Internal Pipe Cutting Head With Low-Power Multi-Pass Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical internal pipe cutting tools require high electrical power for operation, which can be a limitation in oil and gas well applications where power supply is a challenge, and they often involve hazardous pyrotechnic or chemical cutters.
Innovation Solution
A low-power cutting tool designed for insertion into a pipe, equipped with a housing, a cutting head with a pointed cutting tip, and actuators to drive the cutting tip. The tool includes processors and memory to control the actuators, maintaining a low-power configuration by controlling operational parameters such as cutting width and depth, and using a battery as a power source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional mechanical internal pipe cutting tools are used, then cutting capability is achieved, but electrical power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting process is divided into multiple passes with progressively deeper cutting depths. The control system segments the total material removal into discrete steps, allowing the actuators to operate at lower power levels in each pass while achieving the complete cut through cumulative material removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting operation employs periodic actuation where the actuators drive the cutting head in repeated cycles of engagement and disengagement from the pipe material. This periodic action allows the system to dissipate heat, manage power consumption in pulses, and maintain cutting capability through sustained repeated operations rather than continuous high-power operation.
2Ease of operation
If pyrotechnic or chemical cutters are used, then power supply is simplified, but safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pyrotechnic or chemical cutting mechanisms with an electrically-powered mechanical cutting system. The actuators drive a cutting head that mechanically removes material through controlled engagement with the pipe material, eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals or pyrotechnics while maintaining operational simplicity through electrical control.
3Productivity
If cutting depth and width are increased, then material removal rate improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs preliminary planning of the cutting path and depth progression before execution. The processors calculate the optimal sequence of cutting passes and depth increments in advance, allowing the actuators to execute pre-planned low-power operations that cumulatively achieve high material removal without requiring high instantaneous power levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system removes material in multiple partial passes rather than attempting to remove the full required depth and width in a single action. Each pass removes a portion of the total material, and the cumulative effect of these partial actions achieves complete material removal while keeping power consumption within acceptable limits for each individual pass.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an apparatus for removing material from an internal surface of a pipe. The apparatus comprises a low-power cutting tool for insertion into the pipe and configured to remove material from an internal surface of the pipe. The cutting tool comprises a housing for insertion within the pipe, a cutting head extending from the housing and a cutting tip for machining the internal surface of the pipe in a machining operation when the cutting tool is inserted into the pipe, and one or more actuators for driving the cutting tip. The apparatus further comprises one or more processors, and a computer-readable memory storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, control the one or more actuators to cause the cutting tip to machine the internal surface of the pipe, such that the cutting tool is maintained in a low-power configuration.