, along with a design that allows for different concentricity values at the uphole and downhole ends to accommodate various tools, reducing the need for additional cable splices and maintaining system concentricity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a gauge sensor is installed in a conventional concentric gauge mandrel, then the system maintains simple structural alignment, but the sensor cannot accurately measure true intake pressure and discharge temperature due to fluid flow interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by offsetting the sensor mounting surface centerline from the gauge mandrel centerline. This creates an asymmetric flow path where fluid enters through a first port, flows past the sensor at an angle, and exits through a second port. The asymmetric configuration prevents direct fluid flow interference with the sensor while maintaining measurement accuracy, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved flow paths within the gauge mandrel body to guide fluid flow around the sensor region. The curved passages ensure smooth fluid transition while maintaining the offset centerline configuration, preventing turbulence and direct impingement on the sensor. This curved flow design enables accurate measurements without requiring complex external flow control mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gauge mandrel uses a single centerline for all couplings, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but it cannot accommodate tools requiring different concentricity values at uphole and downhole ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gauge mandrel into distinct functional zones with different centerline requirements. The uphole end features a first coupling with its own centerline, while the downhole end has a second coupling with a different centerline offset. This segmentation allows each end to be optimized for its specific tool requirements while maintaining a unified manufacturing approach through the offset centerline design that propagates consistently through the mandrel body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different concentricity characteristics at different locations along the gauge mandrel. The uphole coupling region is designed with one set of concentricity requirements for compatibility with uphole tools, while the downhole coupling region has different concentricity requirements for downhole tools. This localized differentiation enables versatile tool accommodation without requiring complete redesign of the entire mandrel structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional cable splices are added to accommodate different tool concentricity requirements, then tool compatibility increases, but the risk of leaks and system failures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal gauge mandrel design that accommodates multiple tool types and concentricity requirements through its offset centerline configuration. The single integrated mandrel structure with strategically positioned couplings can interface with both uphole and downhole tools having different concentricity needs, eliminating the requirement for multiple specialized components and cable splices. This multi-functional design maintains system reliability by reducing the number of potential failure points.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a gauge mandrel, a sensing system, and a well system. The gauge mandrel, in one aspect, includes a housing having a length (Lt), the housing having a main section and an upset section extending outward from the main section, and a primary fluid passageway located in the main section of the housing and extending along the length (Lt). In accordance with this aspect, the primary fluid passageway includes an uphole tubing coupling having an uphole tubing coupling centerline (CLTU) and a downhole tubing coupling having a downhole tubing coupling centerline (CLTD). In further accordance with this aspect, the uphole tubing coupling centerline (CLTU) and the downhole tubing coupling centerline (CLTD) are offset from one another by a distance (DT). The gauge mandrel may further include a gauge cavity located in the upset section of the housing and extending along at least a portion of the length (Lt).