Soluble Packaging for Deformable Drill Pipe Cleaning Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for cleaning drill pipes and tubulars after drilling operations require significant force and are inefficient due to the larger diameter of cleaning elements, posing a risk of injury and time-consuming processes, especially when multiple elements are needed to clear debris.
Innovation Solution
A method involving mechanical deformation of cleaning elements into smaller forms, encasing them in soluble packaging to maintain deformation, and launching them into pipes, where the packaging dissolves upon contact with fluid, allowing the elements to expand and clear debris effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cleaning elements with larger diameter are used to create friction fit for effective cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the force required to launch the element increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning element transitions from a compressed dynamic state during launch to an expanded operational state during cleaning. The element is compressed to a smaller diameter for easy insertion, then expands automatically upon contact with wellbore fluid to achieve the necessary friction fit for effective cleaning, resolving the contradiction between launch force and cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the cleaning element (specifically its diameter and volume) are changed through compression and expansion. The element is compressed to reduce its diameter for easy launching, then expands to increase its diameter for effective cleaning, allowing the same element to satisfy both low launch force and high cleaning effectiveness requirements.
2Reliability
If cleaning elements with larger diameter are used to create friction fit, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the loading process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning element undergoes dynamic transformation from compressed to expanded state, enabling quick loading in compressed form followed by automatic expansion to functional size, thereby reducing loading time while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is pre-compressed to a smaller diameter before loading, facilitating easy and quick insertion into the drill pipe. The compression is maintained during storage and transport, and the element automatically expands to its functional diameter upon contact with wellbore fluid, eliminating time-consuming manual expansion procedures.
3Reliability
If multiple cleaning elements are passed through the bore to achieve sufficient debris clearance, then cleaning thoroughness is improved, but the complexity and time consumption of the loading process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic compression-expansion capability allows a single element to be easily launched and then expand to full cleaning effectiveness, potentially eliminating the need for multiple elements and reducing the complexity of coordinating multiple element deployments.
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 approach reduces the force required for launching, simplifies the loading process, and ensures efficient debris removal with reduced risk of injury and time consumption, while maintaining the cleaning element's effectiveness in clearing the pipe.
Implementation Method 1
encasing the deformed cleaning element in soluble packaging to maintain deformation of the cleaning element
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning element characteristically have a larger diameter than the pipe undergoing cleaning in order to create a friction fit
Data Source
AI summary
A deformable cleaning element is encased within soluble packaging to maintain deformation. The deformed cleaning element is launched into the bore of a drill pipe/conduit or tubular. Contact with fluids within the bore dissolves the soluble packaging allowing the cleaning element to expand to its original shape.