US 12467237 B1Patent grantUnited States

Connected Well Rescue Support

Official patent title

Well rescue and support system

Arabic title: نظام إنقاذ ودعم الآبار

Invention

Problem

A person trapped in a narrow or unstable well may be unreachable by conventional rescuers and exposed to collapsing walls, poor air, darkness, and loss of communication.

Why it matters

A remotely deployed support device could help stabilize the well, monitor the victim, maintain communication, and deliver breathing gas while a rescue route is prepared.

Approach

The system lowers an extendable tube carrying individually inflatable retaining balloons and a communication head with camera, microphone, speaker, sensors, and a gas-delivery nozzle through a protective well cap.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include civil-defense agencies, fire and rescue services, municipalities, emergency-equipment manufacturers, mining operators, and rural well-safety programs.

Potential value

The architecture combines wall-support balloons, victim audio-video contact, pressure monitoring, and controlled gas delivery on one narrow deployable tube operated from a surface dashboard.

Background

Narrow bore wells can trap children or adults below ground while leaving too little space for a rescuer to descend. Excavation beside the well may take time and can disturb unstable soil. A remote device must avoid worsening collapse, communicate with the victim, and provide life support without blocking the rescue path. The disclosed system uses a capped entry, extendable tube, staggered inflatable supports, sensors, and a communication head so stabilization and monitoring can begin from the surface.

Technology overview

A conical well cap blocks falling debris while an extendable tube carries one or more staggered elastomeric balloons. Separate valves inflate each balloon to a target volume so it applies wall pressure; pressure sensors report to the controller. A coaxial cable connects an infrared camera, microphone, speaker, and communication-head sensors to the dashboard. A regulated compressed-gas tank supplies balloon inflation and a continuous 0.5–10 L/min flow to a distal nozzle. Optional shore structures strengthen soil along the well wall.

Potential applications

Narrow-well victim rescue support.
Temporary stabilization of unstable well walls.
Remote victim communication and monitoring.
Emergency breathing-gas delivery.
Confined-space rescue research.

Evidence-supported advantages

Combines stabilization and life-support functions.
Uses individually controlled retaining balloons.
Provides audio, video, and sensor feedback.
Can deliver continuous gas through the same deployment tube.
Protects the opening with a fitted well cap.

Development stage

A system architecture, component arrangements, control functions, and rescue workflow are described; a full-scale tested prototype, structural-load validation, field rescue performance, certification, and commercialization were not established. The development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The system may interest emergency-response and civil-defense equipment suppliers. Development requires a full-scale prototype, controlled-soil and mock-well tests, balloon anchoring and burst safety, collapse-load analysis, gas-delivery and ventilation protocols, redundant communications, decontamination, rapid deployment drills, human-factors studies, fail-safe controls, rescue-agency validation, and applicable safety certification.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

E02F9/24Dredging; soil-shifting

CPC

E02F9/245Dredging; soil-shifting

Inventors

First inventorAissa Rezzoug
InventorOmar Eid Almutairi
InventorNadir Murtaza
InventorDiyar Khan

Keywords

well rescue
retaining balloon
well stabilization
life support
infrared camera
compressed gas
confined space
victim monitoring

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.