Self-Retrievable Wellbore Tool with Dynamic Buoyancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wellbore operations require efficient conveyance and isolation of loads, such as plugs and liquids, but existing tethered conveyance methods are costly and time-consuming due to the need for deployment equipment and personnel.
Innovation Solution
A self-retrievable wellbore tool equipped with a floatation device, load carrier, and load release mechanism, allowing for untethered deployment and retrieval, which carries and releases loads like bridge plugs or resin, utilizing buoyancy to move upwardly after releasing the load, eliminating the need for tethered conveyance systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tethered conveyance is used to carry the load into the well, then the load can be conveyed and released, but deployment costs and time increase due to the need for deployment equipment and personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tethered conveyance system from the tool design, making the tool untethered and self-propelled. The tool carries its own propulsion mechanism and floatation device, eliminating the need for external deployment equipment and personnel to run a tethered conveyance into the wellbore.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool is designed to be self-sufficient by incorporating a floatation device and propulsion mechanism that enable it to move upwardly in the wellbore autonomously after releasing the load. The tool retrieves itself without requiring external assistance, thereby eliminating deployment costs and time associated with tethered conveyance systems.
2Ease of operation
If the tool is made buoyant for self-retrieval, then retrieval is simplified, but the tool cannot effectively carry heavy loads downward
Solution Approach 1:
The tool incorporates a floatation device that can be dynamically activated or deactivated during operation. When carrying the load downward, the floatation device is collapsed or deactivated to allow the tool to sink. After releasing the load, the floatation device is activated to enable the tool to float upwardly for autonomous retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool design separates the buoyancy function from the load-carrying function through temporal segmentation. The tool operates in two distinct phases: a downward transport phase where buoyancy is suppressed to carry heavy loads, and an upward retrieval phase where buoyancy is activated for easy self-retrieval. This segmentation allows the tool to optimize for both load-carrying capacity and retrieval ease.
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 delivers and isolates loads in wellbores without requiring secondary retrieval methods, reducing deployment costs and time, and enabling autonomous movement within the wellbore, facilitating efficient wellbore operations.
Implementation Method 1
a floatation device configured to float relative to a liquid in the wellbore after the load is released
Data Source
AI summary
A wellbore self-retrievable tool for conveying and releasing a load in a well, such as for wellbore abandonment, wherein the load is a resin for producing a set resin plug. The tool comprises: a floatation device; a load carrier, such as a payload tube; and a load release mechanism, the floatation device being configured to render the tool buoyant in a wellbore liquid.