Pipeline Pulling Tool With Retractable Drive Wheel for Curved Wells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pulling tools for wellbores and pipelines are inefficient and complex, particularly when dealing with thin and flexible fibre optic cables and slick lines in horizontal wells, requiring a lightweight and battery-operated solution that can navigate small diameters and curved paths without increasing operational complexity or power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A compact, battery-powered pulling tool with a propulsion wheel and tilting arm, integrated with friction-reducing roller wheel sections, utilizing a brushless motor and electronic control module to advance the tool string, allowing for efficient operation in curved and horizontal wells without a current-carrying conductor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fibre optic cable is used, then real-time measurements can be obtained, but the cable is very thin and weak requiring protective cladding which increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fibre optic cable with protective cladding elements (such as Kevlar or carbon rods) into an integrated assembly. This merging allows the thin, weak fibre to be protected while maintaining its measurement capability, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the pulling tool is made lightweight for battery operation, then power consumption is limited, but the tool may lack the strength to pull equipment through curved and horizontal wells
Solution Approach 1:
The pulling tool is divided into multiple functional sections: a lightweight battery-powered propulsion unit for navigating curved wells, and a separate hauling mechanism for pulling equipment through horizontal sections. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the propulsion unit remains lightweight for battery operation while the hauling mechanism provides the necessary strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces friction-reducing roller wheel sections as intermediary elements between the pulling tool and the wellbore wall. These rollers reduce friction during navigation through curved and horizontal wells, allowing the lightweight tool to achieve deeper penetration without requiring excessive pulling force, thus resolving the contradiction between weight and strength.
3Area of moving object
If the pulling tool diameter is reduced to pass through small nipple profiles, then the tool can enter smaller wells, but the tool structure becomes more constrained and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pulling tool incorporates dynamically adjustable components, including extendable propulsion arms and retractable propulsion wheels. These dynamic elements allow the tool to maintain a compact form factor for passing through small nipple profiles while being capable of extending outward when propulsion is needed, thus reducing the effective diameter during insertion while providing sufficient functionality during operation.
4Length of moving object
If friction-reducing roller wheel sections are used, then the tool can reach further into curved wells, but the friction reduction capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional friction-based propulsion mechanisms with a powered propulsion wheel system. Instead of relying solely on gravity and friction reduction, the tool uses an electric motor to drive the propulsion wheel, which actively pushes against the wellbore wall to propel the tool deeper into curved and horizontal wells. This mechanical substitution overcomes the limitations of passive friction reduction.
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
The solution enables deeper penetration into curved and horizontal wells with reduced friction and complexity, using a lightweight, high-performance propulsion unit that is smaller in diameter than existing tools, effectively addressing the limitations of current pulling tools by enhancing mechanical efficiency and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
brushless motor
Implementation Method 2
friction-reducing roller wheel sections
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a pipeline pulling tool having an elongate housing. First and second roller wheel sections have at least two freely rotating roller wheels extending out from a sidewall of the housing. An attachment for a tool string is fixed to one of the roller wheel sections. A main section with a retractable propulsion wheel and at least one actuator for actuating the propulsion wheel between an extended position, out from the sidewall of the housing, and a retracted position, inside the housing, is located between the first roller wheel section and the second roller wheel section. A method of actuating a pipeline pulling tool is also disclosed.