Sand Crusher Housing for Wellbore Particle Damage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrocarbon wells often experience sand production, which causes equipment damage, reduces productivity, and necessitates costly shutdowns for repairs due to the inability of existing sand screens to effectively manage large sand particles.
Innovation Solution
A sand prevention system with a housing containing sand crushers and a sensor module that detects and crushes sand particles larger than a specified diameter, preventing them from passing through the conduit and minimizing equipment damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sand screens are used to prevent sand particles from passing through, then equipment damage is reduced, but large sand particles can still pass through and cause productivity loss
Solution Approach 1:
The sand crusher system dynamically adjusts its crushing action based on the size of sand particles encountered. The crushing elements are positioned to selectively break down large sand particles (>0.046 inches) while allowing smaller particles to pass through, creating a dynamic size-selective separation that adapts to varying sand particle sizes in the produced fluid
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical state and size parameters of sand particles by applying mechanical crushing force. The crushing elements reduce the diameter of large sand particles to below the 0.046-inch threshold, effectively changing their size parameter to allow them to pass through the conduit while preventing equipment damage
2Productivity
If sand particles are crushed to smaller sizes, then they can pass through the conduit, but equipment damage is minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The sand crusher acts as an intermediary device between the sand particles and the conduit. It intercepts large sand particles and transforms them into smaller particles before they reach the conduit, serving as a protective mediator that enables both high productivity and equipment protection
Solution Approach 2:
The sand crusher performs preliminary crushing action on large sand particles before they can cause damage to downstream equipment. By pre-reducing the size of sand particles >0.046 inches, the system prevents harmful effects before they occur, allowing continuous production without shutdowns for repairs
3Reliability
If shutdowns are performed for equipment repairs, then damaged equipment can be replaced, but production time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The sand crusher performs preliminary protection by crushing large sand particles before they can damage equipment. This preventive action eliminates the need for shutdowns to replace damaged equipment, maintaining continuous production while preserving equipment reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The sand crusher enables continuous operation by continuously crushing sand particles in real-time. This eliminates interruptions for equipment repairs, maintaining uninterrupted hydrocarbon production while keeping equipment functional through proactive protection
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 the size of sand particles to a manageable level, minimizing equipment damage and extending production time by reducing the need for shutdowns and repairs.
Implementation Method 1
Each sand crusher includes a casing and a plurality of crushing elements encased within the casing that reduce the diameter of the sand particles
Data Source
AI summary
A sand prevention system includes a housing having a conduit and a plurality of sand crushers coupled to the housing that prevent sand particles disposed within a fluid of a well having a diameter greater than a specified diameter from passing through the conduit of the housing of the sand prevention system. Each sand crusher includes a casing and a plurality of crushing elements encased within the casing that reduce the diameter of the sand particles. The sand prevention system further includes a sensor module, fixed within the housing, that includes a plurality of sensors that detect a presence of sand particles within the fluid and a transmitter that notifies a surface location of the well of the presence of the sand particles within the fluid.