Split-Pad Plunger Assembly for Field-Repairable Wear Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plunger lift systems for oil and gas wells face issues with wear and tear, leading to costly and time-consuming reconditioning processes, often resulting in equipment waste, as solid plungers require disassembly and reassembly for repairs, which are typically done in distant repair shops.
Innovation Solution
A split-pad plunger design with an elongated central core and radially movable curvilinear pads, featuring a pad-edge retaining housing and a centrally disposed securement ring, allowing for easy replacement of worn pads and bias springs in the field without disassembling the entire plunger, utilizing radial bias springs and a semi-circumferential split retainer ring for securement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a solid body plunger is used in plunger lift systems, then the plunger can effectively promote efficiency in producing oil and gas wells, but the plunger is subject to wear and requires time-consuming reconditioning in distant repair shops
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger is divided into modular components: a central mandrel and multiple replaceable wear pads. The wear pads are segmented from the main body, allowing them to be independently removed and replaced in the field without disassembling the entire plunger assembly. This segmentation enables simple field repairs while maintaining the reliability of the overall plunger system.
Solution Approach 2:
The wear pads are extracted as separate, removable components from the plunger assembly. Each wear pad can be independently removed from the mandrel using a retrieval neck mechanism, allowing field personnel to replace worn pads without needing to disassemble the entire plunger. This extraction of wear components enables easy field maintenance.
2Ease of manufacture
If worn plungers are discarded, then replacement is simplified, but material and natural resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the entire worn plunger, only the worn wear pads are discarded and replaced. The central mandrel and other components are recovered and reused. This selective replacement approach reduces material waste while maintaining ease of replacement for the worn components.
3Manufacturing precision
If the entire plunger must be disassembled for pad replacement, then proper reconditioning can be performed, but time and tools are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger is segmented into a mandrel and replaceable wear pads with integrated retrieval necks. This segmentation allows wear pads to be replaced without disassembling the entire plunger, significantly reducing repair time while maintaining the precision needed for proper reconditioning of the wear surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The retrieval necks are pre-integrated with the wear pads during manufacturing, allowing for quick field replacement without requiring complex disassembly procedures. This preliminary preparation of the retrieval mechanism enables rapid field repairs while ensuring proper alignment and precision during pad replacement.
4Ease of manufacture
If specialized repair shops are used for plunger reconditioning, then proper tools and manufacturing processes are available, but travel time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wear pads are extracted as independent replaceable components with integrated retrieval necks. This extraction allows field personnel to perform maintenance locally without needing to travel to specialized repair shops, eliminating travel time and costs while maintaining the capability to properly replace and recondition the wear pads.
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
Enables efficient and cost-effective in-field repair and replacement of wear pads, minimizing pressure loss and extending the plunger's lifespan by allowing for simple maintenance with minimal tools, reducing waste and the need for complex reconditioning processes.
Implementation Method 1
A radial bias spring is arranged between the central spine or mandrel adjacent each radially directed standoff. The radial bias springs act to radially outwardly bias the curved sealing surface pads against the inner side of the conduit in which the split-pad plunger travels.
Implementation Method 2
The peripheral surface of these plungers provide a pressurized gas seal effect between the travelling plunger and the well's pipe or tubing
Data Source
AI summary
A elongated plunger assembly for pressurized, conduit-enclosed travel utilized in recovery of hydrocarbon deposits in a ground penetrating oil or gas well. The plunger comprises an elongated mandrel, a plurality of radially movable curvilinear wear pads circumferentially disposed adjacent each end of the elongated mandrel, a pad-edge retaining housing extending on at least one end of the elongated mandrel to enclosably retain the longitudinally distal end of a circumferential array of wear pads onto the mandrel, and a centrally disposed wear pad securement ring arrangement to permit release of a worn wear pad, replacement of the worn wear pad at an inner longitudinal edge thereof, thus to permit simple field-accessable removal and replacement of any particular “conduit-worn”“wear” pad from the mandrel of the plunger.