Pressure-Controlled Downhole Actuator Frangible Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Downhole actuators in the oil and gas industry face reliability issues due to harsh conditions, particularly high temperatures, which can lead to failure of electrical conductors and electronics, making it challenging to maintain control and deployment of well tools effectively.
Innovation Solution
A single-use pressure-controlled actuator that utilizes wellbore fluid pressure for activation and deactivation, featuring a frangible closure mechanism that automatically fails to allow hydraulic actuation, eliminating the need for electrical power and enhancing reliability in high-temperature environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical conductors and electronic components are used to power and control downhole actuators, then operator control over activation and deactivation is achieved, but reliability deteriorates in high-temperature downhole conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical and electronic systems with a purely mechanical actuation system. The actuator uses a frangible closure member that fails mechanically at a predetermined depth to release stored mechanical energy, driving a plunger to extend the tool. This eliminates all electrical conductors, electronic components, and power sources that would fail in high-temperature environments, achieving reliable operation where electrical systems deteriorate.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator employs a single-use frangible closure member designed to fail once at the target depth. This disposable component approach eliminates the need for complex, temperature-sensitive electrical control systems. After the closure fails and the tool is deployed, the actuator is discarded, avoiding the reliability issues of reusable electrical systems in harsh downhole conditions.
2Ease of operation
If electrical power is provided to downhole actuators through conductors or storage devices, then actuator operation is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes all electrical power delivery components (conductors, power sources, electronic control circuitry) from the downhole tool system. Instead, it uses a passive mechanical trigger mechanism based on depth-sensitive frangible closure failure. This extraction of electrical complexity enables simple, reliable operation while eliminating the cumbersome infrastructure of electrical power delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator system is self-activating based on the natural downhole environment. The frangible closure member automatically fails at the predetermined depth due to the downhole conditions themselves, triggering the deployment mechanism without requiring external electrical commands or power. This self-service approach simplifies the overall system by eliminating the need for complex electrical control infrastructure.
3Reliability
If frangible closure member is used for automatic activation, then mechanical actuation is achieved without electrical power, but manufacturing precision is required for controlled failure
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible closure member is designed with specific material properties and geometric parameters that cause it to fail at a predetermined depth under downhole conditions. By carefully controlling the manufacturing parameters of the closure member (such as wall thickness, material strength, and geometry), the failure depth can be precisely predetermined. This parameter control achieves reliable automatic activation while managing manufacturing precision requirements through design optimization.
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 actuator provides reliable mechanical actuation in harsh downhole conditions without electronic control, ensuring robust and efficient deployment and retraction of downhole tools, even in high-temperature environments, by using wellbore fluid pressure for activation and deactivation.
Implementation Method 1
the activation chamber (112) in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing (103) through the failed frangible closure member (136) and configured to equalize fluid pressure between the plunger head (118) and the wellbore fluid (204) in response to axial movement of the plunger (106)
Implementation Method 2
causing axial movement of the plunger (106) by hydraulic action of the wellbore fluid (204)
Data Source
AI summary
A single-use pressure-controlled actuator for downhole well tools or mechanisms is provided. The actuator is configured for control of activation/deactivation by agency of wellbore fluid pressure (e.g., pressure levels of drilling fluid or drilling mud in the wellbore). The actuator is further configured for hydraulic actuation by agency of the wellbore fluid. The actuator comprises a plunger displaceably mounted on a sealed cylinder body, with a non-reclosable frangible device closing off wellbore fluid access to an interior of the cylinder body. The frangible device is configured for automatic in response to exposure of wellbore fluid pressures exceeding a predetermined activation threshold. Failure of the frangible device causes exposure of the plunger to the wellbore fluid, resulting in actuated movement of the plunger by hydraulic action of the wellbore fluid.