Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6369718
-
Patent Number
6,369,718
-
Date Filed
Thursday, May 13, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 9, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Ryberg; John J.
- Jeffery; Brigitte L.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 340 8533
- 340 8537
- 340 8549
- 340 8558
- 340 31001
- 340 31005
- 455 31
- 455 33
- 333 100
- 333 124
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A method and apparatus for implementing a communication network for well monitoring and control applications where a twisted pair cable bus is used to connect well-related locations. The twisted pair cable bus will exhibit high parallel impedance when used in differential mode and low series impedance in common mode. A bus supervisor and devices connected at nodes can exchange signal transmission. Communication, including data and control, signals and power signals can circulate along the twisted pair cable bus among and between the connected devices.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to oil well instrumentation and controls and more particularly to communication networks in well monitoring and control systems implemented over a communications bus.
2. Related Background Art
Permanent monitoring systems, as shown in
FIG. 1
, are used to equip subterranean wells with downhole sensors and devices, enabling the well operator to monitor and control downhole conditions in a completed well.
Generally, permanent monitoring systems are found in oil or gas wells, but can also be used in water or geothermal wells. After drilling is complete, the borehole is typically cased with casing
2
and cemented (cement annulus
3
) along its entire length in formation
4
, and closed by wellhead
5
. Typically, the casing
2
has perforations P at an oil producing zone
6
to allow the oil to enter the cased well for production Well “completion” includes the installation within the cased well
1
(With direction of production flow indicated by the arrow) of production tubulars (or tubing)
18
and downhole devices including packers
10
, valves
11
, other devices
12
and sensors
25
necessary to bring the production safely and efficiently to surface. Completion equipment typically remains installed in the well for the duration of production.
Downhole sensor
25
for measuring, for example pressure, temperature, flow, resistivity or other physical parameters, is commonly attached to the tubing
18
at selected locations.
Advanced permanent monitoring and control systems, especially useful where several zones traversed by the well are producing (as occurs, for example, in horizontal or multilateral wells) typically employ downhole sensors and actuators, controllable from the surface, to improve production efficiency of the well.
In these installations, downhole devices including, for example (with reference to FIG.
1
), packer
10
, valve
11
, other device
12
and sensor
25
, are electrically connected through cable
20
to a data acquisition device
15
usually located at the surface. The cable is permanently installed along with the tubing during well completion.
Permanent cable
20
is secured by clamps
30
to the tubing
18
and lowered into the well with the tubing. Cable
20
is used both to provide necessary electrical power to the sensors and to carry the measurement information as an electrical signal, in analog or digital form, to the data acquisition device at the surface.
In present permanent monitoring systems, permanent cable
20
is typically implemented as an encapsulated mono-wire cable
20
consisting of insulated copper mono-wire
22
housed within a stranded (conductive) armor
24
. This configuration, however, because of the harsh downhole environment, has proven difficult to maintain in an efficiently operable state for long periods of time due to degradation, the biggest problem being loss of the cable's watertight characteristics.
As illustrated in
FIG. 2
, conductive metal clad cable
20
′, comprising the insulated copper mono-conductor
22
housed in conductive metal clad armor
24
′, is now preferred to stranded armor cable for its advantages in maintaining watertight operation for longer periods of time.
The mono-wire
22
of metal clad cable
24
′ currently in use is typically an AWG#18, 7 strand copper mono-conductor with double layer insulation, having a DC resistance of 23 Ω/km. The metal clad armor
24
′ is typically stainless steel tubing having an outside diameter of 6.35 mm and a DC resistance of 9 Ω/km.
A typical application of such cable is illustrated in
FIG. 3
where, as cable
20
′ is mono-conductor, the electrical circuit between a downhole device such as sensor
25
and the surface device
15
is closed by the (conductive) metal clad armor
24
′ of the cable.
Limitations of mono-conductor cable in permanent cable applications restrict the effectiveness and utility of the current level of advancement achieved in the area of permanent monitoring systems.
For example, mono-conductor cable is not especially well adapted to use as a transmission line as the electrical parameters are not well defined and are dependent on the tubing, limiting the useful frequency bandwidth and data rate of transmission.
The mono-conductor cable can only support DC or AC power from surface to downhole to supply downhole sensors with power, and communication signals, one-way or two-way, between surface and downhole. These signals are not “floating” as they are tied to ground by the tube and tubing return path. No additional power can be sent, for example, to operate downhole actuators.
The armor (and tubing) return path in the mono-conductor cable can also be used by currents from other devices, like another sensor and its cable installed in the same well or a downhole electric motor powered from the surface through a power cable to operate a downhole pump. In such cases, unwanted signals will likely be added to the system signals and will appear as noise. Also, as the conductor and the return path are physically separated, electromagnetic signals could be induced in this circuit loop, increasing the noise level of the communication link and disturbing the wanted signal readability.
The advantages of twisted pair lines in lieu of single conductor lines in traditional communications applications are well known and have been applied to some degree in the petroleum industry.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,184 to Hassel utilizes at least two twisted pairs for above surface communications between land and offshore installations. Hassel discusses the addition of signal communication paths to a power transmission cable by replacing each power conductor with a twisted pair wire. In one embodiment, 3 signal communication paths are added to a 3 phase power cable by replacing each phase conductor by a twisted pair. In another embodiment, 2 signal communication paths are added to a 2 conductor monophase power cable by replacing each conductor by a twisted pair.
The cable of Hassel is not proposed for downhole installation inside a well, but for placement on the sea floor to link the shore and the well head. Differential connections are utilized for both communication and power transmission. Hassel is neither intended as a subsurface transmission line (i.e., for downhole well applications) and exploits the long known advantageous characteristics of utilizing twisted pairs lines in communications applications.
Another example of the application of twisted pair lines in petroleum industry applications is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,083 to Woods which discusses use of a twisted pair line to transmit DC power and analog signals (frequency) in downhole applications. DC power and two AC communication signals are multiplexed on the 2 wires of a twisted pair using a differential mode (i.e., the current is sent via the first wire and returns via the second). The multiplexing element is a transformer associated with a DC current balance circuit to avoid saturating the magnetic core of the transformer buy the transmitted DC power current.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Limitations of the prior art are overcome by the method and apparatus of the present invention of an oil well monitoring and control system communication network as described herein.
In various embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention for transmission of electrical signals, including both electrical power and communication signals, between a plurality of locations in a well, a bus supervisor is located at one of the plurality of locations with a node located at each of the remaining locations of the plurality of locations.
A bus interface at the bus supervisor and each node is capable of supporting differential and common mode connection between the bus supervisor and each node, and between the nodes themselves. The interface provides high parallel impedance for differential mode connections and low series impedance for common mode connections.
A bus electrically connects the bus supervisor and each node via the respective bus interfaces in common mode with an electrical return path to the bus supervisor for transmitting electrical power signals to or between each node location, and in differential mode for two way transmission of communication signals between the bus supervisor and nodes or between the nodes.
In alternative exemplary embodiments, the bus interface can be coupled to either a differential receiver and a coil, a differential transmitter and a coil, or it can provide galvanic insulative properties such as when implemented as a transformer.
The bus can comprise a cable comprising a pair of electrical conductors and an external armored shell housing the conductor pair. The armored shell can also be conductive and be used as the common mode electrical return path.
In a preferred embodiment, the bus is implemented as a twisted pair cable.
Communication, including data and control, signals and power, including both AC and DC, signals power can be transmitted. The bus supervisor may be located at either a surface or downhole location.
The present invention can also be adapted to multi-node and industrial bus extension applications.
Advances in the art are achieved by accommodating both power and communication applications where digital signal transmission is accomplished in differential mode, and DC or AC power transmission in common mode with return, in a preferred embodiment, via a twisted pair cable communication bus. The transformers in the various embodiments are not subject to saturation as in known implementations as the power current is automatically balanced into the two transformer primary windings. No current balancing circuit is necessary and a single twisted pair suffices for both power and communication signal transmission.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The following drawings are referenced in the detailed description which follows and are provided to facilitate a better understanding of the invention disclosed herein.
FIG. 1
illustrates a typical known permanent sensor installation for an oil well.
FIG. 2
illustrates a typical known encapsulated metal clad mono-wire cable.
FIG. 3
illustrates the electrical principle of operation of known mono-wire cable installations.
FIG. 4
a
illustrates communication signal flow of the present invention.
FIG. 4
b
illustrates power signal flow of the present invention.
FIG. 5
illustrates the network implementation of the present invention.
FIG. 6
illustrates one embodiment of the network of the present invention.
FIG. 7
illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention where galvanic insulative properties are incorporated into the network.
FIG. 8
illustrates the embodiment of
FIG. 7
extended to multiple nodes.
FIG. 9
illustrates the network of the present invention deployed as an industrial bus extension.
FIG. 10
illustrates implementation of the present invention with conventional surface and downhole equipment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In permanent monitoring and control installations and applications, it is often desirable to transmit signals between various devices useful in monitoring and controlling a well. These signals can be generalized as falling into either one of two categories: communication signals and power signals.
Communication signals include control and/or data signals which require two-way transmission capability as illustrated in
FIG. 4
a.
Power signals, including DC or AC power, are supplied to downhole devices in need of external power. Power transmission is thus effected as a one-way transmission capability as shown in
FIG. 4
b.
FIG. 5
illustrates a well communication network implementation according to the present invention which is capable of supporting such power and communication transmission.
In this illustrative embodiment, a metal clad twisted pair cable
50
is provided as a bus (
10
FIGS. 4
a
and
4
b
) for communication between devices at bus supervisor BS and those at nodes N
0
through N
i
(where, while only 3 nodes are shown for illustrative purposes, i can be any integer>0). Cable
50
, i.e., the bus, comprises a stainless steel tube
54
(with optional outer encapsulation not shown) and a twisted insulated conductor pair
53
(“twisted pair”, individual conductors
531
and
532
respectively) housed within the tube
54
. In this embodiment, the tubing is illustratively segmented into individual sections
54
a
,
54
b
and
54
c
to accommodate breakout for connecting to the individual nodes along feeds
531
0
,
531
i−1
,
531
i
, and
532
0
,
532
i−1
,
532
i
. The individual tube sections
54
a
,
54
b
and
54
c
are electrically connected via shunts
541
to provide an apparent electrically continuous tube. An unsegmented continuous tube with alternative breakout provision may also be devised.
Bus supervisor BS is connected to bus
50
via bus supervisor interface BSI Each node N
i
is connected to bus
50
via node interface N
i
I.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 4
a
and
4
b
, both communication and power signals may be transmitted by and between the various devices connected to the bus. The embodiment of
FIG. 5
supports two way transmission of communication signals including data and control signals (as shown in
FIG. 4
a
) and one way power signal transmission sourced at the bus supervisor for transmission to the individual connected nodes (as shown in
FIG. 4
b
). (Although not shown, two-way power transmission is also possible as will be discussed with respect to
FIG. 6.
)
In order to support these signal transmission capabilities, the bus characteristics are designed so as to allow common mode and differential mode connection between the bus supervisor and nodes and between the nodes themselves. According to the present invention, the bus interface will exhibit the characteristic of low series impedance when connected in common mode and high parallel impedance when connected in differential mode.
In this embodiment, the devices at each node are addressable allowing data and/or control signals to be sent to and/or received from individually identifiable devices. For addressing capabilities, the bus supervisor and nodes are equipped with (complementary) addressable circuitry as will be understood by one of skill in the art.
Power signals, in this embodiment, are sent in common to all nodes.
The devices located at the nodes will be in a “listen” state when not “busy” performing commanded action or receiving or transmitting data. In the listen state, the individual nodes will “listen” to all bus traffic (regardless of the origin of any signal, i.e., whether the signal originates at the BS or at other nodes) looking for communications specifically addressed to them, ignoring those signals bearing other addresses.
Common response operation is also possible with one (command) signal bearing a universal address or universal identifier to which all connected devices may respond.
A protocol can be implemented giving the supervisor BS prioritized status for all BS originated communications.
In one configuration the bus supervisor BS is located at surface with the nodes located downhole. In an alternative configuration, both the supervisor BS and nodes can be located downhole. However, any combination of surface and downhole locations may be devised and are envisioned to fall within the scope of this invention.
For illustrative purposes, a well communication network implementation according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
6
. While for simplicity of explanation only one node N
i
is shown, the principles of operation of the single node configuration are equally extendible to multi-node configurations as shown in FIG.
5
and as will be discussed with reference to FIG.
8
.
Bus supervisor BS, with power source
135
, is connected to bus
50
via bus supervisor interface BSI. Node N
i
is connected to bus
50
via node interface N
i
I.
In this illustrative embodiment, the bus interface BSI is implemented as a coil
102
having a center tap. The bus supervisor BS is equipped with differential receiver
101
and a differential transmitter
103
coupled across the coil outputs. Node interface N
i
I is similarly implemented as a coil
202
having a center tap. Node N
i
is equipped with a device requiring power
235
(such as an actuator), a differential receiver
201
and a differential transmitter
203
coupled across the coil outputs. Communication and power signal transmission according to the present invention are thus possible.
Bus supervisor BS and node N
i
are connected in common, or “phantom” mode for the downhole transmission of power (AC or DC). In common mode, power source
135
of bus supervisor BS is connected to the center tap of coil
102
with an electrical return path via bus armor
54
, which is connected to system ground (usually earth ground in well applications). Node N
i
is likewise connected in complementary fashion to complete the common mode connection. Device
235
, located at node N
i
, is connected to bus armor
54
and to the center tap of coil
202
. Downhole device
235
receives power transmission from DC (or AC) supply
135
over the twisted pair
53
in “phantom” mode with return by armor
54
. In phantom mode, both wires
531
,
532
of the twisted pair
53
are electrically connected in parallel, with return by the cable armor
54
.
Although in this embodiment power transmission is from supervisor BS to node N
i
, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the system of the present invention is a symmetrical system through which power could also be sent from node N
i
to another device at another node for example.
Bus supervisor BS and node N
i
are connected in differential mode for the (two-way) transmission of communication (data and control) signals. In differential mode, differential receiver
101
and differential transmitter
103
of bus supervisor BS are connected to the conductors of twisted pair
53
of bus
50
. Node N
i
is likewise connected in complementary fashion to complete the differential mode connection.
The network implemented in this fashion will exhibit the desired characteristics set forth above of high parallel impedance in differential mode and low series impedance in common mode.
Design criteria may dictate, for example, in circumstances dependent upon the types of devices installed or where the bus will run over great distances, or where there is concern that a current loop may be formed through the system electronics, that galvanic insulation be used to protect the system electronics.
FIG. 7
illustrates such an embodiment of the present invention where galvanic insulation is incorporated.
In lieu of the bus interfaces as implemented in the embodiment of
FIG. 6
, the bus interfaces for both the bus supervisor BSI and for the node N
i
are implemented as transformers
120
and
220
respectively. The bus supervisor and device at node N
i
are thus insulated from undesired current loops or noise interference, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
Alternative combinations of the various types of interfaces described in the foregoing embodiments are possible depending on system needs as will be understood by one skilled in the art.
The embodiment of
FIG. 8
is an example of the network of the present invention deployed in permanent monitoring and control applications.
In
FIG. 8
, as referenced above, the present invention is implemented in a multi-node network with galvanic insulation protection. This embodiment illustrates many of the advantageous features of the present invention including galvanic insulation and multi-device capability. As mentioned previously, while in one embodiment the bus supervisor is located at the surface and all nodes downhole, an alternative embodiment can be devised, for example, where all locations are downhole—i.e., the bus supervisor as well as all nodes are downhole.
An AC or DC power path from supply
135
is required to supply power to operate downhole actuators
235
0
-through
235
i
. Phantom mode of the present invention is used to provide this power path. In addition to a power signals for powering downhole devices, other communication signals including sensor data signals and control signals from surface to downhole devices are multiplexed over the twisted pair, using known multiplexing techniques.
Several advantages of the twisted pair cable bus of the present invention will be evident.
As the bus supervisor-node (eg., surface receiver/downhole sensor) communication circuit does not use the cable tube nor the completion tubing as the return path, crosstalk from other sensors and noise from electrical pumping equipment installed in the same well are avoided. The circuit is floating with respect to ground, allowing differential voltage techniques (differential transmitter, differential receiver) to be used to attain improved noise rejection.
As mentioned previously, galvanic insulation between surface and downhole equipment serves to limit noise interference and prevent a current loop through electronics connected on the bus. Whether galvanic insulation is required will depend on design criteria established in consideration of such factors as the length of the bus and the types of devices connected on the bus.
In addition to downhole sensor power supply current, power in the form of both DC or AC current can be sent to downhole actuators, using the twisted pair
53
in phantom, i.e., both pair wires
531
,
532
electrically connected in parallel with return by cable armor
54
. For power transmission, this phantom mode is not sensitive to possible induced noise.
Because of the well defined characteristic impedance of the twisted pair of the present invention, its full bandwidth can be exploited for data transmission.
Additionally, the influence of perturbing electromagnetic fields is strongly limited by the twist of the two wires
531
,
532
of twisted pair
53
, as one circuit loop is compensated for by the following loop. Perturbations will be induced in common mode, i.e., identically on both wires at the same time, and the voltage difference between the two twisted pair wires will not be disturbed.
As illustratively shown in the alternative embodiment of
FIG. 9
, the present invention can be deployed as a downhole extension of an industrial bus. A majority of commercially available industrial buses used in factory automation and industrial control systems (for example, Profibus, Interbus, DeviceNet, Fieldbus Foundation, WorldFIP) support a twisted pair bus as the physical interconnection layer. The industrial bus is essentially a surface control and data acquisition system. Cable
50
of the present invention is used to extend this type of bus into the wellbore to connect downhole devices compliant with the bus protocol. Surface industrial bus
100
and downhole industrial bus
200
can thus be extended via the network implemented according to the present invention.
One distinct advantage of this architecture is that dedicated acquisition systems for the downhole sensors can be avoided. Available commercial bus controllers and their software can be used.
FIG. 10
shows an illustrative embodiment of the present invention useful in permanent monitoring installations with currently used equipment. Surface device
15
, the bus supervisor, is connected to bus
50
via a differential connection. Downhole sensor
25
at node N
i
is connected to bus
50
via a differential connection as well. Bus armor
54
is earth ground. Sensor
25
comprises signal transmitter
204
and sensor electronics
205
. Device
15
comprises dc power supply
122
and signal receiver
124
. Sensor
25
is powered from device
15
through bus
50
and transmits data to device
15
through via bus
50
. Stainless steel tube
54
is connected to earth ground as shown.
Advantages of the illustrative embodiment of
FIG. 10
over current implementations include improved noise immunity to eventual parasitic currents in the tubing and electromagnetic perturbing fields. Sensor
25
can still be grounded downhole (often, admissible voltage between sensing element and sensor case is to be limited or null for the sensor to operate with its full accuracy) without penalty. At surface, the receiver
124
(and eventually the downhole sensor power supply) remains floating or differential.
As seen, in the foregoing illustrative embodiments, bus
50
has been implemented as a twisted pair armored cable. In these embodiments, the stainless steel tube or armor
54
of cable
50
was chosen to have an outside diameter of 6.35 mm, a 9 Ω/km DC resistance and a characteristic impedance of 95Ω. The conductors
531
,
532
of twisted pair
53
were chosen to be each AWG#20, 7 strand, tinned copper conductors, each with double layer insulation and each presenting a 34 Ω/km DC resistance. These characteristics are merely illustrative based on a particular set of design criteria. Variations forming any adequate combination for the intended use can be employed as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
The present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments thereof. It is to be understood, however, that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and are not intended to be exclusive embodiments. It should further be understood that the foregoing and many various modifications, omissions and additions may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. Apparatus for transmission of electrical signals, including both electrical power and communication signals, between plurality of locations in a subterranean well, the apparatus comprising:a bus supervisor located at one of the plurality of locations; a node located at each of the remaining locations of the plurality of locations; a bus interface at the bus supervisor and each node, the interface capable of supporting differential and common mode connection between the bus supervisor and each node, and between the nodes themselves, the interface providing high parallel impedance for differential mode connections and low series impedance for common mode connections; and a bus electrically connecting the bus supervisor and each node via the respective bus interfaces in common mode with an electrical return path to the bus supervisor for transmitting electrical power signals to or between each node location, and in differential mode for two way transmission of communication signals between the bus supervisor and nodes or between the nodes.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one bus interface is coupled to a differential receiver and a coil.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one bus interface is coupled to a differential transmitter and a coil.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus supervisor is located at a surface location.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus supervisor is located at a downhole location.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication signals include control signals.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication signals include data signals.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one bus interface provides galvanic insulative properties.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the at least one bus interface is a transformer.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus is a cable comprising a pair of electrical conductors.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the conductor pair is a twisted pair.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the bus supervisor serves as an extension of an industrial bus.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the cable further comprises an external armored shell housing the conductor pair.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the armored shell is conductive.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the common mode electrical return path is through the armored shell.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the electrical power is DC current.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the electrical power is AC current.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the conductive outer shell has an outer insulative encapsulation.
- 19. Method for transmission of electrical signals, including both electrical power and communication signals, between plurality of locations in a subterranean well, method comprising the steps of:locating a bus supervisor at one of the plurality of locations; locating a node at each of the remaining locations of the plurality of locations; providing differential and common mode connection between the bus supervisor and each node, and between the nodes themselves via a bus interface at the bus supervisor and at each node, the interface providing high impedance for differential mode connections and low impedance for common mode connections. electrically connecting the bus supervisor and each node by a bus via the respective bus interfaces in common mode with an electrical return path to the bus supervisor for transmitting electrical power signals to or between each mode location, and in differential mode for two way transmission of communication signals between the bus supervisor and nodes or between the nodes.
- 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the bus supervisor is located at a downhole location.
- 21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of the providing galvanic insulation between the bus supervisor and nodes via the bus interface.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the bus interface is a transformer.
- 23. The method of claim 19 wherein the bus supervisor is located at a surface location.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the bus supervisor serves as an extension of an industrial bus.
- 25. The method of claim 19 where the step of electrically connecting the bus supervisor and nodes is performed by providing a cable comprising a pair of electrical conductors.
- 26. The method of claim 25 wherein the electrical return path for the common mode connection is effected through an external conductive armored shell of the cable, the shell housing the conductor pair.
- 27. The method of claims 25 wherein the conductor pair is a twisted pair.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9810940 |
May 1998 |
GB |
|
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Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4017845 |
Killian et al. |
Apr 1977 |
A |
5257006 |
Graham et al. |
Oct 1993 |
A |
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2 188 818 |
Oct 1987 |
GB |
WO 9217968 |
Oct 1992 |
WO |