Electro-hydraulic system with a single control line
A system for control using a hydraulic fluid includes a hydraulic control line for flowing the hydraulic fluid, a fluid line in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line, a flow controller configured to regulate a flow of the hydraulic fluid in the fluid line, and a piezoelectric device in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line and configured to actuate the flow controller upon receiving a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid.
1. A system for control using a hydraulic fluid, comprising:
a hydraulic control line for flowing the hydraulic fluid;
a fluid line in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line;
a flow controller configured to regulate a flow of the hydraulic fluid in the fluid line;
a piezoelectric device in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line and configured to generate electric power and to actuate the flow controller upon receiving a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid; and
a storage device to store the generated electric power from the piezoelectric device.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure system configured to communicate a hydraulic fluid pressure to the piezoelectric device via the selected flow of the hydraulic fluid.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selected flow of the hydraulic fluid comprises a pressure pulse signal or a constant pressure signal.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an actuatable device in fluid communication with and actuatable by the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the fluid line.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
multiple fluid lines in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line;
multiple flow controllers, each configured to regulate a flow of the hydraulic fluid in a separate fluid line; and
multiple piezoelectric devices in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line, each piezoelectric device configured to actuate a separate flow controller.
6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising multiple actuatable devices actuatable by the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the separate fluid lines.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising multiple flow controllers connected to a single piezoelectric device.
8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising multiple piezoelectric devices connected to a single flow controller.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic control line extends downhole into a wellbore and wherein the fluid line, the flow controller, and the piezoelectric device being located in the wellbore.
10. A method comprising:
flowing a hydraulic fluid through a single hydraulic control line;
directing a flow of the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic control line into a fluid line;
regulating the flow of the hydraulic fluid through the fluid line with a flow controller;
communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic control line to a piezoelectric device to actuate the flow controller;
generating electric power by converting hydraulic fluid power exerted by the selected flow of the hydraulic fluid to electric power; and
storing the electric power in a storage device.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid further comprises sending at least one pressure signal through the hydraulic fluid flowing in the hydraulic control line.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid further comprises matching a pressure signal transmitted through the hydraulic control line to a pre-determined pressure signal of the piezoelectric device.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising positioning an actuatable device downhole in a wellbore and actuating the actuatable device using the flow of the hydraulic fluid in the fluid line once the flow controller is actuated.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising directing a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid to multiple piezoelectric devices, each of the piezoelectric devices configured to independently control a corresponding flow controller.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising regulating the selected flow of the hydraulic fluid with multiple flow controllers, each flow controller controlled by one or more piezoelectric devices.
16. A method of controlling an actuatable device downhole in a wellbore, comprising:
flowing a hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic control line extending downhole in the wellbore;
directing a flow of the hydraulic fluid into a fluid line in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line;
directing a flow of the hydraulic fluid to a piezoelectric device in fluid communication with the hydraulic control line;
regulating the flow of the hydraulic fluid into the fluid line with a flow controller;
communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid to the piezoelectric device to actuate the flow controller and allow the flow of the hydraulic fluid to actuate the actuatable device;
generating electric power by converting hydraulic fluid power exerted by the selected flow of the hydraulic fluid to electric power; and
storing the electric power in a storage device.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid comprises matching a pressure signal transmitted through the hydraulic control line with a pre-determined pressure signal of the piezoelectric device.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein communicating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid comprises sending a pressure pulse or a constant pressure via the hydraulic fluid to excite at least two piezoelectric devices to generate electric power at each piezoelectric device.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising regulating a selected flow of the hydraulic fluid in a fluid line using a corresponding flow controller for each of the piezoelectric devices.
20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising attaching multiple actuatable devices to the hydraulic control line, each piezoelectric device configured to control at least one of the actuatable devices.