RU2633461C1 - Device for introducing balls into pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: device has a body with a channel for balls movement, a mechanism for introducing the balls, a drive which has a difference, namely, the mechanism for introducing the balls is made in the form of a cup with an auger connected to the drive and provided with a mechanism for fixing the auger from arbitrary rotations, a cup is installed in the body cavity with a gap defining the size of the balls and fixed in the body for fixation against rotation. The cup is provided with a longitudinal guide groove for balls installation on the auger turns, the longitudinal guide groove is aligned with a through channel by the lower end positioned in lower part of the body and having one axis with a pipeline through channel. The body is equipped with a channel for connection to equipment for bleeding air, and connecting elements for installation by the through channel into the pipeline.

EFFECT: expanded functionality of the device and improved operational reliability.

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Description

The invention relates to the oil and gas industry, is an element of the surface equipment of the well and is intended to introduce balls into the internal cavity of the tubing without relieving pressure and blocking the fluid flow in the pipeline, can be used in hydraulic fracturing, as well as in the development, operation, repair of oil, gas and gas condensate wells.

During hydraulic fracturing, operators seek to minimize the number of tripping operations that must be performed in the well, without losing the opportunity to optimize the processing to stimulate the flow and the use of the drilling rig / hydraulic fracturing equipment. Operators prefer to use a multi-stage fracturing system for selective treatment to intensify the inflow in several stages at several intervals or zones of the well. Typically, hydraulic fracturing systems of this type have a number of open-hole packers installed along the tubing string to isolate zones in the well. Between the packers in the system, hydraulic fracture bushings are inserted along the tubing string. These bushings are initially closed, but they can be opened to process the interval of the formation adjacent to the wellbore to stimulate the inflow.

For example, the system is lowered into the well and the set ball is dropped to switch the wellbore isolation valve to reliably cut off the tubing string.

A device for introducing balls is known, comprising a housing with a channel for moving balls and a drive for supplying them (see description to the copyright certificate of the Russian Federation No. 268464, IPC F27D 3/10, F27B 5/12, F27B 7/32, publ. 04.03. 1971).

As a drive in the known device using a pusher operating from an eccentric.

The known device is not intended for use in the oil and gas industry to work in an environment that uses oil, gas, water, drilling fluid, killing fluid, acid and alkaline solutions. The known device is not intended to operate at an internal pressure of up to 70 MPa. In addition, the design of the known device does not allow dropping balls of different diameters.

A device is known comprising a housing with a channel for moving balls (see the description of the patent of the Russian Federation for invention No. 2495994, IPC E21B 34/14, E21B 43/26, publ. 10/20/2013).

A known device relates to underground equipment. The device contains a mechanism for holding the ball, located directly in the internal cavity of the equipment included in the composition of the tubing. Thus, the passage channel of tubing pipes for the flow of working media is significantly reduced, which reduces the efficiency and productivity of the work.

To release the ball, it is necessary to manipulate the change in the mode of injection of the working fluid, namely, the change in pressure and fluid flow, which in most cases is impossible without a temporary cessation of the main types of work carried out at the wellhead and is a violation of the technology of the work.

In addition, when using the known device, there is the possibility, due to large flows, of erosion of the internal parts of the device, which leads to uncontrolled discharge of the ball and to an emergency.

The known device is not intended for the introduction of several balls of different diameters in turn for one cycle of work, which lends its functionality. To recharge a known device, it is necessary to remove it from the well, which leads to a rise in price and a significant increase in the time spent on recharging.

A device for cleaning pipes from paraffin deposits, adopted as a prototype, comprising a housing with a through channel for moving balls, a mechanism for introducing balls, a drive (see the description of the copyright certificate of the Russian Federation for invention No. 629325, E21B 43/00, publ. 10/25/1978).

The known device is installed in the inner string of the well, thereby the dimensions of the device are limited by the dimensions of the inner channel of the well string, and the diameters of the balls used cannot be used close to the dimensions of the passage channel of the tubing pipes.

The mechanisms for holding the ball of the known device are located directly in the internal cavity of the equipment included in the tubing, thereby significantly reducing the passage channel of the tubing for the flow of media, which reduces the efficiency and productivity of the work.

In the known device for releasing the ball, it is necessary to make manipulations with changing the mode of pumping the working fluid (changing pressure, flow rate), in most cases this is impossible without temporarily stopping the main types of work being carried out at the wellhead, since this is a violation of the technology of the work being done. In addition, in the known device there is the possibility of erosion of internal parts, the device due to large flows, which will lead to uncontrolled discharge of the ball and, consequently, to an emergency.

The technical task and the technical result of the creation of the proposed device is to expand the functionality due to the possibility of using balls of different diameters and different quantities, increasing the reliability by eliminating uncontrolled discharge of balls and ease of use due to the simplicity of maintenance and repair.

The technical result is achieved in that the device for introducing balls into the pipeline, comprising a housing with a channel for moving balls, a mechanism for introducing balls, a drive, has differences, namely, the mechanism for introducing balls is made in the form of a glass with a screw connected to the drive and equipped with a fixing mechanism a screw from arbitrary rotations, where the glass is installed in the body cavity with a gap that determines the size of the balls, and is fixed in the body with the possibility of fixation from rotation, while the glass is equipped with a longitudinal guide groove for installation of balls on the turns of the screw, the longitudinal guide groove is aligned with the lower end with a through channel located in the lower part of the casing and having one axis with the passage channel of the pipeline, and the casing is equipped with a channel for connecting to air bleed equipment and connecting elements for installation through the channel into the pipeline .

The proposed device allows the use of balls equal to the bore of the tubing and is intended for the introduction of several balls of different diameters in a single cycle. The ball discharge mechanism is not connected in any way with the fluid flow, so there is no need to change the fluid injection modes. The ball reset mechanism is driven by transmitting rotation to the auger from the drive, eliminating uncontrolled ball discharge, which increases reliability.

The constructive solution of the proposed device is in no way connected with the internal dimensions of the underground columns of the borehole pipes and tubing and, therefore, does not affect the size of the through passage of the tubing and does not interfere with the flow of the working fluid during operation of the device. The proposed device is placed in ground equipment at any desired time, it is mounted on the surface of the earth, and there is constant access to it, which facilitates its maintenance. Recharging the proposed device is carried out on the surface, which takes a short period of time and reduces downtime of the well.

The device for introducing balls into the pipeline is illustrated by drawings, where: in FIG. 1 shows a General view of the device Assembly; in FIG. 2 - the device body; in FIG. 3 - a glass case with a screw; in FIG. 4 - a glass case with a screw in cross section. In FIG. 5, 6 and 7 schematically depict the operation of the device: in FIG. 5 - putting balls into a glass; in FIG. 6 - a glass with a ball in the body; in FIG. 7 - exit of the ball from the housing into the pipeline. In FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining the calculation of the diameter of the balls.

The device for introducing balls into the pipeline consists of a housing 1 with a cavity for installing a mechanism for introducing balls made in the form of a glass 2 with a screw 3 (the cavity and balls are not conventionally shown in the drawing). The cavity of the housing 1 for installing the cup 2 is located perpendicular to the through channel 4 located in the lower part of the housing 1 and having one axis with the passage channel of the pipeline into which the device is embedded. In the upper part of the housing 1, a threaded element 5 is made for a nut 6 pressing to fix the cup 2 with the screw 3 inside the housing 1.

The side surfaces of the housing have connecting elements 7 for installation in the pipeline. Connecting elements can be made for both flanged and threaded connection methods, and other connecting elements can also be used, namely a welded connection, a bell-shaped connection, extruded connections, quick-detachable connections, connection by clamps, providing a tight connection of the device casing with pipeline line.

The housing 1 is equipped with a channel 8 for connection with air bleeding equipment from the internal cavity of the housing 1 during operation of the device.

The wall of the glass 2 is made with a longitudinal guide groove 9. The glass 2 in the housing is installed with a gap, the value of which determines the diameter of the balls used. The cup 2 is fixed in the housing 1 from turning by means of pins in a certain strict position, in which the longitudinal guide groove of the cup 2 is aligned with the lower end with the through channel 4 of the housing 1 (pins are not shown conventionally in the drawing).

The screw 3 in the glass 2 is mounted for rotation, with one end of the screw 3 installed in the bottom 10 of the glass, and the other 2 in the cover 11 of the glass 2. The cover 11 has seats for the bearing 12 to rotate the screw 3 and the seal 13 for tightness. The cover 11 of the glass 2 is connected to the holder 14, and the screw 3 is equipped with a mechanism for fixing from arbitrary rotation, for example, the latch 15.

The shaft of the screw 3 stands for the yoke 14, providing the ability to transmit the rotation of the screw 3 from the drive (the shaft and drive are not conventionally shown in the drawing). The drive of the device can be either manual (when the screw is rotated manually with a special key), or electric, mounted on a clip 14 with the possibility of rotation of the screw 3 using the drive control panel.

The input device balls works as follows.

Before the device starts, the balls are loaded into the ball feed mechanism through the groove 9 of the cup 2, previously removed from the body 1, placing a ball on each of the turns of the screw 3 with a diameter necessary for work in the well, for example, from 49 mm to 67 mm and necessary for the work sequence. Then the glass 2 with balls is installed in the housing 1 and fixed with a clamping nut 6.

The device for introducing balls is mounted directly into the pipeline, combining the through channel 4 with the channel of the pipeline. When filling the discharge line into which the device is installed, with the help of a high-pressure valve through the channel 8, air is vented from the internal cavity of the device.

In the required period of time, by rotating the screw 3, the ball is reset, given that one revolution of the screw 3 corresponds to the passage of the ball from one turn of the screw 3.

When the screw 3 rotates from the drive, the balls move along the groove 9 in the housing 1 from top to bottom in the vertical direction until they are aligned with the through channel 4 and the ball is subsequently dumped into the internal channel of the pipeline.

Claims (1)

A device for introducing balls into a pipeline, comprising a housing with a channel for moving balls, a mechanism for introducing balls, a drive, characterized in that the mechanism for introducing balls is made in the form of a glass with a screw connected to the drive and equipped with a mechanism for fixing the screw from arbitrary rotation, the glass is installed in the cavity of the housing with a gap that determines the size of the balls, and is fixed in the housing with the possibility of fixing from rotation, while the glass is equipped with a longitudinal guide groove for installing balls on the turns of the screw, the longitudinal direction The main groove is aligned with the lower end with a through channel located in the lower part of the casing and having one axis with the through passage of the pipeline, while the casing is equipped with a channel for connecting to air bleed equipment and connecting elements for mounting through the channel into the pipeline.

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