Stage Cementing Collar Cup Tool Shifting Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cementing operations in wellbore applications require additional expensive and time-consuming trips downhole for drill out and cleaning, which complicates the process.
Innovation Solution
A cementing system combining a stage cementing collar with a cup tool, where the cup tool is used to shift a port closure sleeve between open and closed positions to facilitate cementing and pressure testing, reducing the need for multiple trips by enabling cement placement and removal in a single operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional cementing operations are performed without a cup tool, then cement can be placed in the annulus, but additional trips downhole are required for drill out and cleaning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cementing function and the cleaning/drill out function into a single integrated operation by introducing the cup tool. The cup tool allows cement slurry to be pumped through the tubing and discharged into the annulus, while simultaneously providing a pathway for returning cuttings and excess cement to the surface through the same tubing string. This eliminates the need for separate trips downhole for drill out and cleaning operations, directly resolving the technical contradiction by merging multiple operations into one.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup tool serves multiple functions: it acts as a discharge point for cement slurry into the annulus, provides a return pathway for cuttings and excess cement, and enables pressure testing capabilities. By making the cup tool a multi-functional device, the system can perform cementing, cleaning, and testing operations without requiring additional trips downhole, thereby improving productivity while reducing time loss.
2Reliability
If additional trips downhole are performed for drill out and cleaning, then wellbore can be properly prepared, but operational costs and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wellbore preparation functions (drill out and cleaning) with the cementing operation itself. The cup tool enables cuttings and excess cement to be returned to the surface during the same operation used to place cement in the annulus. This integration maintains reliable wellbore preparation while reducing the number of separate operations required, thereby addressing the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If a port closure sleeve is used to control flow ports, then cementing operations can be controlled, but the mechanism adds structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The port closure sleeve is designed to be actuated by the cementing operation itself. As cement slurry is pumped through the system, the pressure and flow naturally drive the port closure sleeve to open or close the flow ports as needed. This self-actuating mechanism provides flow control capability without requiring complex external actuation systems, thereby easing operation while minimizing the addition of structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique facilitates simplified cementing operations in a borehole with fewer trips downhole. The technique utilizes a cementing system having a stage cementing collar in combination with a cup tool. According to an embodiment, the stage cementing collar may comprise a collar body, a no-go connected to the collar body, and a port closure sleeve which serves as a valve positioned to close/open flow ports extending laterally through the collar body. The cup tool may be conveyed downhole on, for example, jointed pipe or coiled tubing, for engagement with the port closure sleeve. The cup tool is used to shift the port closure sleeve between operational positions, e.g. from a port open to a port closed position.