Pipe-in-Pipe Piston Thrust System for Wellbore Pressure Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Drilling systems face challenges in maintaining pressure on drill bits when encountering leak paths or lateral breaks in wellbores, leading to loss of weight and reduced drilling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A pipe in pipe piston thrust system with multiple piston assemblies and bypass mechanisms that selectively engage and communicate fluid pressure to maintain weight on the drill bit, allowing it to traverse leak paths and lateral breaks by creating pressure differentials across piston assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single piston assembly is used to provide thrust for the drill bit, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot maintain pressure when encountering leak paths or lateral breaks
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the piston function into multiple independent piston assemblies (first piston assembly, second piston assembly, etc.) that can operate independently. Each piston assembly can seal against the wellbore and maintain pressure in its respective annulus, allowing the system to continue providing thrust even when one piston encounters a leak path or lateral break.
Solution Approach 2:
By-pass mechanisms are introduced as intermediary elements that can selectively communicate fluid pressure between different annuli. When a lateral break is detected, the by-pass allows pressure to be redirected through alternative pathways, maintaining thrust capability despite the breakdown in the original sealing path.
2Reliability
If multiple piston assemblies are deployed to overcome leak paths, then pressure maintenance improves, but the system complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The piston assemblies are designed to automatically seal against the wellbore and the by-pass mechanisms automatically activate when pressure differentials indicate a lateral break. This self-regulating behavior reduces the need for complex external control systems and manual intervention, making the operation simpler despite the multi-piston configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pressure differential feedback to automatically control the by-pass mechanisms. When pressure drops across a piston assembly indicating a lateral break, the feedback mechanism triggers the by-pass to open and redirect fluid flow, maintaining pressure without requiring complex external control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the piston assembly encounters a lateral break, then the drill bit can traverse the break, but pressure is lost and weight on the drill bit is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a single-dimension pressure application (one piston, one annulus) to multi-dimensional pressure application (multiple pistons, multiple annuli with by-pass connections). This allows pressure to be applied from multiple independent sources, so when one path is blocked or leaked, other paths can maintain the necessary pressure and weight on the drill bit.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pressure distribution parameters by activating different piston assemblies and by-pass configurations based on the wellbore conditions. When a lateral break is encountered, the system reconfigures which pistons are active and how pressure is distributed across annuli, maintaining effective drilling pressure despite the break.
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
Enables continuous drilling through leak paths and lateral breaks by maintaining pressure on the drill bit, overcoming previous limitations where pressure loss resulted in inability to traverse such obstacles, and allows for automated responses to pressure drops.
Implementation Method 1
a pump configured to transfer a fluid into the wellbore
Implementation Method 2
axially displacing the first piston assembly and the second piston assembly in a first direction in a wellbore based on the fluid communication with the first piston assembly
Implementation Method 3
providing a pressure differential across the second piston assembly, and axially displacing the first piston assembly in the first direction past a lateral path based on the pressure differential across the second piston assembly
Implementation Method 4
a plurality of piston assemblies configured to sealingly engage a wellbore
Implementation Method 5
sealingly engaging a first piston assembly with a wellbore, increasing pressure across the first piston assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A pipe in pipe piston thrust system comprises a plurality of piston assemblies configured to sealingly engage a wellbore, a pump configured to transfer a fluid into the wellbore, and a by-pass disposed between a plurality of annuli formed by the plurality of piston assemblies. The by-pass allows for selective communication of the fluid between the plurality of annuli.