Pressure-Switched Fluid Control for Subsea Landing String Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
The oil and gas industry faces challenges in designing landing strings that accommodate the conflicting requirements of large internal diameters for valve passage and structural integrity under extreme loadings, including high tension and pressure, while maintaining effective sealing and emergency disconnect capabilities within the geometric constraints of subsea wellheads.
Innovation Solution
A fluid control system with a valve arrangement that can switch configurations in response to pressure differentials, utilizing a biasing device and pressurized lines to manage valve positions and ensure safe operation, including fail-safe mechanisms to handle emergency situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thick walled valve housings are used to accommodate extreme loadings, then structural integrity is improved, but valve internal diameters are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve housing is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows the housing to achieve the required structural strength through the combined effect of multiple thinner walls, while maintaining a larger internal diameter compared to a single thick-walled structure. The segmented design also facilitates easier assembly and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve housing utilizes composite material construction, combining materials with different properties to achieve both high strength and adequate internal diameter. The composite structure provides enhanced mechanical properties allowing thinner walls to withstand extreme loadings, thereby preserving larger internal flow passages.
2Reliability
If bolted connections are used to avoid separation during use, then fatigue performance is improved, but internal diameters are further reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism is nested within the valve housing structure, with coupling elements integrated into the housing walls. This nesting approach allows bolted connections to be made without significantly increasing the external dimensions or reducing the internal diameter, as the connection hardware is incorporated within the existing structural envelope.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve housing employs local reinforcement at connection points rather than uniformly thick walls throughout. This allows bolted connections to be made with adequate strength for fatigue performance, while the rest of the housing maintains thinner walls to preserve internal diameter. The local quality principle applies stronger material or structural features only where mechanically necessary.
3Force
If large valve actuators are provided to provide necessary closing/cutting forces, then emergency disconnect capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve actuation system utilizes hydraulic or pneumatic pressure to generate the necessary closing and cutting forces. By leveraging fluid pressure, the system can achieve high forces with relatively compact actuators, avoiding the need for large mechanical actuation mechanisms. The fluid pressure system can be integrated into the existing valve housing without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional large mechanical actuation systems are replaced with a more compact mechanism that uses leverages, cam mechanisms, or spring-loaded systems to amplify smaller actuation forces. This substitution reduces the size and complexity of the actuator while maintaining the required closing and cutting forces through mechanical advantage.
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 system enables efficient and safe deployment of wireline and coiled tubing tools while maintaining structural integrity under extreme conditions, enhancing the reliability and safety of subsea operations by allowing rapid reconfiguration and pressure management.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing device which is capable of storing energy and imparting a force to return the apparatus to the initial configuration
Implementation Method 2
pressurization of the first control line to a higher pressure than the second control line configures the apparatus into the first configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid control system includes an apparatus comprising a first and second fluid port, first and second control lines, a valve arrangement being configurable between a first state in which the first fluid port is in fluid communication with the first control line and the second fluid port is in fluid communication with the second control line, wherein the apparatus is switchable between first and second configurations responsive to pressure differentials between the first and second control lines, and a second state in which the second fluid port is in fluid communication with a pressurized line and the first fluid port is in fluid communication with a vent arrangement to thereby configure the apparatus into the second configuration, and a control arrangement for reconfiguring the valve arrangement between the first and second states in response to an actuation signal.