Wireless Downhole Unit Battery Recharging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current well intervention methods using wirelines for oil production result in environmental issues due to grease leakage during sealing, necessitating a more environmentally friendly solution.
Innovation Solution
A wireless downhole unit equipped with an electrical motor, pump, and battery pack, featuring an expandable device with a turbine for recharging, allowing operation without a wireline, and utilizing high voltage lithium batteries housed in a heat-resistant material holder for safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wireline is used to supply electricity and enable tool operation, then the tool can function continuously, but grease leakage occurs during sealing which is environmentally harmful
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wireline from the system entirely, extracting the source of grease leakage. The tool is converted to wireless operation using a battery pack, eliminating the need for grease-sealed wireline connections while maintaining continuous operation capability through rechargeable power storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The turbine mechanism captures kinetic energy from flowing well fluids to recharge the battery pack autonomously. This self-service energy recovery system allows the tool to operate continuously without external wireline connections, eliminating grease leakage while maintaining power supply.
2Use of energy by moving object
If high voltage batteries are used to power the electrical motor and pump, then energy efficiency increases, but safety risks increase due to high voltage
Solution Approach 1:
The battery holder is constructed from heat-resistant material that provides thermal protection and structural stability. This pre-designed protective structure cushions the high voltage batteries against thermal runaway and mechanical failure, enabling safe use of high voltage power sources for improved energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery holder uses heat-resistant composite materials that combine thermal insulation properties with mechanical strength. This composite construction allows the system to safely contain high voltage batteries while maintaining structural integrity under downhole conditions, resolving the safety- efficiency trade-off.
3Power
If the expandable device is expanded to a larger diameter, then more power can be generated by the turbine, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable device transitions from a compact transport state to an expanded power generation state through dynamic structural change. This dynamic expansion allows the turbine to capture more energy from fluid flow while the device remains simple and compact during deployment and retrieval operations.
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 wireless downhole unit provides a sealed and environmentally friendly operation by recharging batteries using formation fluid, enabling efficient and safe well interventions without wireline dependency, reducing grease leakage and enhancing safety with high voltage battery usage.
Implementation Method 1
a turbine is arranged in the aperture for recharging the battery
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wireless downhole unit (1) adapted to be lowered into a well (2) in a casing (3) having an inner wall (4) and an inner diameter (DC). The wireless downhole unit comprises an electrical motor (5), a pump (6), and driving means (7) for allowing movement of the wireless downhole unit within the casing, and at least one battery pack (8).