Granted Patent B2

US 12,345,251 · App. 17/988,143 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Inventors: Syed Muhammad Bin Syed Taha (Dhahran, SA); Amr Mohamed Zahran (Dhahran, SA)

Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company

F04B47/12E21B43/121

Abstract

Claims (22)

1. A well tool assembly comprising:

an elongate body configured to traverse through a wellbore formed from a surface of the Earth to a subsurface reservoir storing hydrocarbons, the wellbore configured to produce the hydrocarbons to the surface, the elongate body defining an interior volume;

a plurality of propellers disposed within the interior volume, the plurality of propellers configured to spin radially in response to the well tool assembly traveling downhole through the wellbore;

a spring-loaded flow control assembly coupled to the plurality of propellers, the flow control assembly configured, in response to the well tool assembly traveling downhole through the wellbore, to permit fluid flow uphole of the well tool assembly and to store potential energy in the spring, and, in response to the well tool assembly traveling uphole through the wellbore, to prevent fluid flow downhole of the well tool assembly and to discharge the potential energy in the spring; and

a spindle configured to be positioned within the interior volume defined by the elongate body, wherein the plurality of propellers are mounted to the spindle, wherein the spindle is configured to spin radially in response to the well tool assembly traveling downhole through the wellbore, wherein the plurality of propellers are configured to spin in response to the spindle spinning, wherein the spring-loaded flow control assembly comprises a wind-up spring mounted to the spindle, wherein the wind-up spring is configured to be wound in response to the spindle spinning radially, wherein the wind-up spring is a radially winding spring.

2. The well tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spring-loaded flow control assembly comprises a clutch assembly mounted to the spindle, the clutch assembly configured to permit the spindle to spin in response to the well tool assembly traveling downhole through the wellbore and to prevent the spindle from spinning in response to the well tool assembly traveling uphole through the wellbore.

3. The well tool assembly of claim 2 , wherein the clutch assembly comprises a cam latch configured to prevent the spindle from spinning in response to the well tool assembly traveling uphole through the wellbore.

4. The well tool assembly of claim 3 , further comprising an actuation sleeve configured, in a first position, to cause the cam latch to engage the spindle and to prevent the spindle from spinning, the actuation sleeve axially movable to a second position to disengage the spindle and to permit the spindle to spin.

5. The well tool assembly of claim 4 , wherein the actuation sleeve is configured to move from the first position to the second position in response to an anvil of the well tool assembly contacting a bumper spring installed within the wellbore.

6. The well tool assembly of claim 4 , wherein the wind-up spring is configured to release the stored potential energy causing the spindle to spin in response to the cam latch disengaging the spindle.

7. The well tool assembly of claim 6 , wherein the actuation sleeve is configured to move from the second position to the first position in response to the wind-up spring releasing the potential energy.

8. The well tool assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a check valve configured to permit fluid to unidirectionally flow from the interior volume defined by the elongate body to a wellbore location uphole of the well tool assembly in response to the well tool assembly traveling downhole through the wellbore.

9. A method comprising:

while a well tool assembly having an elongate body defining an interior volume travels in a downhole direction through a wellbore formed from a surface of the Earth towards a subsurface reservoir storing hydrocarbons, receiving well fluid within the interior volume, wherein the received well fluid spins a plurality of propellers mounted to a spindle disposed within the interior volume;

spinning, by the plurality of propellers, the spindle in response to the received well fluid;

storing, by a spring included in the well tool assembly and attached to the spindle, potential energy in response to the spindle spinning, wherein the spring is a wind-up spring mounted to the spindle, wherein the wind-up spring is wound in response to the spindle spinning, wherein the wind-up spring is a radially winding spring;

unidirectionally flowing, by a check valve included in the well tool assembly, the received well fluid to a wellbore location uphole of the well tool assembly; and

while the well tool assembly travels in an uphole direction through the wellbore, releasing the stored potential energy to push the well fluid uphole of the well tool assembly towards the surface.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising engaging, by a clutch assembly, the spindle to permit spinning the spindle in response to the well tool traveling only in the downhole direction through the wellbore.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising disengaging, by the clutch assembly, the spindle to permit spinning the spindle in response to the well tool traveling in an uphole direction through the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising disengaging, by the clutch assembly, the spindle in response to axial movement of an actuation sleeve from a first position when the well tool assembly travels in the downhole direction to a second position when the well tool assembly travels in the uphole direction.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising moving, by the actuation sleeve, from the first position to the second position in response to the well tool assembly contacting a bumper spring installed within the wellbore.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (144)