Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080230272 | Method and System for Designing Bottom Hole Assembly Configuration - A method and system for designing bottom hole assembly configuration. The system and method include modeling the bottom hole assembly by dividing complicated BHA configurations into independent modules and segments. Modules are bounded by two stabilizers where segments are bounded by bottom hole assembly components. A recursive process is used to derive solutions for each of the segments and modules. Only two unknowns (and two non-linear equations) are left when the recursive process reaches to the bit. The two unknowns are then solved by iteration. | 09-25-2008 |
20080314642 | Tubular Member Connection - In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to couple, in a substantially fluid-tight manner, a first tubular member ( | 12-25-2008 |
20090045973 | COMMUNICATIONS OF DOWNHOLE TOOLS FROM DIFFERENT SERVICE PROVIDERS - In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a tubular for downhole operations. The tubular comprises a bottomhole assembly. The bottomhole assembly comprises a first downhole tool having a first sensor that is to generate a first data, wherein a first entity is at least one of a controller or an owner of the first downhole tool. The bottomhole assembly comprises a second downhole tool having a second sensor that is to generate a second data, wherein a second entity is at least one of a controller or an owner of the second downhole tool. The first data and the second data are to be coded in a common format. The bottomhole assembly also comprises a processor to execute instructions to receive and process the first data and the second data. | 02-19-2009 |
20100193246 | Device and Method for Measuring a Property in a Downhole Apparatus - A method and device for measuring a property, such as torque, includes a plurality of sensors, and a measuring device. The sensors attach to a downhole apparatus at a distance from one another. The sensors provide signals indicating their positions. A logic circuit may calculate an angle between the sensors. The logic circuit then calculates the property based on the angle, the distance between the sensors, and other known physical properties of the downhole apparatus. | 08-05-2010 |
20100236776 | Downhole X-Ray Source Fluid Identification System and Method - A method and system for determining a property of a sample of fluid in a borehole. A fluid sample is collected in a downhole tool. While collecting, X-rays are transmitted proximate the fluid from an X-ray source in the tool and an X-ray flux that is a function of a property of the fluid is detected. The detected X-ray flux data is processed to determine the property of the fluid. | 09-23-2010 |
20100250207 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SURVEYING A BOREHOLE WITH A ROTATING SENSOR PACKAGE - A method and apparatus for surveying a borehole using a rotating sensor package. A sensor tool preferably including a magnetometer sensor array is disposed in the bottom hole assembly of a drillstring. Conditioning circuitry in the sensor tool processes the sensor readings from the sensor array taken while the drillstring is rotating. In one embodiment, the conditioning circuitry includes processing circuitry adapted to adjust the sensor readings to account for an analytically predicted level of axial current induced in the drillstring as a result of its rotation in the Earth's magnetic field. In another embodiment, a current generator is provided to generate a counter-current intended to cancel the analytically predicted level of axial current induced in the drillstring as a result of rotation in the Earth's magnetic field. In another embodiment, insulating members are disposed above and/or below the sensor tool to prevent conduction of rotation-induced current therein. In still another embodiment, the sensor tool is disposed in a drill collar that is composed of a non-conducting material, such that no rotation-induced current is conducted through the sensor tool. | 09-30-2010 |
20110108277 | Formation Treatment Using Electromagnetic Radiation - A method of treating a subterranean formation includes injecting a magnetically permeable material into the formation and energizing the magnetically permeable material using electromagnetic radiation. The magnetically permeable material reacts to the electromagnetic radiation by producing heat. In some embodiments, a fracturing fluid is made magnetically permeable, injected into the formation to fracture the formation, and heated in response to electromagnetic radiation applied to the magnetically permeable material. In some embodiments, electromagnetically heated material is caused to explode. In some embodiments, the magnetically permeable material is tracked or monitored for fluid or fracture propagation. A system includes a fluid treatment tool ( | 05-12-2011 |
20110109912 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PRESSURE SIGNALS - An apparatus comprising an encoded pressure signal propagating in a fluid flowing in a conduit. An optical fiber measurement element has a reflector on one end and is disposed around at least a portion of the conduit. A light source injects a second optical signal and a third optical signal propagating in first and second optical fibers, respectively. A delay section is disposed in the second optical fiber. The second optical signal and the third optical signal are directed into the optical fiber measurement element and are reflected back from the reflective end such that at least a portion of the reflected second and third optical signals propagate through the second and first optical fibers respectively to an optical detector. The optical detector senses an interference between the reflected optical signals and outputs a first signal related thereto. | 05-12-2011 |
20110116099 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING PRESSURE SIGNALS - An apparatus for detecting data in a fluid pressure signal in a conduit comprises an optical fiber loop comprises a measurement section and a delay section wherein the measurement section is disposed substantially circumferentially around at least a portion of the conduit, and wherein the measurement section changes length in response to the fluid pressure signal in the conduit. A light source injects a first optical signal in a first direction into the measurement section and a second optical signal in a second direction opposite the first direction into the delay section. An optical detector senses an interference phase shift between the first optical signal and the second optical signal and outputs a first signal related thereto. | 05-19-2011 |
20110153217 | DRILLSTRING MOTION ANALYSIS AND CONTROL - Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to obtain acceleration data from an operational drillstring, decompose the acceleration data into one or more empirical modes, monitor the amplitude of at least one of the empirical modes to detect indications exceeding a preselected threshold, and modify drillstring operational parameters comprising at least one of rotational speed, weight on bit, or mud flow, based on the indications. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 06-23-2011 |
20110175899 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING LOGGING DATA - Borehole data presentation systems and methods that facilitate communication of volumetric logging data to a surface processing system for presentation to a driller or other user interested in visualizing the formations surrounding a borehole. The disclosed systems optionally tailor the telemetry stream to match the chosen display technique, thereby maximizing the logging system utility for the driller. Variable opacity of certain data regions or certain data discontinuities greatly facilitates data comprehension, particularly when true three-dimensional display technologies are employed. Holographic or stereoscopic display technologies may be employed to show the three-dimensional dependence of measured formation properties such as resistivity, density, and porosity. Alternatively, the radial axis can be used to represent a formation parameter value, thereby enabling cylindrical cross-plots of multiple measurements. The user can control viewing position and orientation to more fully explore the three dimensional representation. | 07-21-2011 |
20110187553 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF AN ELECTROMAGNETIC TELEMETRY - An electromagnetic telemetry repeater. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising inducing an electrical signal along a metallic tubular (the electrical signal carrying the information and the inducing within a borehole beneath the ocean floor), sensing an electric field proximate to the ocean floor, sensing a magnetic field proximate to the ocean floor, recreating the information using one sensed field as indicative of the information and the other sensed field as indicative of the noise, and sending the information toward the ocean surface. | 08-04-2011 |
20110247803 | SIGNAL PROPAGATION ACROSS GAPS - In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to monitor a first condition associated with transmitting or receiving a signal in a formation or on a drill string, or both, over a first selected interval of a drill string located down hole; to monitor a second condition associated with transmitting or receiving the signal in the formation or on the drill string or both, over a second selected interval of the drill string; to compare the first condition to the second condition to provide a comparison result; and based on the comparison result, to select one of the first selected interval or the second selected interval to transmit or receive the signal in the formation or on the drill string, or both. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 10-13-2011 |
20110290559 | SURFACE REAL-TIME PROCESSING OF DOWNHOLE DATA - A method and apparatus for controlling oil well drilling equipment is disclosed. One or more sensors are distributed in the oil well drilling equipment. Each sensor produces a signal. A surface processor coupled to the one or more sensors via a high speed communications medium receives the signals from the one or more sensors via the high speed communications medium. The surface processor is situated on or near the earth's surface. The surface processor includes a program to process the received signals and to produce one or more control signals. The system includes one or more controllable elements distributed in the oil well drilling equipment. The one or more controllable elements respond to the one or more control signals. | 12-01-2011 |
20110315399 | GASKET FOR INDUCTIVE COUPLING BETWEEN WIRED DRILL PIPE - In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises a gasket ( | 12-29-2011 |
20120125077 | DOWNHOLE INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION DURING FORMATION SURVEY - A downhole sensor calibration apparatus includes a rotational or gimbaling mechanism for guiding a sensing axis of an orientation responsive sensor through a three-dimensional orbit about three orthogonal axes. A method includes using measurements taken over the three-dimensional orbit to calibrate the sensor and determine other characteristics of the sensor or tool. | 05-24-2012 |
20120126992 | Exploitation Of Sea Floor Rig Structures To Enhance Measurement While Drilling Telemetry Data - A method for communicating data in an offshore data communication system comprises measuring L/MWD data with a sensor disposed in a bottomhole assembly positioned in a subsea borehole. The bottomhole assembly is disposed along a drillstring extending through the subsea borehole. In addition, the method comprises communicating the L/MWD data from the bottomhole assembly to the seafloor with a telemetry signal. Further, the method comprises receiving the telemetry signal with at least one telemetry transducer positioned proximal the sea floor. Still further, the method comprises processing the telemetry signal at the seafloor to produce a processed signal. Moreover, the method comprises transmitting the processed signal from the sea floor to the sea surface. | 05-24-2012 |
20120126993 | Near-Field Electromagnetic Communications Network for Downhole Telemetry - A disclosed downhole telemetry system employs an array of near-field electromagnetic communication devices to relay information along a tubular in a borehole. In some embodiments, the devices are permanently attached to pipe joints without requiring any structural modification of the pipe joints. As the pipe joints are strung together in the normal fashion to form a tubular, the devices automatically establish a wireless communications path between an uphole terminus device and any downhole sensors or tools. The devices can include built-in sensors to provide distributed sensing of parameters such as temperature and pressure. In some embodiments the device array incorporates redundancy to minimize the chance of a communications network failure. The device array has applications for logging-while-drilling, production testing, well completion, reservoir monitoring, and well control. | 05-24-2012 |
20120158305 | DRILLING COLLISION AVOIDANCE APPARATUS, METHODS, AND SYSTEMS - In some embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may operate to launch a set of currents into a corresponding set of existing well casings; monitor, in a well under construction, changes in at least one of a magnetic field or an electric field perturbed by the set of currents after each one of the set is launched; and determine a location of the well under construction in relation to the set of existing well casings. In some embodiments, the activities include inducing current into a drillstring located in a well under construction; monitoring, at a set of existing well casings, changes in at least one of a magnetic field or an electric field perturbed by the current after the current is induced; and determining a location of the well under construction in relation to the set of existing well casings. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 06-21-2012 |
20120222900 | VIBRATION DETECTION IN A DRILL STRING BASED ON MULTI-POSITIONED SENSORS - In some example embodiments, a system includes a drill string having a drill bit. The drill string extends through at least part of a well bore. The system also includes a first vibrational sensor, positioned on the drill bit to measure, at a first location on the drill string, an amplitude of one or more of an axial vibration and a lateral vibration. The system also includes a second vibrational sensor, positioned above the drill bit and on the drill string. The second vibration sensor is to measure, at a second location on the drill string, one or more of an axial vibration and a lateral vibration. The system includes a processor unit to determine a type of vibration based on a comparison of the amplitude at the first location to the amplitude at the second location, wherein the type of vibration is at least one of bit whirl of the drill bit and a while of a bottom hole assembly that is part of the drill string. | 09-06-2012 |
20120227500 | Apparatus and Method for Determining Formation Anisotropy - A method of generating an axial shear wave in a formation surrounding a wellbore comprising urging a clamp pad into contact with a wall of the wellbore, and applying an axial force to the clamp pad to impart a shear force into the wall of the wellbore to generate a shear wave in the formation. | 09-13-2012 |
20130113491 | DRILLING DYNAMICS MONITOR - Procedures are described for monitoring dynamics along a drill string during the drilling process using only surface instrumentation or using a combination of surface and downhole instrumentation. Events such as drill collar whirl may be identified from signatures found in signals generated by an electromagnetic sensor such as a magnetometer and/or from a mechanical sensor such as accelerometer. Additional embodiments are described. | 05-09-2013 |
20130116926 | FRACTURE CHARACTERIZATION BY INTERFEROMETRIC DRILLBIT IMAGING, TIME REVERSAL IMAGING OF FRACTURES USING DRILL BIT SEISMICS, AND MONITORING OF FRACTURE GENERATION VIA TIME REVERSED ACOUSTICS AND ELECTROSEISMICS - Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to receive radiated energy as scattered energy after the radiated energy interacts with a geologic formation, wherein the scattered energy is received at a sub-surface multi-channel sensor array that operates to transform the scattered energy into received signals, and wherein the radiated energy is provided by a sub-surface source of elastic energy; and to identify discontinuous features in the geologic formation by interferometric comparison of the received signals as elastic signals and/or electromagnetic signals among some sensors in the sensor array, or by time-reversal propagation of the received signals as elastic and/or electromagnetic signals in a numeric model of a volume of the geologic formation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 05-09-2013 |
20130128276 | Apparatus and Method for Detecting Pressure Signals - An apparatus for detecting data in a fluid pressure signal in a conduit comprises an optical fiber loop comprises a measurement section and a delay section wherein the measurement section is disposed substantially circumferentially around at least a portion of the conduit, and wherein the measurement section changes length in response to the fluid pressure signal in the conduit. A light source injects a first optical signal in a first direction into the measurement section and a second optical signal in a second direction opposite the first direction into the delay section. An optical detector senses an interference phase shift between the first optical signal and the second optical signal and outputs a first signal related thereto. | 05-23-2013 |
20130141733 | Apparatus and Method for Detecting Pressure Signals - An apparatus comprising an encoded pressure signal propagating in a fluid flowing in a conduit. An optical fiber measurement element has a reflector on one end and is disposed around at least a portion of the conduit. A light source injects a second optical signal and a third optical signal propagating in first and second optical fibers, respectively. A delay section is disposed in the second optical fiber. The second optical signal and the third optical signal are directed into the optical fiber measurement element and are reflected back from the reflective end such that at least a portion of the reflected second and third optical signals propagate through the second and first optical fibers respectively to an optical detector. The optical detector senses an interference between the reflected optical signals and outputs a first signal related thereto. | 06-06-2013 |
20130328316 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO HARVEST FLUID ENERGY IN A WELLBORE USING PRELOADED MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ELEMENTS - A magnetostrictor assembly ( | 12-12-2013 |
20140020954 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR LITHOLOGY AND MINERALOGY DETERMINATIONS - A method of characterizing a formation is disclosed. A well bore is drilled in the formation. Cuttings are retrieved from the well bore while drilling the formation and a hyperspectral image of the cuttings is continuously obtained. The hyperspectral image of the cuttings is analyzed to determine formation characteristics. | 01-23-2014 |
20140035586 | NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE LOGGING TOOL HAVING AN ARRAY OF ANTENNAS - An improved system and method for ranging while drilling, in effect, induces a dynamic hot spot on the casing of a nearby well. The induced hot spot acts as a magnetic source that can be reliably detected from within the drillstring and in such a manner as to infer the relative position and orientation of the casing to the drillstring. At least some disclosed method embodiments employ one or more rotating magnets in the drillstring, an array of at least two magnetometers in the drillstring and one or more phase-locked loops that are used to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the magnetic signal scattered off of the casing from the rotating magnetic field. The rotating magnet or magnets may be magnetic dipoles or magnetic multipoles, and may be modulated to enable the use of multiple magnetic field sources. | 02-06-2014 |
20140060821 | DOWNHOLE X-RAY SOURCE FLUID IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A method and system for determining a property of a sample of fluid in a borehole. A fluid sample is collected in a downhole tool. While collecting, X-rays are transmitted proximate the fluid from an X-ray source in the tool and an X-ray flux that is a function of a property of the fluid is detected. The detected X-ray flux data is processed to determine the property of the fluid. | 03-06-2014 |
20140340089 | MAGNETIC SENSING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS - In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to acquire a first signal from a first magnetometer at least partially disposed within a Helmholtz coil, to acquire a second signal from a second magnetometer having a sensitivity at least one thousand times less than the first magnetometer, to process the second signal to determine a N drive signal, to drive the Helmholtz coil using the drive signal so as to null an ambient Earth magnetic field surrounding the first magnetometer, and to process the first signal as one of a down hole location signal or a down hole telemetry signal, the location signal to determine a range to a sub-surface object, and the telemetry signal to provide data from down hole drilling operations. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 11-20-2014 |
20140367092 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR EVALUATING DOWNHOLE CONDITIONS THROUGH FLUID SENSING - An apparatus and method may operate to mount one or more communication assemblies relative to the exterior of a casing being placed in a borehole. Two communication assemblies can be placed in longitudinally spaced relation to one another along the casing, wherein each communication assembly is configured to obtain excitation responses from electrodes of a fluid sensing component, where the excitation responses vary based on properties of fluids in one or more regions of the annulus surrounding the casing. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. | 12-18-2014 |