Breakthroughs in well control intelligent control systems and hydraulic locking anti-blowout devices facilitate deep exploration
Against the backdrop of surging demand for deep oil and gas exploration and shale oil development, the Pipe Technology Service Center of Sinopec Shengli Petroleum Engineering Company has recently released a number of innovative achievements in well control and drilling equipment. Through the "industry-university-research-application" linkage mechanism, the center has overcome industry pain points such as slow well control response speed and complex maintenance of blowout preventers, providing key technical support for efficient exploration and energy security guarantee.
Technical highlights: From "manual operation" to "One-click well shutdown"
Traditional well control equipment relies on manual judgment and operation, which has lag and the risk of misoperation. The well control intelligent control system released this time integrates three modes: manual control, electric control instructions and over 300 meters of wireless remote control. It realizes the "one-click well shutdown" function through a visual interface. The system can collect parameters such as pressure and flow rate in real time, and automatically trigger the well closure program in combination with the preset safety threshold, increasing the emergency response speed by more than 65%.
The synchronous breakthrough hydraulic locking no-side door bolt blowout preventer adopts hydraulic drive to replace the traditional bolt fastening method. The operator can complete actions such as opening and closing the gate plate and unlocking the locking mechanism only through the control panel. The efficiency of gate plate replacement has been increased by 40%, and it is particularly suitable for the rapid maintenance and repair needs in high-pressure well conditions.
On-site verification: A dual improvement in efficiency and safety
In the on-site test of a shale oil block in Shengli Oilfield, the combination of the new well control system and the blowout preventer demonstrated significant advantages:
1. Efficiency optimization: After the 139.7mm casing is matched with the variable diameter rubber core gate plate, the gate plate replacement and pressure testing links of each well are reduced by one each, and the cumulative operation time is saved by 2-3 hours.
2. Cost reduction: After the application of large-diameter high-torsional drill tools, the pressure of the riser is reduced by 1-1.5MPa/km, and the daily power consumption of a single pump is reduced by more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours.
3. Enhanced safety: The hydraulic locking system eliminates the risk of high-pressure leakage caused by inadequate manual tightening, and the failure rate of the gate plate seal has decreased by 22%.
Technology Extension: Regeneration of old equipment and full life cycle management
The center simultaneously promotes resource recycling technology and activates old drilling tools through laser cladding and friction welding processes.
Laser cladding additive repair was carried out on the worn drill collars in the hanging slot to restore their load-bearing area and fatigue resistance, and support the unmanned operation of the automated drilling rig.
The scrapped drill pipe and flange are welded as a whole to transform it into an integrated blowout pipeline, reducing the risk of puncture and leakage by 90% compared with the traditional threaded connection.
So far, the renovation of 180 blowout pipelines and the remanufacturing of over 100 weighted drill pipes have been completed, and the utilization rate of old equipment has increased by 35%.
Industry significance and Future Outlook
This technological breakthrough marks a crucial step forward for China's well control equipment towards intelligence and integration. With the accelerated development of deep and deepwater oil and gas fields, such efficient control systems will significantly reduce the proportion of non-production time and provide a new path for cost control of individual Wells. Next, the center plans to embed the AI prediction algorithm into the control system to achieve early warning and adaptive regulation of risks such as well surges and well leaks.