Distributed remote logging

• US 10,094,213 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE Company, LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE Company, LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Guijt, Peter J., Smith, Nigel N., Young, Douglas C., Andrade, Harold, Castillo, Homero C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASILLASHERNANDEZ, OMAR
• Application Number:
  US15/600,035
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 340850, 340851
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/26 Storing data down-hole, e.g. in a memory or on a record carrier

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for remote well logging. Methods include conducting, with a plurality of remote well operation control hosts operating on corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems, a well logging operation using a well logging system at a logging site, wherein the well logging system includes a conveyance device having disposed thereon a first logging instrument and a second logging instrument; operating the first logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a first remote well operation control host of the plurality; and operating the second logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a second remote well operation control host of the plurality different than the first. Methods include transmitting a virtual presence feed associated with a logging site supervisor from the logging site to at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems.

Claims

1. A method of remote well logging, the method comprising:

conducting, with a plurality of remote well operation control hosts operating on corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems, a well logging operation using a well logging system at a logging site, wherein the well logging system includes a conveyance device having disposed thereon a first logging instrument and a second logging instrument, comprising;

operating the first logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a first remote well operation control host of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts, the first remote well operation control host remote from the logging site, including conveying the conveyance device to intersect a volume of interest relating to the first logging instrument via tool commands from the first remote well operation control host;

assigning control of the conveyance device, upon the device intersecting the volume of interest, from the first of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts to a second remote well operation control host of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts different than the first; and

operating the second logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from the second remote well operation control host.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

acquiring raw well logging data from the first logging instrument and the second logging instrument by a local well operation control host on a corresponding well logging data acquisition management system at the logging site;

mirroring the acquired raw well logging data to at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts;

issuing a further command from at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts responsive to the acquired raw well logging data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identically processing the logging data at the local well operation control host in parallel with processing the logging data at the plurality of remote well operation control hosts.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, during a logging operation, using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit substantially all raw well logging data generated by the first logging instrument and the second logging instrument from the logging site to at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts;

and

using the logging data to control the logging operation with at least one second command in substantially real-time from the at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts responsive to the logging data received.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a value for at least one data transfer characteristic of the WAN with respect to the at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts;

making a comparison of the value for the at least one data transfer characteristic with at least one operational sufficiency profile, the at least one operational sufficiency profile representative of data transfer characteristic values indicating data transfer sufficient for control of the logging operation in substantially real-time;

implementing a contingent operational mode in dependence upon the comparison.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the implemented contingent operational mode is selected from a plurality of available contingent operational modes in dependence upon an order of priority of at least one of:

i) logging data from the first logging instrument;

ii) logging data from the second logging instrument.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the implemented contingent operational mode is selected from a plurality of available contingent operational modes in dependence upon an order of priority of operations between a first logging operation associated with the first logging instrument and second logging operation associated with the first logging instrument.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the plurality of remote well operation control hosts with the local well operation control host.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, during a logging operation, using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit a virtual presence feed associated with a logging site supervisor from the logging site to at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems;

and

using the virtual presence feed to construct a representation of a virtual presence perspective of the position of the logging site supervisor at the logging site, and

presenting the representation to a remote well operating engineer at the at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, during the logging operation, using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit audio instruction data and auxiliary data from the at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems to the logging site;

rendering the audio instruction data as audio instructions via a personal communication system of the logging site supervisor; and

rendering the auxiliary data on a graphic interface of the personal communication system of the logging site supervisor.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising wherein the conveyance device comprises at least one of i) a drill string;

ii) a wireline; and

iii) a downhole tool.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the well logging operation comprises at least one of:

i) geosteering;

ii) drilling at least one borehole in a formation;

iii) performing measurements on a formation;

iv) estimating parameters of a formation;

v) installing equipment in a borehole;

vi) evaluating a formation;

vii) optimizing present or future development in a formation or in a similar formation;

viii) optimizing present or future exploration in a formation or in a similar formation;

ix) producing one or more hydrocarbons from a formation;

x) performing maritime logging operations of a seabed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conducting, with the plurality of remote well operation control hosts operating on the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems, a second well logging operation using a second well logging system at a second logging site remote from the first logging site, wherein the second well logging system includes a second conveyance device having disposed thereon a third logging instrument and a fourth logging instrument, comprising;

operating the third logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from the first remote well operation control host of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts; and

operating the fourth logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from the second remote well operation control host of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising enabling

i) operation of the first logging instrument by the first remote well operation control host,

ii) operation of the second logging instrument by the second remote well operation control host,

iii) operation of the third logging instrument by the first remote well operation control host, and

iv) operation of the fourth logging instrument by the second remote well operation control host by using a master remote well operation control host, of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts, on a corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management system to distribute control capability for a particular instrument to a particular remote well operation control host.

15. The method of claim 2 further comprising enabling operation of the first logging instrument by the first remote well operation control host and operation of the second logging instrument by the second remote well operation control host by using a master remote well operation control host, of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts, on a corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management system to distribute control capability for a particular instrument to a particular remote well operation control host.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising distributing control capability in dependence upon an operational mode.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein all the acquired well logging data passes through the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management system of the master remote well operation control host.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the conveyance device using at least one well operation control host of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling operation of the first logging instrument by the first remote well operation control host and operation of the second logging instrument by the second remote well operation control host by using a distributed remote cluster to provide logging data related to the first logging instrument and the second logging instrument to the first remote well operation control host and the second remote well operation control host.

20. A method of remote well logging, the method comprising:

conducting, with a plurality of remote well operation control hosts operating on corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems, a well logging operation using a well logging system at a logging site, wherein the well logging system includes a conveyance device having disposed thereon a first logging instrument and a second logging instrument, comprising;

operating the first logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a first remote well operation control host of the plurality; and

operating the second logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a second remote well operation control host of the plurality different than the first;

using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit a virtual presence feed associated with a logging site supervisor from the logging site to at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems;

using the virtual presence feed to construct a representation of a virtual presence perspective of the position of the logging site supervisor at the logging site; and

presenting the representation to a remote well operating engineer at the at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, during the logging operation, using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit audio instruction data and auxiliary data from the at least one of the corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems to the logging site;

rendering the audio instruction data as audio instructions via a personal communication system of the logging site supervisor; and

rendering the auxiliary data on a graphic interface of the personal communication system of the logging site supervisor.

22. A method of remote well logging, the method comprising:

conducting, with a plurality of remote well operation control hosts operating on corresponding remote well logging data acquisition management systems, a well logging operation using a well logging system at a logging site, wherein the well logging system includes a conveyance device having disposed thereon a first logging instrument and a second logging instrument, comprising;

operating the first logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a first remote well operation control host of the plurality;

operating the second logging instrument responsive to at least one well-logging command from a second remote well operation control host of the plurality different than the first;

during a logging operation, using a Wide Area Network (WAN) to transmit substantially all raw well logging data generated by the first logging instrument and the second logging instrument from the logging site to at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts;

using the logging data to control the logging operation with at least one second command in substantially real-time from the at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts responsive to the logging data received;

determining a value for at least one data transfer characteristic of the WAN with respect to the at least one of the plurality of remote well operation control hosts;

making a comparison of the value for the at least one data transfer characteristic with at least one operational sufficiency profile, the at least one operational sufficiency profile representative of data transfer characteristic values indicating data transfer sufficient for control of the logging operation in substantially real-time; and

implementing a contingent operational mode in dependence upon the comparison.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the implemented contingent operational mode is selected from a plurality of available contingent operational modes in dependence upon an order of priority of at least one of:

i) logging data from the first logging instrument;

ii) logging data from the second logging instrument.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the implemented contingent operational mode is selected from a plurality of available contingent operational modes in dependence upon an order of priority of operations between a first logging operation associated with the first logging instrument and second logging operation associated with the first logging instrument.