Shiftable Valve Sleeve Backpressure Valve for Plug Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
The drilling and completion industry faces high costs and time consumption due to the labor-intensive process of removing plugs in boreholes to access resource-bearing formations, as existing methods require withdrawing and re-running drill and production strings.
Innovation Solution
A downhole tool equipped with a backpressure valve cartridge, featuring a flapper valve and piston member that shifts between positions to control fluid flow, allowing for efficient plug removal and production by managing pressure and fluid flow within the borehole.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plug is installed in the borehole to isolate a portion of the resource bearing formation, then formation isolation is achieved, but removal of the plug requires time-consuming and costly withdrawal and re-running of drill and production strings
Solution Approach 1:
The backpressure valve is segmented into a cartridge assembly that can be independently set or retrieved separately from the drill string. The cartridge includes a body with a valve seat and flapper valve, allowing selective isolation without moving the entire drill string. This segmentation enables the plug removal function to be performed by a dedicated modular component rather than requiring complete string withdrawal.
Solution Approach 2:
The flapper valve is designed to be movable between closed and open positions rather than being fixed. The valve can be dynamically opened by applying force to lift the flapper away from the valve seat, allowing temporary access through the isolated section. This dynamic capability enables the isolation system to transition from a permanent plug to a controllable gate, eliminating the need for time-consuming plug removal operations.
2Productivity
If traditional drill strings and production strings are withdrawn and re-run to access resource bearing formation, then access to the formation is achieved, but the process becomes time consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The drill string is equipped with a universal backpressure valve cartridge that can serve multiple functions: maintaining formation isolation during drilling, enabling selective production access, and allowing intermediate interventions. The cartridge can be set at different depths and reopened when production is needed, eliminating the need for separate drill string and production string operations. This multi-functionality consolidates multiple operations into a single deployable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The backpressure valve cartridge is pre-installed on the drill string before entering the borehole. The valve is set to the closed position during drilling operations to maintain isolation, and can be opened beforehand when production access is anticipated. This preliminary positioning and pre-configuring of the valve eliminates the need for time-consuming string withdrawals and re-runs, as the access mechanism is already in place.
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 solution reduces the time and cost associated with plug removal and resource production by enabling controlled fluid flow and pressure management, facilitating quicker access to resource-bearing formations.
Implementation Method 1
a piston member configured to shift the flapper valve between a first position, wherein the flapper valve is free to pivot relative to the valve seat, and a second position, wherein the flapper valve is pivoted away from the valve seat and maintained in an open configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A downhole tool includes a tubular having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a flowbore having a longitudinal axis, and a backpressure valve cartridge arranged in the flowbore. The backpressure valve cartridge includes a passage, a valve seat arranged in the passage, a flapper valve pivotally mounted relative to the valve seat in the passage, and a piston member configured to shift the flapper valve between a first position, wherein the flapper valve is free to pivot relative to the valve seat, and a second position, wherein the flapper valve is pivoted away from the valve seat and maintained in an open configuration.