Kinetic energy storage for wellbore completions
First Claim
1. A downhole kinetic energy storage system comprising:
- a low power downhole source of energy;
a rotating mechanical rotor interconnected and configured to receive and store mechanical energy originating from said low power downhole source of energy, the energy being stored as rotational kinetic energy in the downhole kinetic energy storage system;
an electric machine operable as a motor interconnected and configured to convert electrical energy from said low power downhole source into mechanical energy for storage by said rotating mechanical rotor and a generator interconnected and configured to convert mechanical energy from said rotating mechanical rotor into high power electrical energy for use by a wellbore completion device, wherein actuation of the wellbore completion device temporarily uses energy at a rate exceeding that produced by said low power downhole source.
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Abstract
A downhole kinetic energy storage system for wellbore completions is configured for installation downhole for extended periods of time, such as 10 year or more. The kinetic energy storage system receives power from a low power source, which can be due to a “power bottleneck” to the downhole location such as inductive coupling, optical fiber, downhole energy harvesting, and/or subsea wellhead configurations. The system stores the available low-power as rotational energy in a flywheel and then when demanded converts the rotational energy into electrical energy at a temporary power level exceeding the low power source. The temporary high power energy is used for wellbore completion applications such as actuating a flow control or other downhole valve.
19 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A downhole kinetic energy storage system comprising:
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a low power downhole source of energy; a rotating mechanical rotor interconnected and configured to receive and store mechanical energy originating from said low power downhole source of energy, the energy being stored as rotational kinetic energy in the downhole kinetic energy storage system; an electric machine operable as a motor interconnected and configured to convert electrical energy from said low power downhole source into mechanical energy for storage by said rotating mechanical rotor and a generator interconnected and configured to convert mechanical energy from said rotating mechanical rotor into high power electrical energy for use by a wellbore completion device, wherein actuation of the wellbore completion device temporarily uses energy at a rate exceeding that produced by said low power downhole source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of storing kinetic energy for use downhole comprising:
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receiving a low power energy from a low power energy source; converting the received low power energy into rotational kinetic energy using an electric machine operating as a motor; storing the rotational kinetic energy in a flywheel system; when needed, converting the rotational kinetic energy stored in the flywheel system into a high power electric energy using the electric machine operating as a generator; and actuating a wellbore completion device using the high power electric energy, wherein said actuating uses the high power electric energy at a rate exceeding that produced by said low power energy source. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification