METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COUPLING DOWNHOLE TOOLS FROM DIFFERENT WELL BORES

BACKGROUND

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for coupling multiple downhole tools from different well bores. In particular, the present disclosure relates to methods and systems for sharing information and/or data between multiple downhole tools from different well bores by a cloud telemetry system in oil and gas industries.

Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation, referred to as a reservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. During drilling and at other stages of exploration through production, various downhole tools may be used to evaluate, analyze, and monitor the well bore and surrounding formation and geological strata. These various tools may be quite complex and require both automated software and hardware components.

The downhole tools may comprise one or more embedded systems which acquire and measure data from sensors, excite signals to the formation, control operational state, and transmit data to the surface, for example among other functions and operations not currently listed. Typically, the downhole tools may communicate among themselves in a single well bore. However, the downhole tools may require information or data from other tools located in other locations as well as sharing common information and data.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one aspect of the present disclosures, a method for coupling downhole tools from different well bores comprises establishing a communication network between the downhole tools, addressing the downhole tools, providing communication channels between the downhole tools, and synchronizing data communications between the downhole tools via the communication channels. In the method disclosed herein, network sessions for the data communications may be autonomously joined or created by the downhole tools.

The method may further comprise providing hosting and master services to the downhole tools. In some embodiments of the disclosures herein, each of the communication channels may be secured with at least one of token and password, the downhole tools may be addressed via a telemetry cloud system, and the communication channels may be bi-directional channels to transfer bi-directional information and/or data between the downhole tools. In some examples of disclosures, each the downhole tools may be included in a BHA (Bottom Hole Assembly) system.

In another aspect of the present disclosures, a system for coupling downhole tools from different well bores comprises two or more downhole tools and a network system. The network system is configured to establish a communication network between the downhole tools, address the downhole tools, provide communication channels between the downhole tools, and synchronize data communications between the downhole tools via the communication channels. In the system disclosed herein, each of the downhole tools may autonomously join to or create at least one network session for the data communications.

The system may further comprise a server for providing hosting and master services to the downhole tools. In some embodiments of the disclosures herein, each of the communication channels may be secured with at least one of token and password. The network system may comprise a telemetry cloud system, and the downhole tools may be addressed via the telemetry cloud system. The communication channels may be bi-directional channels to transfer bi-directional information and/or data between the multiple downhole tools. In some examples of disclosures, each of the downhole tools may be included in a BHA (Bottom Hole Assembly) system.

Advantages and novel features of the disclosures will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading the materials herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of a downhole apparatus and components thereof according to the disclosures herein are described with reference to the following figures. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a wellsite system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of one example of a system according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing one example of a method according to embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 4 a schematic illustration of one example of multiple BHA addressing scheme in the cloud telemetry system, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative embodiments and aspects of the present disclosure are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the disclosure herein.

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one aspect,” “an aspect,” or “some aspects” means that a particular feature, structure, method, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, methods, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The words “including” and “having” shall have the same meaning as the word “comprising.”

As used throughout the specification and claims, the term “downhole” refers to a subterranean environment, particularly in a wellbore. “Downhole tool” is used broadly to mean any tool used in a subterranean environment including, but not limited to, a logging tool, an imaging tool, an acoustic tool, a permanent monitoring tool, and a combination tool.

The various techniques disclosed herein may be utilized to facilitate and improve data acquisition and analysis in downhole tools and systems. In this, downhole tools and systems are provided that utilize arrays of sensing devices that are configured or designed for easy attachment and detachment in downhole sensor tools or modules that are deployed for purposes of sensing data relating to environmental and tool parameters downhole, within a borehole.

The tools and sensing systems disclosed herein may effectively sense and store characteristics relating to components of downhole tools as well as formation parameters at elevated temperatures and pressures. Chemicals and chemical properties of interest in oilfield exploration and development may also be measured and stored by the sensing systems contemplated by the present disclosure.

The sensing systems herein may be incorporated in tool systems such as wireline logging tools, measurement-while-drilling and logging-while-drilling tools, permanent monitoring systems, drill bits, drill collars, sondes, among others. For purposes of this disclosure, when any one of the terms wireline, cable line, slickline or coiled tubing or conveyance is used it is understood that any of the referenced deployment means, or any other suitable equivalent means, may be used with the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Moreover, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

In the specification and appended claims: the terms “connect”, “connection”, “connected”, “in connection with”, and “connecting” are used to mean “in direct connection with” or “in connection with via one or more elements”; and the term “set” is used to mean “one element” or “more than one element”. Further, the terms “couple”, “coupling”, “coupled”, “coupled together”, and “coupled with” are used to mean “directly coupled together” or “coupled together via one or more elements”. As used herein, the terms “up” and “down”, “upper” and “lower”, “upwardly” and downwardly”, “upstream” and “downstream”; “above” and “below”; and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wellsite system in which the present disclosure can be employed. The wellsite can be onshore or offshore. In this exemplary system, a borehole 11 is formed in subsurface formations by rotary drilling in a manner that is well known. Embodiments of the present disclosure can also use directional drilling.

A drill string 12 is suspended within the borehole 11 and has a bottom hole assembly (BHA) 100 which includes a drill bit 105 at its lower end. The surface system includes platform and derrick assembly 10 positioned over the borehole 11, the assembly 10 including a rotary table 16, kelly 17, hook 18 and rotary swivel 19. The drill string 12 is rotated by the rotary table 16, energized by means not shown, which engages the kelly 17 at the upper end of the drill string. The drill string 12 is suspended from a hook 18, attached to a traveling block, through the kelly 17 and a rotary swivel 19 which permits rotation of the drill string relative to the hook. As is well known, a top drive system could alternatively be used.

In the example of this embodiment, the surface system further includes drilling fluid or mud 26 stored in a pit 27 formed at the well site. A pump 29 delivers the drilling fluid 26 to the interior of the drill string 12 via a port in the swivel 19, causing the drilling fluid to flow downwardly through the drill string 12 as indicated by the directional arrow 8. The drilling fluid exits the drill string 12 via ports in the drill bit 105, and then circulates upwardly through the annulus region between the outside of the drill string and the wall of the borehole, as indicated by the directional arrows 9. In this well-known manner, the drilling fluid lubricates the drill bit 105 and carries formation cuttings up to the surface as it is returned to the pit 27 for recirculation.

The bottom hole assembly 100 of the illustrated embodiment has a logging-while-drilling (LWD) module 120, a measuring-while-drilling (MWD) module 130, a roto-steerable system and motor 150, and drill bit 105.

The LWD module 120 is housed in a special type of drill collar, as is known in the art, and can contain one or a plurality of known types of logging tools. It will also be understood that more than one LWD and/or MWD module can be employed, e.g. as represented at 120A. (References, throughout, to a module at the position of 120 can alternatively mean a module at the position of 120A as well.) The LWD module includes capabilities for measuring, processing, and storing information, as well as for communicating with the surface equipment. In the present embodiment, the LWD module includes a sonic measuring device.

The MWD module 130 is also housed in a special type of drill collar, as is known in the art, and can contain one or more devices for measuring characteristics of the drill string and drill bit. The MWD tool further includes an apparatus (not shown) for generating electrical power to the downhole system. This may typically include a mud turbine generator powered by the flow of the drilling fluid, it being understood that other power and/or battery systems may be employed. In the present embodiment, the MWD module includes one or more of the following types of measuring devices: a weight-on-bit measuring device, a torque measuring device, a vibration measuring device, a shock measuring device, a stick slip measuring device, a direction measuring device, and an inclination measuring device.

Downhole tools and/or logging tools may generally comprise one or more embedded systems that acquire and measure data from sensors, excite signals to the formation, control operational state, and transmit data to the surface, among other functions and operations not currently listed. However, the communication between downhole tools are currently limited to a single Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) located in a single well bore. Communication between the downhole tools of different BHAs in different locations in real time has not been done with previous systems.

One of previous systems could be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0194584 that describes surface communication connected to a single well bore and wireless channels used to communicate at the surface. However, by using embodiments of the disclosure herein, downhole tools inside of a well bore would be able to communicate to at least one of other downhole tools in another wellbore, using any IAN/WAN physical medium available. Surface communication is not necessary to communicate between BHAs, except to simply provide communication channels via the IAN/WAN.

Another previous system could be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2008/0184269 that describes transmission of data over a network via a software application, which identifies an event as a result to the input to remotely control the execution. While some of the embodiments of the disclosure herein use a cloud based identification scheme, which is not limited to physical addressing system, to exchange bi-directional information and data and to synchronize data between multiple masters in the BHA.

Still another previous system could be also found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/1240818 that describes host communication gateway, hardware and software interface, would allow field device, remote terminal unit, and control system to communicate through multiple communication infrastructures back end for remote instrumentations. While embodiments of the disclosure herein provide the ability to the BHAs themselves to communicate with each other, regardless of the communication infrastructure for tool specific usage, i.e., data exchange, not limited to remote instrumentations. Also, in some examples, a server acts as a center hub of information to route data across various BHAs, not limited to a specific data type.

Some embodiments of systems in the disclosures herein may allow the downhole tools of multiple BHAs at multiple locations to communicate with each other in real time. Such embodiments of systems for the various downhole tools are able to share common data and to make accurate decision downhole when connected to a network cloud telemetry system (hereinafter refer to also as “cloud system”) for cloud computing via Internet Area Network (IAN) and/or wide area network (WAN). Cloud computing generally refers to a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices handle the applications.

Some of the embodiments of the disclosures herein, for example, cover one or more components (or elements) of the non-limiting listing that follows:

(i) Technique to establish secure communication network between multiple downhole tool systems included in the BHA (hereinafter refer to also as “BHA systems”) via WAN and/or IAN.

(ii) Scheme to address multiple BHA systems via a cloud telemetry system.

(iii) Communication channels to transfer bi-directional information and/or data between multiple master telemetries in multiple BHA systems via a cloud system.

(iv) Method to synchronize data communication between multiple BHA systems via WAN and/or IAN.

(v) Embedded software framework or operating system inside each of the BHA systems to autonomously join to or create a WAN or IAN network session.

(vi) Cloud service or centralized telemetry server to host and to provide master services to multiple telemetry network.

Referring generally to FIG. 2, a cloud telemetry system 200 for two or more embedded downhole tools included in BHA systems 300 from different well bores located at locations 1, 2, . . . , N is illustrated. Reference Roman numerals (i) to (vi) in FIG. 2 refer to the aforementioned components of embodiments of the disclosure herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of one example of a system for coupling downhole tools from different well bores. FIG. 3 is a flowchart 3000 showing one example of a method for coupling downhole tools from different well bores. In FIG. 2, a secure communication network 400 is established between multiple BHA systems 300 via a server 500 which may function as an authentication server (see step S3002 in FIG. 3). In each BHA systems 300, a key 302 as a token is used to symbolize a secure communications network 500 between multiple BHA systems 300 via WAN and/or IAN.

Each of the BHA systems 300 is identified by an addressing scheme (see step S3004 in FIG. 3), which is a scheme to address multiple BHA systems via the cloud telemetry system 200. The scheme itself is more clearly represented by FIG. 4, in which the first (N1) and Nth location (Nx) of BHA systems 300 are shown. The individual BHA systems are addressed using the addressing scheme in FIG. 2, resulting in BHA Address #1, BHA Address #2, and BHA Address #N, for as many BHA systems 300 are connected (only three are shown in this example).

Communication channels 600 are provided between the downhole tools in BHA systems 300 of (see step S3006 in FIG. 3), which are used to transfer bi-directional information and/or data between multiple master telemetries in the BHA systems 300 via the cloud telemetry system 200. The data communications with the communication channels 600 between the BHA systems 300 via WAN and IAN may be synchronized by the cloud telemetry system 200 (see step S3008 in FIG. 3).

Going back to the BHA systems 300 including one or more downhole tools, software framework or operating system 304 is embedded in each of the BHA systems 300, which is installed in hardware such as a computer of the BHA systems 300. The embedded software frameworks or operating systems 304 inside of the BHA systems 300 are configured to autonomously join to or create the WAN or IAN network session.

The server 400 may be an overall cloud service server or centralized telemetry server to host and/or provide master services to multiple telemetry networks 500.

By implementing embodiments of the disclosures herein, the communication between the BHA systems including one or more downhole tools are no longer limited to a single BHA system during operation.

In some embodiments, the system of disclosures herein may comprise one or more of the following modules:

[Module 1] Communication or Telemetry authentication token and channel,

[Module 2] Multiple BHA addressing scheme in a cloud telemetry system,

[Module 3] Communication channels to transfer bi-directional information between multiple master telemetries in BHA systems via the cloud telemetry system,

[Module 4] Module to synchronize data communications between multiple BHA systems via WAN and/or IAN,

[Module 5] Embedded Software Framework or Operating System inside each of BHA systems to autonomously join to or create a WAN or IAN network session, and

[Module 6] Cloud service or centralized telemetry server to host and to provide master services to multiple telemetry networks.

In the Module 1, communication authentication between multiple BHA systems 300 and the server 400 are secured by means of key-pair based modules or user configurable password. Only authorized personnel would be able to join or create a telemetry sessions. Furthermore, data transmission from one BHA system 300 to another BHA system 300 may be encrypted using TLS security protocol to provide integrity to the data.

In the Module 2, once a new BHA system joins an active cloud session, a specific address can be assigned either by user's input or automatically by the master BHA system in the cloud system. The addressing mechanism may be based on the number of BHA systems participating in the session combined with the local addresses of each downhole tool connected within a specific BHA system.

In the Module 3, communications between different BHA systems may be using standard IP protocols while in the cloud telemetry system, and communications within each BHA system may be based on EIP (standard wireline telemetry protocol) or Mud Pulse Telemetry (standard DNM telemetry protocols). A protocol translation between [IP and EIP] or [IP to Mud Pulse] may be done at the surface node on each BHA system. Mix of different downhole/BHA protocols may be also possible with the help of this translation modules.

In the Module 4, to ensure that each node in the cloud system is synchronized to each other, each node may have a GPS based synchronization module in addition to network synchronization timing based on the standard Network Time Protocol. With both of these protocols implemented, data or command from one BHA system to the others may be possible within milliseconds accuracy.

In the Module 5, the master node on each BHA system may implement an embedded software framework which allows the downhole tools to join automatically to the cloud session. This framework may provide authentication, data transport, synchronization, data translation, and real-time operating system for each BHA system. A high level tool which acts as master node in a specific time range may also implement this framework to time-share its master implementation.

In the Module 6, one of the modules in this system may be the main server located in the cloud telemetry system. This server may provide Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS). As a PaaS, the server may provide deliverables to the users and stakeholders, while providing reliable and secure communications with each BHA location. As a SaaS, the server may provide additional computing or processing power to all BHA systems connected (in real-time) and to user's software to combine multiple deliverables into a single answer product. Multiple server may join together to increase computing power to deliver more complex algorithms as needed.

Although only a few example embodiments have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without materially departing from this disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 for any limitations of any of the claims herein, except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words ‘means for’ together with an associated function.

According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the comparatively less expensive materials can be modified to exhibit required properties of strength and corrosion resistance sufficient to either equal or exceed current requirements for service.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe certain embodiments. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosures to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COUPLING DOWNHOLE TOOLS FROM DIFFERENT WELL BORES

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