Smart Landing Nipple Real-Time Position Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current completion operations in the oil and gas industry face challenges in verifying the correct setting of slickline plugs or lock mandrels within landing nipples, leading to potential mis-setting, additional trips for verification, and costly fishing operations due to poor setting.
Innovation Solution
A smart landing nipple system equipped with sensors and a control unit that enables real-time data acquisition and transmission of position, pressure, and temperature data, allowing for remote activation and deactivation of signal transmissions to diagnose and verify the proper setting of slickline plugs or lock mandrels, and to detect any potential failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional completion operations are used without real-time monitoring, then the operation process is simple, but the reliability of verifying correct setting is poor leading to mis-setting and additional trips
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback by transmitting position, pressure, and temperature data from downhole sensors to the surface control unit, allowing continuous verification of lock mandrel setting status and immediate detection of failures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical verification methods with electronic sensing and data transmission systems, using sensors to detect position, pressure, and temperature, and transmitting this data electronically to the surface for analysis
2Reliability
If real-time data acquisition and transmission are implemented, then the reliability of setting verification is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions including receiving sensor data, processing position information, determining lock mandrel status, and transmitting data to the surface, consolidating multiple functions into a single device
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically monitors and verifies its own performance through embedded sensors that continuously track position, pressure, and temperature, eliminating the need for external manual verification operations
3Reliability
If manual verification trips are performed to ensure correct setting, then the reliability is improved, but the loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous real-time monitoring of lock mandrel setting status through ongoing data acquisition and transmission, eliminating interruptions for manual verification trips and maintaining continuous productive operation
4Productivity
If real-time monitoring is implemented, then the need for additional verification trips is reduced, but the initial cost and complexity of the system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring and verification during the initial setting operation, detecting potential failures before they manifest as problems requiring additional trips or fishing operations
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes running a lock mandrel into a subterranean wellbore, setting the lock mandrel in a landing nipple located at a specified depth in the subterranean wellbore, acquiring data within a control unit, the data including information regarding a position of the lock mandrel in the landing nipple, transmitting the data in real time from the control unit to a surface of the wellbore, and determining a position of the lock mandrel in the landing nipple based on the transmitted data. An apparatus includes a landing nipple having an internal locking profile, a lock mandrel having an external locking profile configured to engage the internal locking profile of the landing nipple, a sensor coupled to the landing nipple, and a control unit coupled to the landing nipple and configured to receive data from the sensor and transmit the received data to a surface of the wellbore in real time.