Wellbore Annulus Seal System with Adjustable Torque Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wellbore annulus seal systems fail to effectively seal annuli between wellbore tubing due to rigid welds that crack or fail under tubing growth fluctuations during drilling and production operations, leading to potential leaks.
Innovation Solution
An annulus seal system featuring a flexible seal element with an adjustment mechanism that radially expands to seal the annulus, comprising a retention plate, annular isolation system with a bottom and top holding plate, and a torque plate, where the adjustment mechanism controls the torque plate's movement to compress the seal element between the holding plates, ensuring sealing despite tubing movement and size fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid welds are used to attach seal systems to tubing, then initial sealing is achieved, but the welds crack or fail under tubing growth fluctuations during drilling and production operations
Solution Approach 1:
The seal system transitions from a rigid welded connection to a dynamic system where the seal element can move axially and radially within the seal assembly. The seal element is positioned between drive and drive spacer components that allow controlled movement, enabling the seal to adapt to tubing growth and fluctuation while maintaining sealing integrity throughout the well lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible seal element (such as an elastomeric or polymer-based sealing component) that can deform and accommodate tubing dimensional changes. This flexible element is contained within a seal assembly that allows the tubing to grow and shrink without compromising the seal, directly resolving the contradiction between initial sealing strength and long-term reliability under thermal-mechanical cycling.
2Reliability
If the seal element is made flexible to accommodate tubing movement, then reliability under fluctuation is improved, but the complexity of the seal system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal system is segmented into distinct functional components: a seal element for flexibility, a drive component for axial positioning, a drive spacer for maintaining geometry, and sealing components for maintaining pressure boundaries. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, achieving reliability through coordinated simplicity rather than monolithic complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal element is nested within the seal assembly, which itself is nested within the tubing structure. The drive spacer and sealing components are arranged concentrically, with the seal element positioned between the drive and drive spacer. This nested arrangement achieves complex sealing functionality through compact, space-efficient geometry rather than distributed complexity.
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 flexible seal system effectively seals the annulus while accommodating tubing movement and size changes, preventing leaks and ensuring reliable wellbore integrity throughout the well's life.
Implementation Method 1
The seal element is configured to seal the annulus between the first tubing and the second tubing
Implementation Method 2
The torque plate is configured to move in a longitudinal direction toward the bottom holding plate to compress the seal element between the bottom holding plate and the torque plate
Implementation Method 3
The adjustment mechanism controls movement of the torque plate in the longitudinal direction
Data Source
AI summary
An annulus seal system includes a retention plate mounted to a tubing in a wellbore at an uphole longitudinal end of the tubing and an annular isolation system coupled to the retention plate. The annular isolation system includes a bottom holding plate positioned in an annulus between two tubings, a seal element residing on the bottom holding plate to seal the annulus between the tubings, a torque plate, and a top holding plate. The seal element is positioned between the bottom holding plate and the torque plate, and the torque plate moves in a longitudinal direction toward the bottom holding plate to compress the seal element between the bottom holding plate and the torque plate. The top holding plate mounts to the retention plate, and includes an adjustment mechanism engaged with the torque plate to control movement of the torque plate in the longitudinal direction.