Equipment monitoring using enhanced video

• US 10,227,859 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Richards, William Mark, Wendorf, Scott, Hamid, Syed, Rodney, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/129,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20170138171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/002 by visual inspection
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/08 Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/005 with exploration systems emitting special signals, e.g. frequency swept signals, pulse sequences or slip sweep arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Video of an effect on equipment of an event is received. The event is identified using Eulerian video magnification of the received video.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving video of an effect of an event on well site equipment, the received video comprising one of a surface marker on a surface of the equipment or an upstanding marker supported to move with the equipment; and

identifying the event using Eulerian video magnification of the received video.

2. The method of claim 1, where the event is obscured from view of the video.

3. The method of claim 1, where the equipment is subterranean.

4. The method of claim 1, where identifying the event comprises identifying and decoding communications.

5. The method of claim 4, where the communications comprise fluid pulse telemetry signals from fluid from a well or acoustic telemetry signals carried as vibrations of the well site equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, where identifying the event comprises identifying a fluid property of a fluid in surface equipment, the fluid obscured from view of the video.

7. The method of claim 6, where the fluid property comprises flow rate.

8. The method of claim 1, where identifying the event comprises identifying damage obscured from view of the video or wear obscured from view of the video.

9. The method of claim 1, where identifying the event comprises identifying a blockage in a flow passage of the equipment, the blockage obscured from view of the video.

10. The method of claim 8, where the equipment comprises a subterranean well screen.

11. The method of claim 1, where identifying the event comprises identifying operation of a subterranean well tool.

12. The method of claim 1, where receiving video comprises receiving video of an effect of an event on a surface pump at the well site;

and

where identifying the event comprises identifying operating speed, cavitation, vapor lock, wear or damage.

13. The method of claim 12, where the pump is a frac pump or a gas injection pump.

14. A system, comprising:

a camera aimed to take video of an event on equipment at a well site; and

a computing device in communication with the camera to receive the video and apply Eulerian video magnification to the received video to produce enhanced video, the received video comprising one of a surface marker on a surface of the equipment or an upstanding marker supported to move with the equipment; and

a display to output the enhanced video.

15. The system of claim 14, where the equipment comprises, in view of the camera, one or more of a flag, the marker or a color change coating that changes color in response to strain or temperature.

16. The system of claim 14, where the camera is aimed to take video of drilling equipment or pumps at the well site.

17. The system of claim 14, where the equipment comprises a housing at least partially underground and containing the camera and a target supported on a movement sensitive base, the target being in the view of the camera.

18. The system of claim 14, where the camera comprises a thermal camera.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving video of equipment at a well site, the received video comprising one of a surface marker on a surface of the equipment or an upstanding marker supported to move with the equipment;

applying Eulerian video magnification to the received video to produce an enhanced video; and

identifying an event that is obscured from view of the video using the enhanced video.

20. The method of claim 19, where applying Eulerian video magnification comprises applying Eulerian video magnification to magnify movement or color of a terranean surface or equipment associated with a well.

21. The method of claim 19, where receiving video of equipment at a well site comprises receiving video of an effect produced by the event.