Profile-Selective Sleeves for Subsurface Valve Actuation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The fracking industry faces challenges with cascading ball-actuated sliding valves, where the bore size reduction from uphole to downhole restricts fluid flow rates due to the need for smaller balls to pass through, leading to reduced efficiency in subsurface valve actuation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of sliding valves with a sleeve-profile featuring circumferential grooves and ridges, allowing for consistent and reliable engagement and actuation, along with collets having a resiliently flexible profile that matches the sleeve-profile for enhanced sealing and pressure resistance, enabling uniform fluid flow and efficient fracking operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the bore of downhole sliding valves is made smaller to allow smaller balls to pass through uphole valves, then the ball can reach the target downhole valve, but the fluid flow rate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is segmented into multiple valve units, each with its own sliding sleeve and actuation mechanism. This allows each valve to be independently actuated by collets with specific profile configurations, eliminating the need for progressively smaller balls while maintaining the ability to reach downhole valves.
Solution Approach 2:
A collet with a profile key serves as an intermediary actuating tool that can be pumped through the tubular string and selectively engaged with specific valve sleeves. The collet's profiled outer surface matches the internal profile of the target valve's sliding sleeve, allowing precise actuation without requiring ball size reduction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a collet with profile key is used to selectively actuate sliding sleeves, then only the target valve is opened, but the complexity of the actuation system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collet design serves multiple functions: it acts as a pumping tool for delivery through the tubular string, a locking mechanism with profiled engagement, and an actuating tool for sleeve displacement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized tools for each operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding sleeve is nested within the valve body, and the collet is nested within the tubular string during pumping. The profile key on the collet nests with the corresponding profile recess in the sliding sleeve, creating a compact integrated actuation system.
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
This solution ensures consistent and reliable engagement of subsurface valves, maintains uniform fluid flow rates, and enhances sealing capabilities, addressing the bore size reduction issue and improving the overall efficiency of fracking operations.
Implementation Method 1
collets having a resiliently flexible profile that matches the sleeve-profile for enhanced sealing and pressure resistance
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding valve has a valve body, a sliding sleeve received in a longitudinal bore of the valve body, and a collet receivable in a longitudinal bore of the sliding sleeve. The valve body has one or more fluid ports on an uphole portion of the sidewall thereof. The sliding sleeve is movable between an uphole closed position closing the one or more fluid ports and a downhole open position opening the one or more fluid ports.The sliding sleeve has a sleeve-profile formed at least by one or more sleeve-grooves and one or more sleeve-ridges longitudinally distributed on an inner surface thereof. The collet has a flexible collet-profile formed by at least one or more collet-grooves and one or more collet-ridges respectively corresponding to the sleeve-grooves and sleeve-ridges. The length of each sleeve-ridge or collet-ridge is smaller than that of corresponding sleeve-groove or collet-groove.