In some oil and gas production environments, it may be desirable to collect data from downhole sensors.
Reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the drawings and descriptions that follow, like parts are typically marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawn figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the disclosure may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of certain elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. The present disclosure may be implemented in embodiments of different forms.
Specific embodiments are described in detail and are shown in the drawings, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure, and is not intended to limit the disclosure to that illustrated and described herein. It is to be fully recognized that the different teachings of the embodiments discussed herein may be employed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desired results.
Unless otherwise specified, use of the terms “connect,” “engage,” “couple,” “attach,” or any other like term describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit the interaction to direct interaction between the elements and may also include indirect interaction between the elements described. Unless otherwise specified, use of the terms “up,” “upper,” “upward,” “uphole,” “upstream,” or other like terms shall be construed as generally away from the bottom, terminal end of a well; likewise, use of the terms “down,” “lower,” “downward,” “downhole,” “downstream,” or other like terms shall be construed as generally toward the bottom, terminal end of a well, regardless of the wellbore orientation. Use of any one or more of the foregoing terms shall not be construed as denoting positions along a perfectly vertical axis. Unless otherwise specified, use of the term “subterranean formation” shall be construed as encompassing both areas below exposed earth and areas below earth covered by water such as ocean or fresh water.
As used herein, the term “substantially” in reference to a given parameter means and includes to a degree that one skilled in the art would understand that the given parameter, property, or condition is met with a small degree of variance, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances. For example, a parameter that is substantially met may be at least about 90% met, at least about 95% met, at least about 99% met, or even at least about 100% met.
It is often most efficient to package pressure and/or temperature sensors into a downhole gauge (e.g., within a gauge housing of the downhole gauge), such as a Permanent Downhole Gauge (PDG), for monitoring downhole (e.g., reservoir) pressures and/or temperatures, among other measurements. Historically downhole gauge packaging has been limited to two pressure/temperature sensor sets. This design practice limits the downhole gauge to either both sensors monitoring the same pressure/temperature source (e.g., redundant measurement) or the downhole gauge can monitor two different pressure/temperature sources with two single sensors. Historically, in those situations where a third pressure source is desired, or redundant sensor sets for each pressure/temperature source is desired, one or more housings are added adjacent (e.g., radially offset and either axially aligned or axially offset, and coupled via a block splitter) thereto or there below (e.g., axially offset and radially offset or radially aligned) to obtain the additional pressure/temperature measurements. Adding sensors in this manner either requires the gauge mandrel, or other host tubular, to increase in OD to protect the downhole gauge or the gauge mandrel, or the other host tubular to be considerably longer. Additionally, when downhole gauges are axially added together, a short segment of Tubing Encapsulated Conductor (TEC) is required to connect the downhole gauges. Each TEC connection adds a potential leak point to the downhole gauges, which is undesirable.
The present disclosure teaches one skilled in the art how to package three or more sensors/sensor sets into a single gauge housing (e.g., single cylindrical gauge housing) of a downhole gauge, which heretofore was not feasible. This new three or more sensor downhole gauge design reduces the overall size of the downhole gauge, as well reduces the number of potential leak paths and/or failure points. Moreover, the new three or more sensor downhole gauge design may employ a newly developed single board for each of the three or more sensor, each single board including both the communications electronics and sensor electronics in a Hybrid ASIC (e.g., collectively forming a sensor set). This new Hybrid ASIC has allowed the downhole gauge to achieve an acceptable length, all the while including three or more sensors. Accordingly, in one or more embodiments a single TEC (e.g., single TEC path) may communicate with each of the three or more sensors of the downhole gauge. Moreover, the new three or more sensor downhole gauge design may be a splitter less design, and thus not employ a block splitter to accommodate the multiple radially offset downhole gauges.
The new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set may be used for a variety of different purposes. In at least one embodiment, the new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set is just another pressure and/or temperature sensor. In another embodiment, the new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set is a water cut sensor, phase change sensor (e.g., steam break through sensor), an accelerometer (e.g., vibration sensor) or gyroscope (e.g., orientation sensor). In another embodiment, the new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set is a position sensor, as might be used for determining a position of an interval control valve (ICV). In yet another embodiment, the new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set is a CO2, H2 or H2S sensor, among others. Notwithstanding, the new third (e.g., or more) sensor/sensor set should not be limited to any specific sensor, and thus may include many different pressure and/or temperature sensors.
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The sensor array 102, in the illustrated embodiment, is deployed within a wellbore 115, e.g., a well for the production of oil, natural gas, water, or another subterranean resource. Each downhole gauge 105 of the sensor array 102 may be used to collect data related to at least one of a pressure and/or a temperature, among others, at a particular location within the wellbore 115. For example, each downhole gauge 105 of the sensor array 102 may collect data relating to conditions within a string of tubular components (e.g., a production string) positioned in the wellbore 115, data relating to conditions in an annulus between the string and the wellbore 115 itself, or combinations thereof, again among others. For example, ones of the downhole gauges 105 of the sensor array 102 may be positioned outside of the production string in the wellbore annulus between the string and a casing or liner string adjacent the wall of the wellbore 115.
In some embodiments, the ones of the downhole gauges 105 of the sensor array 102 may be placed in direct communication with an interior of the production string in the wellbore. For example, ones of the downhole gauges 105 of the sensor array 102 may be coupled to the outside of the production string and one or more apertures in the production string may place the ones of the downhole gauge 105 of the sensor array 102 in communication with the interior of the production string (e.g., in direct communication with pressure and/or temperature inside the production string via the apertures). Data from each individual downhole gauge 105 may be combined to provide information about a pressure and/or temperature profile within the wellbore 115 along a length of the wellbore 115 along which the sensor array 102 is deployed.
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The downhole gauge 200, in the illustrated embodiment, additionally includes a TEC 220 coupled with a first end 215a of the gauge housing 210 (e.g., the first gauge housing section 210a), as well as a hydraulic line 230 (e.g., coupled to a remote pressure source) coupled with a second end 215b of the gauge housing 210 (e.g., the fifth gauge housing section 210e). The TEC 220, in the illustrated embodiment, terminates within the gauge housing 210 proximate a TEC connection 225 coupled with the first gauge housing section 210a. Similarly, the hydraulic line 230 terminates at a hydraulic line connection 235 coupled with the fifth gauge housing section 210e.
In accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure, the downhole gauge 200 includes three or more sensors located within the gauge housing 210. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of
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Additionally, the downhole gauge 500 may include an internal wire passageway 550, such that a wire (e.g., TEC) may traverse the length of the downhole gauge 500. Thus, rather than the downhole gauge 500 having the hydraulic line 230 and hydraulic line connection 235, the downhole gauge 500 may include a second TEC 520 and associated second TEC connection 525.
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A downhole gauge according to the present disclosure has many benefits. For example, a downhole gauge with three or more sensors (e.g., three or more pressure and/or temperature sensors) minimizes TEC terminations, minimizes downhole gauge length (e.g., vs adding downhole gauge below) and minimizes potential leak paths. A downhole gauge with three or more sensors (e.g., three or more pressure and/or temperature sensors) also minimizes downhole gauge “footprint” on the gauge mandrel, reduces gauge mandrel OD, and enables installation of downhole gauge in tight casing scenarios. Similarly, the downhole gauge with hydraulic connection at the bottom eliminates the need to machine hydraulic channels in the gauge mandrel to enable the downhole gauge to monitor a remote zone, reduces gauge mandrel complexity, and minimizes gauge mandrel OD. Furthermore, a downhole gauge with three or more sensors (e.g., three or more pressure and/or temperature sensors) provides additional monitoring capabilities, reduced complexity (e.g., vs installing separate tool(s)) and reduces potential leak paths. Likewise, a downhole gauge with three pressure and/or temperature sensors, and the option to add additional sensors, along with a TEC feedthrough, enables multi-drop capability.
Aspects disclosed herein include:
A. A downhole gauge for use in a wellbore, the downhole gauge including: 1) a gauge housing, the gauge housing having a first end and a second opposing end; and 2) first, second and third sensors located within an interior of the gauge housing between the first end and the second opposing end.
B. A well system, the well system including: 1) a wellbore extending through one or more subterranean formations; 2) a tubular located within the wellbore; and 3) a downhole gauge coupled with the tubular within the wellbore, the downhole gauge including: a) a gauge housing, the gauge housing having a first end and a second opposing end; and b) first, second and third sensors located within an interior of the gauge housing between the first end and the second opposing end.
C. A method, the method including: 1) positioning a tubular within a wellbore extending through one or more subterranean formations, the tubular having a downhole gauge coupled therewith, the downhole gauge including: a) a gauge housing, the gauge housing having a first end and a second opposing end; and b) first, second and third sensors located within an interior of the gauge housing between the first end and the second opposing end; and 2) measuring one or more properties within the wellbore using the first, second and third sensors located within the interior of the gauge housing.
Aspects A, B, and C may have one or more of the following additional elements in combination: Element 1: further including a tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) coupled to the first end of the gauge housing using a tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) connection. Element 2: wherein the tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) is a first tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC), and further including a second tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) coupled to the second end of the gauge housing using a second tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) connection. Element 3: further including one or more internal wire passageways extending from the first and second opposing ends of the gauge housing, the one or more internal wire passageways configured to couple the first tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC) and the second tubing encapsulated conductor (TEC). Element 4: wherein the gauge housing includes a plurality of interconnected gauge housing sections. Element 5: wherein the first sensor is a first pressure and/or temperature sensor, the first pressure and/or temperature sensor configured to measure a first pressure and/or temperature in an inside diameter (ID) of tubing that the downhole gauge is coupled. Element 6: wherein the second sensor is a second pressure and/or temperature sensor, the second pressure and/or temperature sensor configured to measure a second pressure and/or temperature in an annulus surrounding the tubing that the downhole gauge is coupled. Element 7: wherein the third sensor is a third pressure and/or temperature sensor, the third pressure and/or temperature sensor configured to measure a third pressure and/or temperature of a remote zone. Element 8: further including a fourth sensor located within the interior the gauge housing, the fourth sensor not configured to measure pressure and/or temperature. Element 9: wherein one or more of the first, second and third sensors is a sensor set, each sensor set including communication electronics and sensor electronics on a single board. Element 10: wherein the downhole gauge is a first downhole gauge, and further including a second downhole gauge coupled with the tubular within the wellbore, the first and second downhole gauges forming a sensor array, the second downhole gauge including: i) a second gauge housing, the second gauge housing having opposing ends; and ii) a second set of first, second and third sensors located within an interior of the second gauge housing between the opposing ends.
Those skilled in the art to which this application relates will appreciate that other and further additions, deletions, substitutions and modifications may be made to the described embodiments.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/425,349, filed on Nov. 15, 2022, entitled “MULTI-SENSOR PERMANENT DOWNHOLE GAUGE,” commonly assigned with this application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63425349 | Nov 2022 | US |