Segmented Sliding Sleeve Ball Seat for High-Pressure Fracturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fracturing assembly technologies face limitations in the number of sliding sleeves that can be effectively used due to the risk of composite balls shearing through seats and aluminum balls deforming under high pressure, restricting the difference in diameter between balls and seats, which affects the precision and effectiveness of zone isolation in staged fracturing operations.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a sliding sleeve design featuring a compressible, segmented seat that expands to initially engage the ball and then contracts to securely seat it, providing additional surface area and wedging support to prevent shearing and deformation, allowing for a greater number of balls to be used across a range of sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If composite balls are used to actuate sliding sleeves, then the balls can be deployed through the tubing string, but the balls may shear through the seats under high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The ball seat is divided into multiple segmented elements that can independently move and deform. These segments are arranged radially around the ball path and can rotate or translate to conform to the ball geometry, distributing the contact stress and preventing stress concentration that leads to shearing
Solution Approach 2:
The ball seat transitions from a rigid, fixed-geometry structure to a flexible, deformable structure that can change its shape and orientation in response to applied loads. This allows the seat to adapt its contact surface area and stress distribution under high pressure conditions
2Reliability
If aluminum balls are used to actuate sliding sleeves, then the balls can be deployed through the tubing string, but the balls deform under high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The ball seat comprises multiple independent segmented elements that can individually adjust their position and orientation. These segments are distributed around the ball passage and can rotate or translate to maintain optimal contact geometry with the ball, preventing deformation by distributing contact forces
Solution Approach 2:
The ball seat transitions from a static, rigid structure to a dynamic, adaptive structure that can change its configuration in real-time in response to ball passage and pressure application. The segments can move to accommodate ball deformation and maintain proper seating geometry throughout the actuation cycle
3Reliability
If the difference in diameter between balls and seats is restricted, then shearing and deformation can be prevented, but the number of usable sliding sleeves is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ball seat is segmented into multiple independent elements that can individually adjust to accommodate different ball sizes. This segmentation allows each seat to be optimized for its specific ball diameter without constraining the overall system, enabling a greater variety of ball sizes and thus more sliding sleeves to be used in a single assembly
Solution Approach 2:
Each ball seat segment can be locally optimized for its specific function and the particular ball size it engages. The segments can have different geometries, materials, or mechanical properties tailored to their specific requirements, allowing precise control over ball-seat interaction for each sliding sleeve in the assembly
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
This design enhances the stability and seating of balls under high pressure, enabling more precise control over zone isolation and increasing the number of usable sliding sleeves, reducing pressure drops and maintaining flow rates during fracturing operations.
Implementation Method 1
a compressible, segmented seat that expands to initially engage the ball and then contracts to securely seat it
Implementation Method 2
The introduction of a sliding sleeve design featuring a compressible, segmented seat that expands to initially engage the ball and then contracts to securely seat it
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A sliding sleeve (100) opens with a deployed ball (B). The sleeve has a seat (150) disposed in the housing (120), and the seat has segments (152) biased outward from one another with a C-ring or other biasing element (154). Initially, the seat has an expanded state in the sliding sleeve so that the seats segments expand outward against the housing's bore. When an appropriately sized ball is deployed downhole, the ball engages the expanded seat. Fluid pressure applied against the seated ball moves the seat into the inner sleeve's bore. As this occurs, the seat contracts, which increases the engagement area of the seat with the ball. Eventually, the seat reaches the shoulder (137) in the inner sleeve so that pressure applied against the seated ball now moves the inner sleeve in the housing to open the sliding sleeve's flow port (126).