Radial Drilling System for Thin Oil Seams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for enhancing oil and gas wells, such as horizontal drilling, face limitations in effectively accessing and draining thin oil and gas formations, as they require significant radius transformation and can damage casing during the drilling process.
Innovation Solution
A radial drilling system that employs a downhole full automatic system to part the steel casing and extend outward into the formation, using a high-pressure pumping system with filtered fluids and a specially designed extension tube made of NiTi alloy, allowing for precise control and minimization of casing damage, enabling the creation of radial boreholes without the need for extensive radius transformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If horizontal drilling is used to access thin oil and gas formations, then the drainage area is increased, but the casing is damaged during the drilling process
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the drilling operation into two distinct phases: first creating a vertical borehole with casing, then using a separate radial drilling tool to create horizontal boreholes from the vertical well. This segmentation allows the casing to remain intact while still achieving the drainage benefits of horizontal drilling through the radial boreholes created by the milling tool.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical borehole and casing are installed beforehand before the radial drilling operation begins. The casing is set in the vertical well prior to deploying the radial drilling tool, ensuring that the casing is protected and in place before any radial borehole creation occurs, thus preventing casing damage during the horizontal drilling phase.
2Adaptability or versatility
If horizontal drilling with radius transformation is used, then access to formations is improved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transforming the vertical wellbore into a horizontal borehole through complex radius transformation, the invention inverts the approach by creating horizontal boreholes radially outward from the vertical wellbore. The radial drilling tool mills boreholes perpendicular to the vertical well axis, eliminating the need for complex directional drilling and radius transformation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The radial drilling tool is extracted as a separate, deployable unit that can be lowered into the vertical well and operated independently. The tool includes its own drive mechanism, milling elements, and control systems, allowing it to create radial boreholes without requiring complex surface equipment or radius transformation operations.
3Area of stationary object
If radial drilling is used to create boreholes, then drainage area is increased, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The radial drilling tool is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform multiple operations: it drills radial boreholes, mills the formation, and can be deployed and retrieved from the vertical well. The tool integrates the drive mechanism, milling elements, and control systems into a single unit that can accomplish multiple tasks, reducing the need for separate equipment and operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The radial drilling tool is equipped with its own drive mechanism and control systems, allowing it to operate independently once deployed in the vertical well. The tool can drill and mill radial boreholes without requiring continuous surface intervention or complex external equipment, making the system more self-contained and easier to operate despite the increased functionality.
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 increases the drainage area of oil and gas formations by creating radial boreholes with precise control, reducing operational complexity and minimizing damage to the casing, thereby enhancing oil and gas extraction efficiency from thin seams without the need for extensive radius transformation.
Implementation Method 1
The high-pressure pump is 20,000 psi. Fluids that are employed onto the radial system must be filtered to particle sizes of less than 5 microns.
Implementation Method 2
a specially designed extension tube made of NiTi alloy
Data Source
AI summary
The invention being designed in this application relates to a radial drilling method. Boreholes are placed into oil and gas formations to provide openings for the removal of the product.Oil and gas wells extend to different depths and downhole well conditions. The radial system has been designed to accommodate the well conditions and to jet or drill different oil and gas formation. The radial system provides a mill/bit which is rotated from a downhole motor or a surface swivel. The mill ports, the steel casing, and the bit extend outward into the formation forming a borehole to a predetermined length. The borehole is provided without an entrance radius into the formation. Several radial holes can be provided considering a one trip event.