Plug Sensor With Pressure-Tight Element for Well Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing monitoring systems for oil and gas wells lack efficient and safe means to detect pressure leaks and other parameters across multiple zones without disrupting well operations, and current solutions require shutdowns for maintenance, which is costly and unsafe.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring apparatus with a flange assembly and pressure-tight elements, such as ceramic or glass, separates sensor and electronic circuitry, allowing for continuous measurement of pressure and temperature across multiple zones without fluid leakage, enabling early detection of pressure leaks and maintaining operational safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional monitoring systems are used, then pressure and temperature can be measured, but the systems require shutdown for maintenance and lack continuous monitoring capability
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring apparatus is divided into separate functional modules: sensor unit, electronic circuitry, and communication interface. This segmentation allows individual components to be maintained or replaced without shutting down the entire system, enabling continuous monitoring operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A pressure-tight element with integrated transmission devices acts as an intermediary barrier between the measurement zone and the external environment. This intermediary allows signal transmission while maintaining pressure integrity, enabling maintenance activities on one side without affecting monitoring operations on the other side.
2Reliability
If monitoring apparatus is installed in through bore, then continuous measurement is possible, but fluid leakage and fire hazards may occur
Solution Approach 1:
A pressure-tight element is introduced as an intermediary barrier between the measurement zone and the external environment. This pressure-tight element prevents fluid leakage while transmission devices pass through it to convey signals, thereby eliminating fire hazards associated with exposed wiring in high-pressure environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure-tight element is constructed from composite materials that provide both mechanical strength to withstand high pressure and electrical properties to allow signal transmission. This composite structure simultaneously addresses fluid containment and electrical connectivity requirements while maintaining safety.
3Device complexity
If sensor and electronics are arranged together in through bore, then device complexity is reduced, but pressure tightness and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is segmented into distinct functional zones: the sensor unit positioned in the measurement zone and the electronic circuitry located externally. The pressure-tight element with transmission devices connects these segments, maintaining pressure integrity while enabling electrical signal transmission between separated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure-tight element serves as an intermediary structure that physically separates the sensor and electronics while maintaining functional connectivity. This intermediary barrier ensures pressure tightness is preserved even as the device becomes more modular and complex in its internal arrangement.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring physical parameters in an oil and/or gas well, the apparatus being connectable to a wellhead of the oil and/or gas well. The apparatus comprises a flange assembly configured with a through bore and an end termination, in which through bore a sensor and associated electronics are arranged. The sensor, including a first electronic circuitry, is connected to a second electronic circuitry via transmission devices that are passed through a pressure-tight element arranged in the through bore. The invention also relates to a wellhead for use with an oil and/or gas well with a plurality of casings defining a plurality of annili. The wellhead is configured with a plurality of through-holes, each leading into a respective annulus of the well, and each through-hole is connected to an apparatus as mentioned above.