Measuring and testing – Borehole or drilling – Downhole test
Patent
1986-10-09
1988-09-13
Myracle, Jerry W.
Measuring and testing
Borehole or drilling
Downhole test
340857, E21B 4712
Patent
active
047700343
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to method and apparatus for communicating data between a down hole location in a well and a top portion of the well.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are many stages in the lifetime of oil or gas wells at which physical parameters down in the well should be known to the operators at the surface of the well. During initial drilling of the well, parameters such as azimuth and direction are important. During completion of the well, parameters such as pressure may be monitored down hole while a particular tool is being used. During production, it is desirable to monitor the temperature or pressure down hole.
Oil and gas wells are also known having a well bore for passing fluid, transversely across a side of the well bore at a down hole location of the well bore and longitudinally in the well bore, between a geological formation located at the down hole location and a top portion of the well bore. The pressure of the fluid flowing across the side of the well is an important parameter to know by operators at the top of the well. Other parameters of the fluid as it flows across the side of the well may also be important to know at the top of the well. For example, during fracturing, when fluid is passed into the geological formation, pressure at the down hole location is important in determining whether a fracture is vertical or horizontal and to determine growth parameters of the fracture. Fluid pressure and temperature at the down hole location of a producing well, where fluid is flowing from the geological formation to the top of the well, may also be important in some situations. However, remoteness of the down hole location from the top of the well, high flow rates of the fracture fluid across the side of the well and the harsh environment down hole create difficulties in reliably recovering data representing the pressure and other parameters from the fluid at the down hole location.
Therefore, a need exists for easy to use apparatus and methods for recovery, at the top of a well bore, data which accurately and reliably represents a parameter, particularly pressure, of a fluid and particularly a fracture fluid, as that parameter exists in the fluid flowing through the side of the well at the down hole location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, an embodiment of the present invention is a method or means for recovery of data signals from down hole up to the top of the well bore, which has a conductive fluid therein. The data signals represent a parameter down hole in the well bore. The method can be summarized as follows.
An exposed electrode receiver is lowered down the well bore suspended at the end of a flexible line, preferably a wire line, while the line extends to the top of the well bore. Electrical potentials representing the parameter are received by the receiver from the conductive fluid. Data signals representing the parameter represented by the received potentials are passed up to the top of the well bore over a flexible line.
Preferably, the flexible line comprises at least one insulated conductor over which the data signals are conducted to the top of the well bore and a metal sheath therearound from which the receiver is suspended.
In one arrangement, a sensor and a transmitter are lowered down inside the well bore. The electrode receiver is lowered down hole inside of the well bore separately from the sensor and transmitter. Electrical potentials representing a parameter sensed by the sensor are created with the transmitter and received with the receiver in the conductive fluid in contact with the electrode receiver.
Preferably, the sensor senses pressure in the well bore.
With one arrangement, the potentials are formed with a coil.
The potentials may be formed by inducing currents along the length of an elongated member.
The transmitter, in one arrangement, forms variable frequency potentials representative of the parameter. Preferably, the transmitter forms digitally coded potentials representative of the parameter.
In one embodiment, the
REFERENCES:
patent: 2172625 (1939-09-01), Schlumberger
Titchener Paul F.
Walsh Michael J. M.
Comdisco Resources, Inc.
Myracle Jerry W.
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