US 10,119,370 B2 · Kinetic energy storage for wellbore completions

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.

Claims18

Dependent claims

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.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Kinetic energy storage for wellbore completions

Life of this patent

Kinetic energy storage for wellbore completions

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18