Communications: electrical – Wellbore telemetering or control – Using a specific transmission medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-28
2001-12-25
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2735)
Communications: electrical
Wellbore telemetering or control
Using a specific transmission medium
C340S870030, C340S572700, C340S539230, C340S853100, C166S254200, C166S255100, C342S042000, C705S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333700
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the equipment and methods used in the drilling and completion of wells, such as oil and gas wells, and in the production of fluids from such wells.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation (i.e., a “reservoir”) by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Once a wellbore has been drilled, the well must be “completed” before hydrocarbons can be produced from the well. A completion involves the design, selection, and installation of tubulars, tools, and other equipment that are located in the wellbore for the purpose of conveying, pumping, or controlling the production or injection of fluids. After the well has been completed, production of oil and gas can begin.
Each of these phases (drilling, completion, and production) make use of a complex variety of equipment, including tubular members such as casing, production tubing, landing nipples, and gas lift mandrels; flow control devices such as gas lift valves, subsurface safety valves, and packers; and other equipment, such as perforation guns. In many situations it is necessary to lower one piece of equipment into the well so that it can be installed into a particular location in the wellbore (e.g., installing a gas lift valve in a particular gas lift mandrel when there may be several gas lift mandrels at different depths in the wellbore), or alternatively can perform a desired action at a desired location (e.g., a perforating gun that uses shaped charges to create holes in well casing at a particular depth in the well).
In the past, rather complex means have been used to determine when a given piece of downhole equipment is in the desired location in the wellbore. These methods have often been imprecise, complex, and expensive. For example, a wireline retrievable subsurface safety valve can be lowered into a wellbore on a wireline to be installed in a particular landing nipple. If multiple landing nipples are located in the wellbore, generally the uppermost one must have the largest inner diameter, and each succeeding lower nipple must have a smaller inner diameter, so that the valve may be placed at the desired depth in the well. This requires the use of multiple sizes (i.e., inner diameters) of landing nipples, as well as corresponding sizes of safety valves. Thus, while this technique for installing and/or activating downhole tools in a wellbore works, it can be complex and cumbersome in certain instances.
There is a long-standing need for more intelligent and adaptable methods of drilling and completing wells and of producing fluids therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for actuating, installing, or inventorying downhole equipment in a wellbore. This method comprises providing a first downhole structure that comprises a non-acoustic identification transmitter unit that stores an identification code and transmits a non-acoustic signal (e.g., a frequency signal, such as a radio frequency signal) corresponding to the identification code. Also provided is a second downhole structure that comprises a non-acoustic receiver unit that can receive the non-acoustic signal transmitted by the non-acoustic identification transmitter unit, decode the non-acoustic signal to determine the identification code corresponding thereto, and compare the identification code to a target identification code. One of the first downhole structure and the second downhole structure is secured at a given location in a subterranean wellbore, and the other is movable in the wellbore. The second downhole structure is placed in close enough proximity to the first downhole structure so that the receiver unit can receive the signal transmitted by the identification transmitter unit. It then compares the identification code determined by the receiver unit to the target identification code. If the determined identification code matches the target identification code, then one of the first downhole structure or second downhole structure is actuated, managed, classified, identified, controlled, maintained, actuated, activated, deactivated, located, communicated, reset, or installed. For example, the second downhole structure can be installed inside the first downhole structure.
The present invention also relates to apparatus that can be used in the above-described method. Such apparatus is described in more detail below.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of inventorying downhole equipment, and storing and retrieving identification codes for the inventoried equipment, as well as an inventory of services performed on the well. This method allows an operator to create a database of the identification codes of the pieces of equipment in the well and the location and/or orientation of each such piece of equipment, and/or the equipment in which it is installed, and/or the services performed on the well. With such a database, an operator could determine the equipment profile of a well and plan out the downhole tasks before arriving on-site.
One embodiment of this method comprises the steps of: (a) providing in a wellbore a plurality of first downhole structures having non-acoustic identification transmitter units therein; (b) passing at least one second downhole structure through at least a part of the wellbore in proximity to a plurality of the non-acoustic identification transmitter units, wherein the second downhole structure comprises a non-acoustic receiver unit that receives the non-acoustic signal transmitted by the identification transmitter units, decodes the signals to determine the identification codes corresponding thereto, and stores the identification codes in memory.
This method can further comprise the step of creating a database for the well, the database comprising the stored identification codes. The method can also comprise reading from the database the identification codes for the well (e.g., the codes for equipment located in the well and/or the codes for services performed on the well). The identification codes read from the database can be used to perform at least one operation selected from the group consisting of managing, classifying, controlling, maintaining, actuating, activating, deactivating, locating, and communicating with at least one downhole structure in the well.
The present invention has several benefits over prior art apparatus and methods. It provides a way of selectively installing, actuating, or inventorying downhole equipment at a desired time and/or at a desired location, at lower cost and with greater flexibility than in prior art techniques.
Another benefit of the present invention lies in the reduction of downhole tool manipulation time. In some cases, considerable downhole manipulation is done to ensure that a tool is at the right point on the downhole jewelry or that the right action is performed. This time and effort can be eliminated or at least reduced by the present invention's ability to actuate or manipulate only when at the right point. A tool of the present invention can sense this based on the presence of the non-acoustic serial number information.
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pate
Adnan Sarmad
Thomeer Hubertus V.
Horabik Michael
Nava Robin C.
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Wong Albert K.
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