Straddle Packer Well Testing Tool with Downhole Motor Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wellbore testing and acid treatment methods face challenges due to difficulties in controlling and operating packers and flapper valves from the surface, and poor cement jobs can impact treatment effectiveness, especially in open-hole wellbores.
Innovation Solution
A well testing tool with a straddle packer system that includes a housing with a central bore, two packers, and selectively controllable valves, allowing for fluid flow and pressure measurement, and communication through a communication module to isolate and test zones within the wellbore, enabling efficient fluid sampling and acid treatment without the need for casing and cementing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional testing tools with surface-controlled packers and flapper valves are used, then surface control is achieved, but operational complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical surface-controlled valve system with a downhole motor-driven valve system. The motor (120) is positioned within the tool housing (102) and directly actuates the valve mechanism downhole, eliminating the need for complex surface control lines and mechanisms. This mechanical substitution simplifies the overall system architecture while improving operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the control mechanism from the surface environment and relocates it downhole within the tool assembly. By placing the motor (120) and control electronics downhole, the system removes the complexity of surface control lines, pulleys, and remote actuation mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining full operational control.
2Reliability
If casing and cementing are performed, then wellbore structure is provided, but treatment effectiveness decreases due to poor cement jobs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs segmentation by using multiple isolated packers (104, 106) to divide the wellbore into discrete testable zones without requiring continuous casing and cementing. Each packer creates an isolated chamber that can be independently tested and treated, allowing reliable evaluation of specific intervals while eliminating the need for problematic cement jobs across the entire wellbore.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing structural support and isolation only where needed through the packers at specific intervals, rather than requiring continuous casing and cementing throughout the wellbore. This localized approach maintains treatment effectiveness in target zones while avoiding the reliability issues associated with extensive cementing operations.
3Ease of operation
If open-hole wellbore testing is performed, then treatment access is improved, but control of testing tools becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through the downhole motor (120) and integrated control system that autonomously manage valve actuation and data collection without requiring complex surface intervention. The motor-driven valve and embedded electronics enable the tool to self-regulate its operation within the open-hole environment, maintaining ease of control while adapting to varying wellbore conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by designing a motor-driven valve system that can dynamically adjust flow control based on real-time pressure and flow conditions in the open-hole wellbore. The motor (120) can modulate valve opening degrees and response timing to adapt to changing operational requirements, providing both ease of control and high adaptability to different testing scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
Testing a fluid in a wellbore with a well testing tool carried on a well testing string includes activating a first selectively controllable longitudinal valve and a second selectively controllable longitudinal valve with a communication module. A first and second packer of the well testing tool engages an inner wall of the wellbore to define a zone of interest between the first packer and the second packer. The communication module further activates a selectively controllable radial valve positioned between the first packer and the second packer to flow fluid between the central bore and the annulus formed between the first packer and the second packer, a fluid sample flows from the annulus between the first packer and the second packer through the testing string to a tophole facility.