Rupture Disc Assembly for High-Pressure Buoyant Chamber Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing buoyant chambers in wellbores require additional operational steps, such as drilling, increasing completion time and cost, and there is a need for rupture systems that can withstand high pressures and limit debris volume and particle size in well applications.
Innovation Solution
A rupture disc assembly with an actuating mechanism that transitions from a sealing mode to a release mode and disc failure mode, using an outer and inner sled to manage pressure and facilitate rupture, housed within a tubular structure, allowing for controlled release of buoyant fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drilling is used to remove buoyant chamber plugs, then the plugs can be removed, but completion time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful function of drilling by replacing it with a rupture disc mechanism that releases the buoyant chamber contents through controlled rupture, eliminating the need for drilling operations while achieving the same removal objective
Solution Approach 2:
The rupture disc is designed as a disposable component that is intentionally destroyed to achieve the desired outcome, replacing expensive and time-consuming drilling operations with a simple, low-cost rupture mechanism
2Stress or pressure
If the rupture disc assembly is designed to withstand high pressures, then pressure competency is maintained, but the complexity of the actuating mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rupture disc assembly is designed to automatically activate and release the buoyant chamber contents when the predetermined pressure is reached, eliminating the need for complex external actuating mechanisms while maintaining high pressure competency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pressure as the triggering parameter for activation, allowing the system to automatically transition from a sealed state to a released state based on pressure conditions, simplifying the overall mechanism while ensuring reliable high-pressure performance
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
Enables efficient installation of casing strings by reducing drag and operational risks, while maintaining high pressure competency and minimizing debris, thus improving completion efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
A wellbore is often lined with a length of a pipe (often referred to as a casing) to help stabilize the wellbore and/or to prevent fluid loss to the surrounding earth. Nonetheless, it may be difficult to run a casing to great depths in a wellbore because friction between the wellbore and the casing can provide a substantial amount of drag. One approach for mitigating casing drag is to lighten or 'float' a portion of the casing in the wellbore, thereby creating a buoyant chamber within the casing
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a rupture disc assembly for use in making a temporary seal in a vessel such as a casing string. The rupture disc assembly may generally include (A) a rupture disc having a side surface having a shallow taper inward towards a bottom surface of the rupture disc (B) an actuating mechanism including (i) an outer sled having an inner supporting surface forming a taper complimentary to the shallow taper of the side surface, (ii) an inner sled disposed within the outer sled and having a support shoulder to support the bottom surface of the rupture disc and (iii) a securing mechanism and (C) a housing to house the rupture disc and actuating mechanism.