RU2558562C2 - Borehole equipment control device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to oil and gas industry. The invention offers the device for creation of pressure impulse for start of the equipment actuated by the fluid medium pressure and located in the pipe (12) for the fluid medium transmission in which the pipe wall section (27) has through holes and on the outer side of the section (27) the flexible membrane is located (24). And the named flexible membrane (24) is implemented with a possibility of isolation of the fluid medium F1 located in the named pipe for the fluid medium transmission from the fluid medium F2 located in another channel (30) which is interconnected by flow with the equipment. Meanwhile the membrane (24) due to its elasticity transfers pressure changes (pressure impulses) in the fluid medium F1 located in the pipe (12) to the fluid medium F2 located in the named another channel (30). Besides, each drilled hole (50) passing through the pipe section wall (27) limits the central concentric drilled hole (56) each end of which forms the cone-shaped expansion directed respectively towards the internal wall (121) and the external wall (21) of the pipe section (27). Meanwhile in the drilled-out hole/channel passing through the pipe wall (12/27) the collapsing disk (62) is located which forms the removable dividing plate between two areas F1 and F2 of the fluid medium which have the P1 and P2 respectively.

EFFECT: avoidance of blockage by slime and other solid particles that provides increase of the device operability.

7 cl, 6 dwg

Description

This invention relates to a new design of a device for transmitting a pressure pulse, which enables the start-up of equipment operating under the influence of fluid pressure and located in a pipe, for example, in a borehole, as indicated in the restrictive part of claim 1 of the attached claims. In particular, the invention relates to a structure capable of supporting the operation of downhole equipment that is hydraulically actuated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has long been well known that when mechanical equipment installed in an oil and / or gas well is brought into action by pressure pulses, difficulties arise associated with the transmission of these pulses to the specified equipment.

In particular, this refers to the case when pressure is raised in the pipe that is inserted into the well to transmit these pressure pulses down to the equipment. In this case, a problem often arises, which, over time, accumulates particles in the liquid, which, when these particles settle to the bottom of the pipe, eventually forms a continuous mass on it. This problem is especially important when using plugs in the production pipe, which works on the principle of pressurizing the plug performed from the drilling platform.

A way to partially solve this problem is to connect the equipment using a hydraulic control line (conductor) located outside the existing pipe in which the plug is installed. Such control lines pass upward through the installation located at the wellhead and further to the drilling platform so that it can be subjected to pressure directly from the drilling platform, and, accordingly, it remains possible to control the equipment despite the accumulation of drilling fluid above the plug in the pipe.

The disadvantage of this device is that it significantly increases operating costs, and when laying a line (conductor) several kilometers long, there is a danger that the pipe, which, for example, is, for example, a thin pipe with a diameter of 1/4 inch (6, 3 mm), will be abraded against the walls of the well, and, therefore, control over the equipment can be completely lost.

A known solution to the problem is to use a variety of accumulator to introduce clean fluid into the well. Such a solution is described in Norwegian Patent Application No. 200880452, which describes a limited-capacity battery for supplying clean water to equipment for controlling it.

The Norwegian patent application discloses a piston accumulator which, as described, accumulates pressure during its introduction into the well.

This device also leads to a significant number of functional problems.

First of all, the indicated document states that waste (source of pollution) cannot penetrate the device. However, such a statement is incorrect, since it is known that blockage of the channel upstream of the piston, as described, will prevent the transmission of pressure pulses that are necessary for the operation of the device. These particles really will not be able to create pollution downstream from the piston, which actuates the cyclic mechanism in the device, which is configured to open depending on a given number of pressure pulses. The problem is that when the liquid passes through the channel upstream of the piston, particles can enter the chamber and thus block the movement of the piston, so that a pressure differential can occur between the positions upstream and downstream of the piston.

Accordingly, a cyclic device whose operation is based on the use of the differential pressure principle will stop working.

Regarding the prior art in this field, reference is also made to US patents Nos. 2964116, 2898088 and 4436164.

US Pat. No. 2,964,116 describes a pressure impulse supply device located in a drill string, with a membrane in the form of a pipe located on the perforated section of the pipe. The membrane transmits pressure pulses from the drilling fluid to the hydraulic fluid in the chamber surrounding the perforated section of the pipe and then to the pressure-driven equipment, as indicated in column 4, lines 21-53, column 8, lines 15-20, and in FIG. 1a and 2. US Pat. No. 2,898,088 shows a downhole logging installation comprising a pipe section with a flexible nozzle-like membrane that separates the fluid in the drill pipe from the hydraulic fluid in the outer chamber and in a pipe that is connected to the equipment, dimym operated by fluid pressure. Thus, the membrane transmits pressure pulses from the fluid in the drill pipe to pressure-controlled equipment.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the invention is to create a new design that is able to eliminate the above disadvantages and problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device in accordance with this invention is characterized in that each hole passing through the wall of the pipe section defines a central concentric drilled hole, while each end of the hole forms a cone-shaped extension directed respectively to the inner wall and outer wall of the pipe section.

Preferred embodiments are described in dependent claims 2-8.

The advantage of having holes with a conical extension is that each hole is not so easily subjected to constant clogging with sludge and particles. A particle in the fluid of the pipe that can become stuck and block the entrance to the hole is simply released and pushed back again when the direction of the fluid flow reverses. Accordingly, the particle is more easily released by the reverse flow.

One of the advantages of the described invention is that the piston moving in the axial longitudinal direction is limited from the point of view of the area that can be affected, while the bellows moving in the radial direction can provide a very large area that can be affected impact. This area is limited only by the length of the bellows.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The following is a more detailed description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 depicts a view of a pipe that is installed in a borehole, for example, made in rock containing hydrocarbons and which uses the proposed device.

Figure 2 and 3 depict views of the elements of the proposed structure 10 in two positions at a distance upstream relative to the downhole equipment 20, which is actuated hydraulically, in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 3B shows an enlarged longitudinal section through a hole that extends radially through a pipe wall.

4 and 5 show views of an enlarged part of FIGS. 2 and 3 and show a hydraulic channel 30 that passes through the pipe wall and connects the pressure pulse generation device 10 to the equipment 20.

The drawings show a pipe 12 deployed in a borehole 14 in rock 16. As a non-limiting example, a pipe section 18 with a socket for a plug 22 is installed in the lowest part of the pipe 12. Plug 22 is used, for example, to first test and verify the inside of the pipe the absence of leakage under the action of pressure and works in the intended manner during the production of hydrocarbons from rock 16.

Due to the fact that the upside-down surface 23 of the plug is susceptible to the accumulation of large deposits of 25 contaminants containing solid particles such as sludge, the device 10 is located at a distance above the plug 20, while the plug 20 and the device 10 are mutually connected by a channel 30 extending axially along pipe walls and through it between these two areas.

The device contains a perforated section 27 of the pipe mounted in the pipe 12. Between the outer wall 21 of the specified section and the inner wall of the pipe 12 is limited to a hollow volume or chamber 26.

Around the pipe section 25, a pipe-shaped elastic bellows or membrane 24 is screwed, which is fixed in the uppermost part 31 and in the lowest part 33 in the solid material of section 25. The bellows 24 can sequentially bend from the state in which it borders on the outer wall 21 of the pipe section, to the state in which it adjoins the inner wall 13. Outside of the bellows 24 there is an annular chamber 26 connected to a drilled channel 30 passing through the wall of the pipe in the downward direction to the trigger mechanism (in the drawings not yet zan), which is used to destroy the stub.

The condition of the bellows or its bending depends on the pressure drop P1 in the pipe 12 and the pressure P2 in the chamber or channel 30 outside the membrane 24. Figure 2 shows the state in which the pressure P1 exceeds the pressure P2 (P1> P2), so that the membrane is in curved state.

Figure 3 shows the state in which the pressure P2 exceeds the pressure P1, while the membrane is wave-like adjacent to the outer wall 21.

The trigger mechanism, which removes the plug, is designed so that it counts the number of pulses that are generated by increasing and decreasing the pressure P1 of the fluid, while the destruction of the plug occurs at a given number of pulses.

The chamber located radially outside the bellows is filled with a clean liquid that communicates with an outside pipe or a channel 30 drilled inside, which, in turn, is connected, for example, to a valve responding to pressure pulsation.

The specified valve may be installed or configured to read signals electronically using a pressure sensor or may be a purely mechanical device that reads pressure pulses to open the valve for a given number of pulses.

When the valve is opened, clean fluid passes through it and controls the hydraulically actuated equipment. This technology can be used to control hydraulically driven downhole equipment and requires clean fluid for proper operation. Examples of such equipment may include detonation devices for removable (endangered) plugs, sliding couplings, hydraulic ball valves and hydraulic flap valves. These are just a few examples of equipment with which this new technology can be used. The device with hydraulic control may be, for example, a laminated plug 22 made of glass. The method of its removal or destruction in the drawings is not illustrated. The device controlled by pressure pulses may be a device 39, configured to count the number of pulses, and when the counted number of pulses reaches a predetermined value, the mechanism is activated and starts the explosive mechanism. This may mean, for example, that the piston 38, located axially in the pipe wall, pushes down with great effort and shifts the horizontally oriented piston in the radial direction into the plug 22, which, thus, can be broken. The plug can be made of ceramic materials that can be broken, or of a suitable glass for this.

When using a bellows instead of a piston, it is also possible to drill a large number of holes in the radial direction through the wall along the periphery of the protective sleeve, which supports the specified bellows and keeps the clean fluid in place. FIG. 3B shows a longitudinal section through such drilled holes 50 extending radially through the pipe wall 26. On both sides (at each end) there is a hole drilled through the wall. The central part of the hole passing through the wall preferably has the form of a drilled region 56 with a circular section, while each end of the circular hole passes with a gradual increase in the diameter of the section in the direction of the wall surfaces with the formation of a conical shape. The drilled region naturally expands most strongly in the direction of the wall surfaces, that is, the shape of the holes 52-54 shown in the drawings is such that the shape furthest from the center is respectively conical, or the holes have a conical shape or essentially a bell shape . These holes may have a cross section other than circular. The advantage of this form of the hole is that each hole is not so easily subjected to constant clogging with sludge and particles.

The risk of possible clogging of holes of this form with debris, solid particles and sludge can be reduced by making holes concentric in both directions. This shape of the hole passing through the wall, having an expanding cross section in the direction of the outer wall, leads to the fact that the fluid / liquid always passes in both directions, since the particles get stuck in the conical hole, opened with the largest diameter on the side opposite to the one on which pressure, whereby particles are released upon application of pressure from the side having the smallest opening. Particle 60 located in the fluid of the pipe, which can become stuck and block the entrance to the hole 56 as the fluid F1 passes in the direction of arrow P2, is simply released and pushed back again when the fluid pressure P2 exceeds the pressure P1 and the fluid F2 goes in the opposite direction . Accordingly, the particle 60 is more easily released by the reverse flow.

Furthermore, in accordance with FIG. 2 and 3, there is one or more collapsing plates, or disks, which are made with the possibility of breakage or destruction, for example, when a pressure drop of 10 bar occurs between the pressure in the clean fluid located behind the flexible material and the fluid in the well pipe, which additionally counteracts the occurrence of a pressure differential between the two fluids. The flexible membrane also always ensures the same pressures on both sides and returns to its original state after depressurization.

One or more holes 60 are drilled through the wall of the pipe 27, namely, above the perforated part of the wall, which form a flow connection between the annular chamber 26 located outside the bellows and the inside of the pipe marked with the symbols F1 / P1 (see Figs. 2 and 3 ) A metal plate is installed in said hole, which forms a collapsing disk 62 and is secured by fixing means indicated by position number 58 in the drawings, for example, a bolt and the like.

The collapsing disk 62 is designed to create a flow message in the case when excessive pressure occurs on the back side (P2) of the bellows, namely, when the specified pressure is not equal to the pressure P1 in the pipe (pipe).

The hole for the collapsing disk from the point of view of coordinates can be located anywhere, provided that the disk is located with the separation of the fluid between the pipeline and the back side of the bellows and with the creation of a flow path between them when the destruction of the disk.

Disk 62 also ultimately ensures the operation of the equipment, which is controlled by subsequent re-filling with liquid after the clean liquid behind the membrane has been used up, the membrane being pre-installed in the direction of the walls in its corresponding casing, so that a pressure differential occurs between the borehole pipe (P1) and the reverse side (P2) of the membrane, after which the specified disk is destroyed and the fluid from the well then enters the installation.

Thus, there are many advantages compared with known devices having limited volumetric surfaces that may be affected, which is associated with the danger of clogging of the installation openings during operation.

Claims (7)

1. Device for creating a pressure pulse for starting equipment driven by fluid pressure and located in a pipe (12) for transferring a fluid, in which the pipe wall section (27) has through holes and a flexible one is located on the outside of the section (27) membrane (24),
wherein said flexible membrane (24) is configured to isolate a fluid F1 located in said fluid transfer pipe from a fluid F2 located in another channel (30) that is in fluid communication with the equipment, the membrane (24) due to its elasticity transfers the pressure changes (pressure pulses) in the fluid F1 located in the pipe (12) to the fluid F2 located in the specified other channel (30), characterized in that
each drilled hole (50) passing through the wall (27) of the pipe section defines a central concentric drilled hole (56), each end of which forms a cone-shaped extension directed respectively to the inner wall (121) and the outer wall (21) of the section (27) pipes
while in the drilled hole / channel passing through the wall of the pipe (12/27), a collapsing disk (62) is located, forming a removable separation plate between two regions F1 and F2 of the fluid, which have a pressure of respectively P1 and P2. 2. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that each drilled hole (50) has a conical shape or essentially a bell shape. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane is a pipe-shaped bellows (24) screwed onto the outside of the pipe section (27) and located in the socket forming the chamber (26) in the pipe section (27), the wall of this section (27) has drilled through holes (50) for providing flow communication in a radially outward direction from a fluid F1 having a pressure P1 and located in the pipe (12) to the specified membrane located outside the wall of the pipe section. 4. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that the membrane (24) is a pipe-shaped bellows, while this chamber is formed by an annular region surrounding the periphery of the pipe section. 5. The device according to p. 1, characterized in that the flexible membrane provides the same pressure on both sides of the membrane, for example, is compressed, expanded and compressed with the return to its original form after applying pressure. 6. The device according to any claims. 1-5, characterized in that the collapsing disk (62) is made with the possibility of destruction upon occurrence between the regions F1 and F2 of the fluid of a given pressure drop, for example, 10 bar, to provide resistance to the device additional pressure drops between two liquids. 7. The device according to any paragraph. 1-5, characterized in that the collapsing disk (62) is located in the drilled hole passing through the wall in the upper part of the pipe section (27) in which the bellows is installed, to ensure communication in case of too high pressure in the fluid F2 on the return the side (P2) of the bellows, which is not equal to the pressure P1 of the fluid F1 in the pipe (12).

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