Rodless Hydraulic Pump Actuator for Deviated Well Lifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing production wells face inefficiencies and high costs due to the use of sucker rod strings and pump jacks, which lead to excessive wear, mechanical stress, and limited geometry, especially in non-vertical well sections, preventing efficient hydrocarbon extraction.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic downhole rod-less pump actuator system that eliminates the need for sucker rods, utilizing hydraulic fluid to power a plunger pump, reducing mechanical loads and allowing for more efficient and flexible well operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sucker rod strings and pump jacks are used for artificial lift, then hydrocarbons can be extracted from vertical wells, but excessive wear and mechanical stress occur leading to high maintenance costs and operational downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sucker rod string from the wellbore entirely, extracting the problematic mechanical component that causes excessive wear. Instead of rods traveling through the production tubing, a rod-less pump actuator is used downhole that eliminates the need for long sucker rod strings, thereby eliminating the wear and maintenance issues associated with rod-pumped systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sucker rod and pump jack system with a downhole electric motor-driven pump actuator. This substitution eliminates the surface pump jack and long sucker rod string, replacing them with an electrically-driven system downhole that reduces mechanical wear and maintenance requirements while improving reliability
2Adaptability or versatility
If sucker rod strings are used in non-vertical well sections, then hydrocarbon extraction is possible, but the rods rub or bind against the tubing wall causing excessive wear and geometric limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sucker rod string from the wellbore configuration, eliminating the component that causes rubbing and binding in non-vertical sections. The rod-less pump actuator design removes the long rod string that would otherwise contact the tubing wall during reciprocating motion, thereby eliminating wear in deviated wells
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a hydraulic or electric actuation system downhole that eliminates the need for mechanical rod transmission through the tubing. By using downhole motors and hydraulic actuators, the system can operate in non-vertical well sections without the mechanical constraints and wear issues of sucker rod systems
3Length of stationary object
If long sucker rod strings are used to reach deep reservoirs, then hydrocarbon extraction from deep formations is enabled, but the mechanical loads and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the surface-based mechanical pump jack system with downhole electric motor-driven actuators. This substitution eliminates the need to lift the entire sucker rod string during each stroke, as the pumping action is generated downhole by the electric motor, thereby dramatically reducing energy consumption regardless of well depth
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the pumping action from the surface dimension to the downhole dimension by installing electric motors and actuators at the bottom of the well. This dimensional shift allows the pump to be driven directly at the production point, eliminating the need for long rod strings and reducing energy consumption associated with lifting rods through the entire wellbore length
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 reduces maintenance costs, increases operational efficiency, and allows for hydrocarbon extraction in non-vertical well sections, providing energy savings and simplified construction.
Implementation Method 1
a piston in a hydraulic actuator may be moved by hydraulic fluid pressure
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial lift system may include a rodless hydraulic pump actuator including an actuator housing assembly, an actuator piston assembly supported for reciprocal translation stroke movement relative to the actuator piston assembly, an actuator piston assembly production fluid passage extending through the actuator piston assembly, and a tubular coupling below the actuator housing assembly having a coupling flow passage to pass production fluid into the actuator piston assembly production fluid passage.