Downhole tool for borehole cleaning or for moving fluid in a borehole

• US 9,284,818 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welltec A/S
• Original Assignee: Welltec A/S
• Inventors: Hallundbk, Jrgen, Grbk, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutchins, Cathleen
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUNYAN, RONALD R
• Application Number:
  US13/518,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20120255724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 134/22.18, 137/15.16, 166/105.3, 166/311
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/002 Down-hole drilling fluid separation systems containers comprising collecting means with a strainer E21B27/005; subsoil filtering E21B43/02; down-hole production separators E21B43/38
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 37/00 Methods or apparatus for cleaning boreholes or wells E21B21/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/128 Adaptation of pump systems with down-hole electric drives

Abstract

The present invention relates to a downhole tool (1) for borehole cleaning or for moving fluid in a borehole. The tool comprises a tool housing (29), a chamber inlet (6) and a chamber outlet (36), and the tool housing comprises a pump (8) arranged in a pump housing (4) and a driving unit powered by an electrical conducting means for driving the pump.

Claims

1. A downhole tool for borehole cleaning or for moving fluid in a borehole, the fluid comprising elements, the elements including solid materials, liquid materials or mixtures thereof present in the borehole, the tool comprising:

a chamber inlet configured to let fluid into the tool;

a chamber outlet configured to expel solids or liquids or mixtures thereof; and

a tool housing, the tool housing comprising;

a pump arranged in a pump housing, and

a driving unit powered by an electrical power source, the driving unit being configured to drive the pump, the pump being arranged between the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet;

wherein the pump comprises at least one rotor unit comprising a plurality of rotor blades having a hydrodynamic profile having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and at least one stator unit comprises a plurality of stator blades having a hydrodynamic profile having a leading and a trailing edge, the at least one rotor unit rotates in relation to the at least one stator unit and the pump is connected with the driving unit in order to rotate the rotor unit, causing the fluid to move from the chamber inlet towards the chamber outlet;

wherein each of the plurality of stator blades has a convex surface arranged such that a chord connecting a leading edge of a respective stator blade with a trailing edge of the respective stator blade is arranged in a non-parallel relationship to a longitudinal axis of the tool; and

wherein the chamber outlet is configured to expel at least the liquids admitted to the tool through the chamber inlet into the surrounding borehole in which the downhole tool is located.

2. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the hydrodynamic profile of the rotor blades and the hydrodynamic profile of the stator blades tapers towards the leading edge and the trailing edge.

3. The downhole tool according to claim 1 wherein the hydrodynamic profile of the rotor blades and the hydrodynamic profile of the stator blades have a curving camber line.

4. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the hydrodynamic profile of the rotor blades and the hydrodynamic profile of the stator blades have a thickness decreasing towards the trailing edge.

5. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the hydrodynamic profile of the rotor blades and the hydrodynamic profile of the stator blades comprise an airfoil profile.

6. The downhole tool according to claim 5, wherein the airfoil profile has a shape of a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) profile.

7. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the rotor unit comprises at least one rotor blade, the rotor blade having a first rotor surface and a second rotor surface, the first rotor surface being convex.

8. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the rotor unit comprises at least one rotor blade, the rotor blade having a first rotor surface and a second rotor surface, the second rotor surface being concave.

9. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool has a tool axis, the rotor unit comprises at least one rotor blade, and the stator unit comprises at least one stator blade, and wherein the rotor blade is angled at an angle in relation to the tool axis.

10. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the number of blades of each stator unit and of each rotor unit is the same.

11. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein each said at least one stator unit is connected to the pump housing and is held stationary in relation to a shaft driven by the driving unit.

12. The downhole tool according to claim 11, wherein the pump housing has at least one opening into which part of the stator unit projects.

13. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the rotor and stator units are arranged on a rotatable shaft, the shaft being connected with and driven by the driving unit at a first end and being unconnected and suspended from the driving unit at a second end.

14. The downhole tool according to claim 1, wherein the chamber inlet is connected to a fluid cleaner device comprising means for separating a material, such as debris and formation pieces, from a liquid.

15. The downhole tool according to claim 1, further comprising a driving tool for moving the tool forward in the casing.

16. A system for cleaning a borehole downwell, comprising:

a tool according to claim 1; and

a fluid cleaner device connected to the tool.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the fluid cleaner device comprises:

a cleaner housing;

a collecting chamber, the collecting chamber being arranged within the cleaner housing;

a cleaner inlet, the cleaner inlet being arranged in a first end of the cleaner housing;

a cleaner outlet, the cleaner outlet being arranged in a second end of the cleaner housing; and

a filter, the filter being arranged substantially in the middle of the collecting chamber and configured such that fluid cannot pass through both the cleaner inlet and cleaner outlet without passing through the filter;

wherein the cleaner outlet is configured to be aligned with the chamber inlet of the tool when the cleaner device is connected to the tool and the cleaner outlet is arranged on an opposite side of the filter relative to the cleaning inlet such that fluid entering the tool from the cleaner device will have had to pass through the filter.

18. The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein each stator blade is configured to have a radially projecting fin which is arranged to interact with a respective opening in the pump housing.