Wellbore Debris Handler for ESP Clogging Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Debris and foreign matter larger than the intake screen ports of electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) cause severe erosive wear, plugging, and potential system failure, leading to reduced production and increased operating costs due to motor burn-out and pump blockages.
Innovation Solution
A debris handling assembly with a tubular handler housing featuring a cutting blade and mill with abrasive-resistant materials, designed to reduce debris size by shearing, cutting, and grinding, ensuring debris can mix with produced fluid and pass through the pump without clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If debris is not handled upstream of the ESP, then the pump intake screen ports remain clear, but severe erosive wear occurs on motor and protector components, and plugging of intake screen ports happens
Solution Approach 1:
The debris handler performs preliminary action by reducing debris size upstream of the ESP before the debris can cause erosive wear or plugging. The cutting blade and mill grind debris into smaller particles that can pass through the pump intake screen ports without causing damage or blockages, preventing harmful effects before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris handler acts as an intermediary component between the wellbore environment and the ESP. It processes debris and foreign matter, transforming them into a form that can coexist with the pump system without causing harm, thereby mediating between the harsh wellbore conditions and the sensitive ESP components.
2Productivity
If debris size is reduced by the debris handler, then debris can pass through the pump without clogging, but additional equipment complexity is introduced upstream of the ESP
Solution Approach 1:
The debris handler is designed to perform multiple functions within a single integrated assembly: cutting debris with a cutting blade, grinding debris with a mill, and directing processed material through the housing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate components, thereby managing complexity while maintaining productivity benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris handler components are nested within each other - the cutting blade and mill are positioned concentrically within the handler housing, with the mill located downstream of the cutting blade. This nested arrangement compactly integrates multiple processing stages into a single upstream device, reducing overall system complexity while ensuring continuous production.
3Productivity
If the intake screen ports are blocked by debris, then flow into the pump decreases, but the screen walls are subjected to crushing pressure causing collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The debris handler performs preliminary size reduction of debris before it reaches the pump intake screen. By grinding debris into smaller particles that can pass through the screen ports, the handler prevents screen blockage and the subsequent crushing pressures that would cause screen collapse, thereby protecting screen structural integrity while maintaining flow rate.
4Productivity
If flow rate decreases due to screen clogging, then production reduces, but motor temperature rises causing burn-out
Solution Approach 1:
The debris handler performs preliminary processing of debris to prevent screen clogging that would reduce flow rate. By ensuring debris is reduced to passable sizes before reaching the pump, the handler maintains adequate flow rate through the pump and motor, preventing motor temperature rise and burn-out while sustaining production rate.
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 solution significantly enhances ESP reliability and operational life by minimizing clogging, reducing the risk of motor failure, and lowering field operating costs by ensuring continuous production and efficient fluid flow.
Implementation Method 1
A debris handling assembly with a tubular handler housing featuring a cutting blade and mill with abrasive-resistant materials, designed to reduce debris size by shearing, cutting, and grinding
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for decreasing a size of debris entering an electrical submersible pump assembly in a subterranean well with a debris handling assembly include a handler housing with an inner bore and a housing cutting profile located on an inner surface of the inner bore. A cutting blade is secured to a rotating shaft within the inner bore of the handler housing, the cutting blade being aligned with a first portion of the housing cutting profile. A mill is secured to the rotating shaft, the mill aligned with a second portion of the housing cutting profile. An annular mill space is defined by an outer surface of the mill and the inner surface of the inner bore, the annular mill space decreasing in a radial dimension in a downstream direction.