Pilot-Amplified Flow Control for Fluid Composition Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid management systems in the resource recovery and fluid sequestration industries lack efficient automatic control mechanisms to adapt to varying fluid compositions, leading to suboptimal performance under different operating conditions.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous flow control device with pilot amplification, featuring a primary valve responsive to fluid composition changes and a sensitive pilot valve that assists the primary valve's position adjustments in response to fluid composition changes, enabling autonomous control of fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a single primary valve is used for fluid flow control, then the device structure is simple, but the response speed and sensitivity to fluid composition changes are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is segmented into two functional components: a primary valve for main flow control and a pilot valve for sensitive detection and rapid response. This segmentation allows each valve to be optimized for its specific function, with the pilot valve providing fast response to fluid composition changes and the primary valve handling the main flow control, thereby resolving the contradiction between response speed and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pilot valve acts as an intermediary between the fluid composition changes and the primary valve. It detects fluid composition changes first and uses pressure differential to assist the primary valve in position changes, enabling faster overall system response without requiring the primary valve itself to be highly sensitive, thus balancing response speed with structural simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If the primary valve is made highly sensitive to fluid composition changes, then the response accuracy improves, but the valve requires larger force and becomes harder to actuate
Solution Approach 1:
The pilot valve serves as a force-amplifying intermediary that is highly sensitive to fluid composition changes. When it detects composition changes, it creates a pressure differential across the primary valve, providing the necessary force assistance to actuate the primary valve. This allows the system to maintain high sensitivity while reducing the direct force requirement on the primary valve mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic pressure differential generated by the pilot valve to assist in actuating the primary valve. The pressure change caused by the pilot valve's position change provides the additional force needed to move the primary valve, thereby achieving high sensitivity response without requiring the primary valve to be directly actuated with large forces.
3Productivity
If the primary valve size is increased to handle larger production rates, then the production capacity improves, but the valve's responsiveness to fluid composition changes decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve system is divided into a large primary valve for handling high production rates and a small pilot valve for rapid response to fluid composition changes. The pilot valve's small size allows it to respond quickly, and through pressure differential assistance, it can effectively control the larger primary valve, thus resolving the contradiction between production capacity and response speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The pilot valve acts as a control intermediary that enables the large primary valve to respond rapidly to fluid composition changes. By creating pressure differential, the pilot valve provides the necessary control force to the primary valve, allowing the primary valve to maintain both its large size for high productivity and its responsiveness through the pilot valve's fast action.
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
This solution allows for precise and rapid adjustments in fluid flow, enhancing operational efficiency by enabling larger production rates while maintaining responsiveness to changes in fluid density or viscosity, thereby improving overall system performance.
Implementation Method 1
a pilot valve responsive to and more sensitive to changes in fluid composition than the primary valve
Implementation Method 2
assisting the primary valve to a different position with pressure change caused by the pilot valve changing to a different position
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous flow control device with pilot amplification includes a primary valve responsive to changes in fluid composition, and a pilot valve responsive to and more sensitive to changes in fluid composition than the primary valve and configured to aid change in position of the primary valve in the event of a change in fluid composition.