Well Plug Placement and Verification Tool
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for plugging and abandoning oil and gas wells require lengthy cement plugs for integrity, leading to high operational costs and uncertainty in plug quality, necessitating additional verification processes.
Innovation Solution
A plug placement and verification tool (PPVT) with a stinger, expandable packer, and pressure sensor is used to form and verify plugs in situ, allowing for simultaneous plug placement and integrity testing without additional rig or wireline trips, reducing plug length and operational complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If longer cement plugs are used to ensure plug integrity, then reliability of the plug is improved, but loss of time and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time pressure monitoring during plug placement using pressure sensors positioned at multiple locations. This feedback mechanism allows operators to verify plug integrity as it is being formed, enabling early termination of the plug placement process when integrity is confirmed, thus reducing the required plug length and operational time while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary verification of plug integrity during the placement process itself rather than requiring separate verification steps after placement. By integrating pressure testing into the placement operation, the system confirms adequacy before completion, avoiding unnecessary extension of plug length and reducing overall operational time
2Measurement precision
If separate verification processes are implemented after plug placement, then measurement precision of plug quality is improved, but device complexity and operational time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plug placement function and verification function into a single integrated operation. Pressure sensors are positioned to monitor plug integrity during placement, and the same equipment used for placement is utilized for verification. This eliminates the need for separate verification trips or additional complex verification equipment, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The placement equipment is designed to perform multiple functions: placing the plug and simultaneously verifying its integrity through integrated pressure sensing. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for dedicated verification equipment, reducing device complexity while achieving precise quality measurement
3Measurement precision
If additional rig or wireline trips are performed for verification, then measurement precision of plug integrity is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification of plug integrity is performed preliminarily during the placement operation itself rather than requiring subsequent separate trips. Pressure sensors monitor plug formation in real-time, allowing integrity assessment to be completed before the placement operation finishes, thereby eliminating additional rig or wireline trips and maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure monitoring and verification process continues throughout the plug placement operation without interruption. This continuous verification approach ensures that integrity assessment is completed as part of the placement process itself, eliminating idle time and additional trips, thereby maintaining continuous productive operation
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 the placement of shorter, higher-quality plugs with improved verification capabilities, reducing operational costs and time by integrating plug placement and verification into a single tool process.
Implementation Method 1
an expandable packer disposed at one end of the stinger
Implementation Method 2
a pressure sensor disposed below the expandable packer
Data Source
AI summary
A method of plugging a well extending into a formation to facilitate temporary or permanent abandonment of the well. The method comprises conveying a plug placement and verification tool (PPVT) through the well, to a plug formation location, the PPVT comprising a stinger for delivering a plugging material into the well, an expandable packer disposed at one end of the stinger and a pressure sensor disposed below the expandable packer, and operating the expandable packer to form a seal in the well above the pressure sensor. The method further comprises delivering a plugging material from the stinger into a region of the well above the expandable packer, thereby forming a plug in the well, and thereafter creating a pressure change above the plug and verifying the integrity of the plug using the pressure sensor.