Self-Propelled Pipeline Cleaning Tool for Horizontal Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pig technology is ineffective for cleaning long horizontal pipelines due to the need for extreme pressures, which can cause the pig to fail, and the use of continuous tubing is costly and impractical, especially in horizontal lines where the weight of the tubing creates friction and damage.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional cleaning tool with a main body and propulsion relief assembly that uses fluid pressure to propel and clean the pipeline, featuring a bypass mechanism to manage pressure and prevent over-pressurization, allowing for internal propulsion and cleaning without continuous tubing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pig technology is used to clean pipelines, then deposits can be removed, but extreme pressures are required that cause the pig to fail in long horizontal pipelines
Solution Approach 1:
The tool body is divided into multiple sections with cleaning elements distributed along the length, allowing the tool to flex and navigate horizontal pipelines without requiring excessive pressure to maintain structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The tool utilizes fluid pressure differentially across its structure, with pressure equalization channels that allow the tool to withstand and navigate high-pressure environments without failing, converting the harmful pressure into a propulsive and structural benefit
2Ease of operation
If continuous tubing is used to propel the pig, then the pig can be moved through the pipeline, but the weight of the tubing creates friction and damage in horizontal lines
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning tool is self-propelled through the pipeline using the pressure differential of the fluid flow itself, eliminating the need for external continuous tubing to provide propulsion and thereby removing the weight and friction problems associated with long tubing runs
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical propulsion system (continuous tubing) is replaced with a fluid-dynamic propulsion system where the fluid pressure differential directly propels the tool, eliminating the need for heavy external tubing in horizontal pipelines
3Productivity
If conventional pig is used, then deposits are mechanically removed, but the pig compresses deposits against the wall and squeezes oil out, leaving a harder layer
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning elements incorporate vibration mechanisms that prevent the compression of deposits against the pipeline wall, keeping the deposited material loose and removable rather than compacting it into a harder, more difficult-to-remove layer
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of compressing deposits against the wall as conventional pigs do, the tool uses expansion elements that push deposits away from the wall and into the fluid stream, reversing the conventional approach and preventing the formation of hard, compressed deposit layers
4Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaning tool navigates tortuous pathways, then it can clean complex pipeline configurations, but the tool structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tool incorporates flexible components and thin-walled structures that allow it to bend and navigate tortuous pipeline pathways without requiring complex mechanical steering mechanisms, achieving adaptability through flexibility rather than complexity
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 tool effectively cleans long horizontal pipelines by providing internal propulsion and managing pressure, preventing tool failure and reducing operational costs, while being capable of withstanding extreme pressures and navigating tortuous pathways.
Implementation Method 1
configured for a first fluid pressure to move the tool through the tubular and provide an internal propulsion force to the cleaning tool
Implementation Method 2
provide flow out of the outlet... effectively cleans long horizontal pipelines by providing internal propulsion and managing pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A method of cleaning a tubular with a cleaning tool that includes the steps of disposing the cleaning tool in the tubular, the cleaning tool having a main body with a first end, a second end, an inlet, an outlet, and a propulsion relief assembly disposed proximate to the second end. The method further includes the steps of sufficiently pressurizing fluid behind the tubular to propel the cleaning tool along the tubular, and increasing the pressure of the fluid to actuate the propulsion relief assembly, whereby fluid is jetted out the outlet and out of the propulsion relief assembly.