One-Piece Production Annulus Bore Stab Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-piece production/annulus bore stabs face challenges in maintaining seal integrity due to different thermal expansion rates of the inner and outer stab bodies, and require increased radial thickness to accommodate pressure loading, leading to a more complex design.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece production/annulus bore stab with integral flow paths is designed, featuring a single pressure vessel construction that reduces the overall radial thickness and eliminates the need for lateral seals, thereby simplifying the design and improving thermal expansion management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a two-piece production/annulus bore stab design is used, then separate inner and outer stab bodies can be independently manufactured, but seal integrity deteriorates due to different thermal expansion rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the inner production stab body and outer annulus stab body into a single monolithic one-piece structure. This eliminates the interface between two separate components, thereby eliminating the seal integrity issues caused by differential thermal expansion between the inner and outer bodies while maintaining manufacturability through single-piece fabrication processes
2Ease of manufacture
If a two-piece production/annulus bore stab design is used, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple seals and seal retainers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the lateral seals and seal retainers that are necessary in two-piece designs. By transitioning to a one-piece construction, the design removes the need for these intermediate sealing components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to manufacture the structure through single-piece fabrication
3Strength
If radial thickness is increased to accommodate pressure loading in a two-piece design, then structural strength is improved, but overall device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the inner and outer stab bodies into a single integrated structure that optimizes material distribution and structural efficiency. This one-piece design achieves the required pressure loading capacity with reduced radial thickness compared to two-piece designs, as the monolithic construction eliminates the need for additional thickness to accommodate seals and allows for more efficient stress distribution
Data Source
AI summary
One illustrative production/annulus bore stab disclosed herein includes a one-piece body that comprises a first cylindrical outer surface and a second cylindrical outer surface and a plurality of individual fluid flow paths defined entirely within the one-piece body. In this illustrative example, each of the individual fluid flow paths is fluidly isolated from one another and each of the fluid flow paths comprise a first inlet/outlet at a first end of the fluid flow path that is positioned in the first cylindrical outer surface and a second inlet/outlet at a second end of the fluid flow path that is positioned in the second cylindrical outer surface.