Valve Tool Trap with Lateral Gate Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tool traps for valves fail to prevent debris from falling downhole, accumulating around the gate, and obstructing the operation of wire-line tools, leading to issues with gate opening and closing, and do not provide an efficient means for debris removal without stopping well service operations or disassembling the wellhead.
Innovation Solution
A novel tool trap design featuring a peripheral sump to divert debris away from the gate, a lateral gate retraction mechanism to clear debris, and a larger sump area for easy debris removal, allowing the gate to rotate freely between open and closed positions without obstructing tool operations, and enabling debris accumulation without affecting wire-line tool functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional tool trap is used, then the gate can open and close, but debris accumulates around the gate preventing proper operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful debris from the gate area by introducing a sump (debris collection chamber) that receives and contains debris away from the gate. The sump is positioned below and around the gate, allowing debris to be separated from the gate operation zone, thus preventing debris accumulation from interfering with gate opening and closing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a vertical dimension to debris management by creating a sump below the gate level. Instead of debris accumulating in the horizontal plane around the gate, the sump provides a downward slope and lower chamber that collects debris in a different spatial dimension, allowing the gate to operate freely in its original plane.
2Device complexity
If debris is allowed to fall downhole, then the tool trap structure remains simple, but wire-line tools malfunction due to debris
Solution Approach 1:
The sump acts as an intermediary chamber between the gate area and the downhole environment. Instead of debris falling directly downhole or being contained only at the gate level, the sump provides an intermediate collection zone that captures debris before it can reach the wire-line tools, thus protecting tool functionality while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
3Ease of operation
If the gate is retracted laterally, then debris can be cleared from the center tube, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gate retraction mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the existing gate opening/closing mechanism. When the gate is opened, the lateral retraction occurs automatically as part of the gate's rotational movement, eliminating the need for a separate powered retraction system. This provides debris clearing capability while minimizing additional mechanism complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a novel Tool Trap that in at least some embodiments can provide means for debris to fall over a Gate into a peripheral Sump and means to move a Gate laterally from a Center Tube to clear debris from the Center Tube that might restrict the Gate from rotating between an open position and a closed position.