Sucker Rod Rotator Roller Actuator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wellhead equipment, particularly sucker rod rotators, face reliability issues due to mechanical complexity, corrosion, and the risk of jamming and entanglement of cables, leading to leaks and costly repairs, especially in harsh oil field conditions.
Innovation Solution
A sucker rod actuator stop system featuring a wellhead clamp, upright post, saddle bracket, and cylindrical roller for rotary engagement, which eliminates the need for overhead cables and provides a secure, corrosion-resistant mechanism to activate the sucker rod rotator, reducing wear and preventing jamming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If overhead cables are used to actuate the rotator arm, then the rotator can be activated, but the cables become tangled and entangled in high winds, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the overhead cable system entirely and replaces it with a roller-based mechanical actuation system. The roller is mounted on an arm that pivots to contact the actuator handle directly, eliminating cables and their associated entanglement problems while maintaining the rotator activation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller serves as a mechanical intermediary between the arm and the actuator handle. Instead of using flexible cables that can tangle, the rigid roller transfers motion through direct contact, providing a more reliable connection that cannot become entangled.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple overhead cables are used for instrumentation and rotator actuation, then signal wires can be carried to load cells, but the cables twist and entangle more easily in high winds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the rotator actuation function from the cable system entirely. By using a rigid roller-mounted arm instead of cables for actuation, the system eliminates the entanglement problem while allowing instrumentation cables to be routed separately without interfering with the mechanical actuation mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If a cable system is used to actuate the rotator arm, then the arm can be activated, but the cable may become disengaged from the arm or upper portion of the rig
Solution Approach 1:
The roller acts as a stable mechanical intermediary that maintains continuous contact with the actuator handle through direct physical engagement. This rigid connection eliminates the disengagement problems inherent in cable systems, where cables can slip off or become disconnected from their attachment points.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller's cylindrical shape provides continuous surface contact with the actuator handle, ensuring stable engagement. The curved surface allows for smooth rotational motion while maintaining reliable contact, preventing the disconnection issues that occur with linear cable connections.
4Productivity
If mechanical parts move in the wellhead equipment, then the rotator function is achieved, but the parts may jam and cause failure
Solution Approach 1:
The roller's cylindrical geometry provides continuous rolling contact with the actuator handle, eliminating sliding friction that leads to jamming. The curved surface allows smooth rotational movement and reduces the likelihood of mechanical seizure compared to flat-surface contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the motion parameter from sliding (cable pull) to rolling (roller contact). This parameter change reduces friction and wear, thereby decreasing the probability of jamming and improving the reliability of the moving mechanical parts.
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 solution enhances reliability and extends component life by preventing cable entanglement and corrosion, reducing maintenance costs and ensuring consistent operation in adverse weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a cylindrical roller having opposing sides about a cylindrical axis that is disposed in rotary engagement with the distal ends of each of the upright arms of the saddle
Data Source
AI summary
A petroleum extraction pump deploying a sucker rod has an actuator for rotating the portion of the rod in the stuffing box on every stroke to minimize local wear. The rotor handle or arm of the actuator is triggered by an upright roller supported by a an upright rigid linear member, such as a post or tube, that is spaced apart from the well bore by a clamp attached to the main well pipe or stuffing box. The roller rotates with each stroke as it engages the rotator handle. The roller is supported by a Y-shaped saddle to avoid catching on the upstroke of the pumping unit should these member become laterally separated. The device is capable of retrofitting to an existing sucker rod actuator by eliminating a cable to the arm of the actuator and deploying an arm stop member to support the handle in a horizontal orientation until it contacts the roller.