Patent Application
20080001775
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several figures:
Referring to
It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that MWD/LWD tools generally contain a number of functional groups of electrical devices that each perform a specific function thereby generating their own volumes of data for reporting at the surface. Due to the high amount of data generating electronics in the BHA, often there is not enough bandwidth available for download of the various tool memories. Rig time, as is well known, is available at not insubstantial expense and is therefore desirably temporally reduced when possible. One way to reduce rig time is to speed the data dump from the MWD/LWD tool to surface computer(s). While this is of course desirable, it is not desirable to open a plurality of ports into the tool because of potential contamination and in addition simply the time it takes to clean the area of the tool surrounding the access opening and physically remove a cover.
Each of these considerations is addressed by the MWD/LWD tool arrangement disclosed herein. Referring again to
It will be appreciated from review of
As alluded to above, if each volume of memory/data needed to be dumped through the main readout connector 12, all said memory/data would have to be bussed along BHA internal bus 18 to the readout connector 12 from the other components of the MWD/LWD tool 10. Clearly this presents a bottleneck situation.
Illustrated as a portion of tool 1 (again, only by example, as the components may be placed at any or all of the tools of the MWD/LWD tool 10) is a transceiver 26 in operable communication with memory 22. While lines are utilized to signify operable communication between schematic blocks of the figure, it is to be understood that each of the lines indicating connection on
Operably communicating with transceiver 26 is an antenna 28 that is capable of propagating a wireless signal that is receivable by another antenna 32 some distance from antenna 28. It is by means of the wireless communication between antennas 28 and 32 that a benefit of the invention described herein is achieved. The term antenna is broadly used herein to include not only electromagnetic signal propagation but also to mean a device capable of transmitting and receiving the signal contemplated. For example. Where infrared (IR) is the signal type, a light emitting diode (LED) would be the “antenna” to transmit the IR signal. Further, while the antenna is illustrated as a separate component from that of the transceiver, it is to be understood that the antenna may form a part of the transceiver in some embodiments. Because of the wireless communication capability, it becomes possible to dump memory from the various components of the tools without the need to open the MWD/LWD tool 10. In order to facilitate this transfer of data from antenna to antenna, provision is required in the housing of tool 10 to allow transmission of the selected signal type through that housing. For this purpose, a window 30 is provided in the tool 10 housing, which window is pressure sealed to the housing, and transmissive to the selected signal type. In the event, for example, the signal type is electromagnetic (EM) wave, the window may be of any type of material that will not significantly attenuate the EM signal such as plastic, low carbon materials and most non-metals. In the alternative event that infrared (IR) is the transmission signal of choice, for example, the window 30 may be glass or other material transmissive to IR light. Other materials are also suitable providing they do not significantly attenuate the selective signal type. Acoustic transmission is also contemplated with window 30 being sufficiently flexible to facilitate propagation of the acoustic signal without significant attenuation. In the case of acoustic signal transmission (e.g. ultra-sonic) the window itself could be an acoustic transmitter (e.g. a piezo-crystal, which is electrically excited). In this particular case, the window could also be an antenna according to the definition noted above. The window 30 must also be constructed with sufficient strength (e.g. thickness, etc.) to withstand the downhole pressure differential between the environment inside and outside of the tool 10.
Antenna 32 is in operable communication with external transceiver 34 which is in turn configured to provide operable pass through communication with a surface computer(s) via wired or wireless connection as desired. While only one antenna-antenna interface is illustrated in tool 10 in
It is important to note that one of the advantages of the configurations described herein is that there is no intermediate memory required between the individual tool memories and the ultimate surface computer memories. That is to say the external transceiver does not contain a memory but rather passes through information in real time relative to the dump process from the tool memory. This provides for a faster data dump to the surface computer(s) and eliminates potential memory corruption at an intermediate step. The process disclosed herein is thus faster and less prone to corruption than any device of the prior art.
In one iteration of the use of the configuration and method of the disclosed invention, an antenna/transceiver 32/34 assembly may be “strapped” or otherwise maintained in register with a window 30 immediately as the window exits the borehole. Where sufficient power is available, data may immediately begin to flow from this connection before even the balance of the tool 10 is removed from the borehole. Similar antenna/transceiver assemblies may be “strapped” or otherwise maintained in register with other windows 30 of the tool 10 as they exit the borehole. The additional assemblies may employ the same or different transmission types and while the same type may even employ the same frequency, a greater rate of data transmission overall for the BHA 10 can be achieved with differing frequencies, encoding types, modulation schemes, etc. This provides for very rapid communication of information, reduces downtime of the well, maximized effectiveness of rig time and is therefore a most efficient process.
In yet a further utility of the disclosed arrangement and method, the wireless transceivers are employable to communicate to systems other than the surface computers to which they, in the above embodiments, have been disclosed to dump. For example, the transceivers may also be employed to wirelessly communicate from component to component or tool module to tool module within BHA 10. Further the transceiver(s) may be utilized with other downhole tools or with permanently installed devices in the wellbore.
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/818,043, filed Jun. 30, 2006, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60818043 | Jun 2006 | US |
