Ultrasonic Scraper for Well Tubing Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cleaning oil and gas well tubing from asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits (ARPD) and hydrates are inefficient, often leading to surface roughness, stuck scrapers, increased costs, and frequent well shutdowns, especially in free-flow and gas-lift operations, due to incomplete cleaning and potential clogging.
Innovation Solution
A downhole ultrasonic scraper system connected to a surface ultrasonic generator via a geophysical cable, utilizing a combined triple action of ultrasonic, heat, and contact effects to clean the tubing surface, with frequencies between 15-30 kHz and intensities over 0.1 W/cm², allowing continuous oil production during treatment and effective removal of deposits without mechanical scraping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical scrapers are used to clean tubing, then cleaning action is provided, but scrapers often get stuck and the cable gets cut off
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scraper system with an ultrasonic cleaning system. The ultrasonic generator produces high-frequency vibrations (20-40 kHz) that are transmitted through the tubing wall to create cavitation and mechanical disruption of deposits without requiring physical contact or mechanical scraping forces, thereby eliminating the sticking and cable cutting problems
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic cleaning system operates by applying periodic high-frequency vibrations to the tubing. The ultrasonic waves create alternating compression and rarefaction cycles that generate cavitation bubbles and mechanical disruption forces, providing continuous cleaning action without the need for mechanical scrapers that can get stuck
2Productivity
If scrapers are used to clean tubing, then some ARPD is removed, but a layer of ARPD equal to 3-4 mm remains due to surface roughness
Solution Approach 1:
The ultrasonic cleaning system replaces mechanical scraping with acoustic field effects. The high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations create cavitation bubbles and micro-jets that can reach into surface irregularities and remove deposits from rough surfaces, achieving complete cleaning without leaving the 3-4 mm ARPD layer that mechanical scrapers cannot remove
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cleaning mechanism from mechanical contact to acoustic field interaction. By using ultrasonic frequencies (20-40 kHz) and appropriate power levels, the system creates cavitation and mechanical disruption effects that can clean surface irregularities and achieve smooth, complete removal of ARPD deposits
3Productivity
If scrapers clean tubing in running wells, then production continues, but large ARPD pieces fall to the bottom and clog the well
Solution Approach 1:
The ultrasonic cleaning system replaces mechanical scraping with acoustic field effects that fragment and emulsify deposits into fine particles. The cavitation and micro-jet effects break down large ARPD pieces into small particles that remain suspended in the produced fluid and are easily carried to the surface, preventing bottom-hole clogging
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the deposit removal mechanism from mechanical cutting to acoustic fragmentation. The ultrasonic parameters (frequency 20-40 kHz, power density 10-100 W/cm²) are optimized to fragment deposits into fine particles that disperse in the produced fluid, preventing aggregation and clogging at the bottom of the well
4Manufacturing precision
If tubing is pulled from the well for cleaning, then thorough cleaning is achieved, but tubing life is lost due to thread galling and production is suspended
Solution Approach 1:
The ultrasonic cleaning system provides thorough cleaning without removing the tubing from the well. The ultrasonic waves penetrate through the tubing wall and clean the internal surface in place, achieving cleaning quality comparable to or better than mechanical scraping while eliminating the need for tubing removal, thread handling, and production suspension
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic cleaning system enables the tubing to be cleaned in its installed position without requiring removal and handling. The tubing cleans itself in place through the ultrasonic field, eliminating the need for external intervention that causes thread galling and production shutdown
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
The system achieves a cleaner, smoother tubing surface, extending the interval between cleanings, reducing operational costs, and preventing clogging, while maintaining continuous oil production by effectively removing ARPD and hydrates without emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
contact action on the asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits and hydrates is performed via shock vibrations by an ultrasound transducer with a frequency of 15-30 kHz
Implementation Method 2
the ultrasonic and heat impact on the asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits and hydrates is carried out with an intensity of more than 0.1 W/cm2
Data Source
AI summary
The group of inventions relates to the oil-and-gas extraction industry, in particular to equipment for removing deposits of asphaltenes, resins, paraffins, hydrates, calcium salts, etc. from tubing strings of oil and gas wells without extracting said tubing strings from the wells. This instrument can also be used for cleaning water-extracting wells and other wells. The internal surface of a tubing string is cleaned by a combined action (ultrasonic, mechanical, heat) on contaminants. Owing to the fact that operation of a well does not stop, dirt atomized by the combined action is raised to the surface and removed from the well by a stream of fluid. A system for ultrasonic cleaning of a tubing string consists of an ultrasonic generator and a downhole ultrasonic scraper, which comprises a converter converting electrical vibrations into mechanical vibrations, which is placed into a protective casing and is connected to a vibration transformer, which boosts the amplitude of vibrations of ultrasonic transducers. The use of the claimed group of inventions makes it possible to increase the efficiency and economy of an operation for cleaning a tubing string.