Actuation Device for Sleeve Valve Assembly with Sensor Counting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for actuating sleeve valve assemblies in wellbore completion operations are prone to errors due to false positives from impacts with non-target structures, leading to premature activation and incorrect stage engagement.
Innovation Solution
An actuation device with a catch structure and sensors that detect specific features of sleeve valve assemblies, allowing accurate counting and activation of the target sleeve valve assembly, reducing false positives and ensuring correct engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ball-drop methods with varying ball seat diameters are used to selectively open sleeve valve assemblies, then the capability to selectively open sleeve valve assemblies at particular zones is achieved, but the cross-sectional flow area of the bores decreases toward the downhole end of the wellbore
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical ball-drop system with varying ball seat diameters with an active dart system that uses a single seat diameter. The dart incorporates sensors and actuators to selectively engage with sleeve valve assemblies at different zones, eliminating the need for progressively smaller ball seats and maintaining uniform flow area throughout the wellbore.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the actuation mechanism from passive ball seats of varying sizes to an active dart system with a fixed seat diameter. The selection of target valve assemblies is achieved through controlled actuation timing and position detection rather than through dimensional variations in the seating structures.
2Reliability
If active darts with impact detection mechanisms are used to count sleeve valve assemblies, then false positives from impacts with non-target structures can occur, but the complexity of the detection and counting mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors that detect impacts with sleeve valve assembly seats and provide feedback to a control system. The control system uses this feedback to count the number of impacts and determine when the dart has passed through the expected number of valve assemblies, thereby reliably identifying the target assembly and avoiding false positives from non-target structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces simple mechanical impact detection with a sensor-based detection system that electronically counts impacts and provides position information to the control system. This enables more reliable distinction between impacts with target versus non-target structures through programmed counting logic rather than purely mechanical means.
3Productivity
If balls are used to obstruct flow in the wellbore casing through the dart, then the formation can be stimulated or fractured through the flow ports, but the ball must be removed from the dart to permit flow through the central bore for subsequent operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flow obstruction function from a separate ball component and integrates it directly into the dart structure itself. The dart is designed with a configuration that allows it to obstruct flow when positioned in the wellbore, eliminating the need for separate balls and their subsequent removal. This integration enables stimulation operations without time-consuming ball removal procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The dart is designed to perform multiple functions including flow obstruction, position detection, and actuation initiation without requiring external components. The dart's own structure provides the flow blocking capability, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating dependency on separate balls that would need to be removed for subsequent operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An actuation device for actuating a target sleeve valve assembly of a plurality of sleeve valve assemblies in a wellbore tubing string is provided. The device comprises a housing and a catch structure. The catch structure is actuatable between an inactive state and an activated state. In the inactive state, the device may travel through non-target sleeve valve assemblies. In the activated state, the device may be seated in the target sleeve valve assembly. The apparatus has a first sensor operable for detecting a first detectable feature associated with each non-target sleeve valve assembly, and a second sensor operable for detecting a second detectable feature associated with each non-target sleeve valve assembly. The device further includes a controller that increases a sleeve valve assembly count value responsive to detection of the first and second detectable features within a predetermined time window.