Integrated Wellhead Cleaning and Inspection Tool
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for cleaning wellheads, which involve multiple tools and trips, are time-consuming and expensive due to the need for manual inspection and repeated washing to ensure cement removal.
Innovation Solution
A tool integrated with a cleaning system and an inspection system that allows for simultaneous cleaning and inspection of the wellhead interior without removing the tool, using nozzles to spray fluid and cameras to capture images or video for cleanliness determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a washdown tool is used to spray fluid at high pressure to remove cement, then the cement removal effectiveness is improved, but the time required for multiple trips and inspections increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the washdown tool with an inspection system (camera) into a single integrated tool that can both clean and inspect the wellhead interior in one operation. This merging eliminates the need for separate trips for cleaning and inspection, directly reducing time loss while maintaining cement removal effectiveness through high-pressure fluid spraying.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated tool allows continuous useful action by performing both cleaning and inspection in a single operational sequence. The camera captures images during or after the washdown process, enabling immediate verification of cement removal without removing the tool or requiring additional trips, thus maintaining continuous productivity.
2Reliability
If multiple tools and trips are used for cleaning and inspection, then the reliability of cement removal is improved, but the operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the washdown tool and inspection system into a single integrated tool, the patent reduces operational complexity while maintaining reliability. The tool can be deployed once to perform both cleaning and inspection functions, eliminating the need for multiple separate tool deployments and reducing operational complexity without compromising the reliability of cement removal verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system provides immediate feedback on cement removal effectiveness through captured images. This feedback mechanism allows operators to verify cleaning quality in real-time and determine whether additional cleaning is needed, maintaining high reliability while simplifying the overall operational process through a single tool deployment.
3Measurement precision
If the tool is removed from the wellhead between cleaning and inspection, then the inspection accuracy is improved, but the time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the inspection system within the washdown tool allows cleaning and inspection to be performed without removing the tool. The camera is positioned to capture images of the wellhead interior surfaces after cleaning, providing sufficient inspection accuracy while eliminating the time loss associated with tool removal and reinstallation.
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
This integrated tool significantly improves efficiency by allowing a single trip to clean and inspect the wellhead, reducing time and costs associated with multiple tool deployments and manual inspections.
Implementation Method 1
The washdown tool sprays liquid (e.g., water) at high pressure to remove the cement from the interior of the wellhead
Implementation Method 2
a camera is run into the wellhead to visually inspect the interior of the wellhead
Implementation Method 3
the piston is configured to move with respect to the body so as to actuate the camera from the extended configuration to the retracted configuration in response to a pressure differential between the upper and lower piston chambers
Data Source
AI summary
A tool includes a body, a cleaning system including nozzles coupled to the body and configured to spray a fluid onto an interior of a wellsite component, and an inspection system coupled to the body. The inspection system is configured to capture images, video, or both of the wellsite component that are to be used to determine whether the wellsite component is clean after being sprayed with the fluid.