The objective of this technology development task is to create a system that improves the recovery fraction of oil in deep formations through improved sensing and flow control in the lower part of the well. The key technical challenges are tolerating the extreme high pressure and high temperature environment and miniaturizing the components to fit into a highly constrained tubular geometry. The approach is strongly weighted towards design, fabrication and testing of prototypes starting at the component level and evolving towards the subsystem and system level as time goes on. This is a multidisciplinary effort that draws upon expertise across JPL’s technical divisions and involves close coordination with the sponsor.
This work is sponsored by Chevron.
Jeffery Hall - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Commercial
