Real-time well surveillance using a wireless network and an in-wellbore tool
First Claim
1. A method of transmitting data along a wellbore up to a surface, comprising:
- placing two or more downhole sensors engaged with a tubular positioned within the wellbore, the two or more sensors proximate a depth of a subsurface formation, the subsurface formation containing hydrocarbon fluids, the tubular extending between the surface and the subsurface formation within the wellbore;
generating sensor signals at the downhole sensors that are indicative of one or more subsurface conditions;
providing one or more sensor communications nodes along the tubular proximate the subsurface formation, each of the one or more sensor communications nodes having an acoustic transceiver in acoustic contact with the tubular for transmitting and receiving acoustic signals along the tubular for transmitting the data corresponding to the generated sensor signals as acoustic data signals along the tubular, wherein each sensor of the downhole sensors and said each sensor communications node of the one or more sensor communications nodes is secured to a joint of production casing, to a base pipe of a sand screen, or to a sliding sleeve device;
configuring the one or more sensor communications nodes to receive the generated sensor signals and transforming the received generated sensor signals into the acoustic data signals;
acoustically transmitting the acoustic data signals along the tubular using at least one of the one or more sensor communications nodes;
providing a memory node comprising a memory, the memory node in communication with the at least one of the one or more sensor communications nodes to retain the acoustic data signals in the memory, the memory being accessible to a memory wireless transmission transceiver;
running a downhole tool into the tubular using a working string, the downhole tool having an associated signal receiver;
transmitting the acoustic data signals from the memory to the associated signal receiver by means of the memory wireless transmission transceiver as the associated signal receiver is positioned by the working string within an effective wireless transmission range to said each of the sensor communications nodes within the wellbore;
transmitting the acoustic data signals received by the associated signal receiver from the memory along the working string to the surface; and
receiving the acoustic data signals from the associated signal receiver at the surface;
further comprising a plurality of intermediate communications nodes, wherein at least one intermediate communications node of the intermediate communications nodes intermediately positioned between one of the one or more sensor communication nodes and the memory to transmit the acoustic data signals acoustically between the one of the one or more sensor communication nodes and the memory;
wherein an intermediate transceiver in each of the intermediate communications nodes receives acoustic waves at a first frequency, and re-transmits the acoustic waves to a next intermediate communications node at a second different frequency; and
the intermediate transceiver in said at least one intermediate communications node listens for the acoustic waves generated at the first frequency for a longer time than the time for which the acoustic waves were generated at the first frequency by a previous intermediate communications node.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of transmitting data in a wellbore uses a signal receiver that is run into the wellbore on a working string. The signal receiver receives wireless signals from receiver communications nodes placed along the wellbore. The data from those signals is then sent up the wellbore, either by directing the signals directly up the working string, or by spooling the string to the surface and uploading the data. Sensors and associated communications nodes are placed within the wellbore to collect data. The communications nodes may be the signal receiver nodes; alternatively, the communications nodes may send data from the sensors up the wellbore through acoustic signals to a receiver communications node. In the latter instance, intermediate communications nodes having electro-acoustic transducers are used as part of a novel telemetry system.
320 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method of transmitting data along a wellbore up to a surface, comprising:
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placing two or more downhole sensors engaged with a tubular positioned within the wellbore, the two or more sensors proximate a depth of a subsurface formation, the subsurface formation containing hydrocarbon fluids, the tubular extending between the surface and the subsurface formation within the wellbore; generating sensor signals at the downhole sensors that are indicative of one or more subsurface conditions; providing one or more sensor communications nodes along the tubular proximate the subsurface formation, each of the one or more sensor communications nodes having an acoustic transceiver in acoustic contact with the tubular for transmitting and receiving acoustic signals along the tubular for transmitting the data corresponding to the generated sensor signals as acoustic data signals along the tubular, wherein each sensor of the downhole sensors and said each sensor communications node of the one or more sensor communications nodes is secured to a joint of production casing, to a base pipe of a sand screen, or to a sliding sleeve device; configuring the one or more sensor communications nodes to receive the generated sensor signals and transforming the received generated sensor signals into the acoustic data signals; acoustically transmitting the acoustic data signals along the tubular using at least one of the one or more sensor communications nodes; providing a memory node comprising a memory, the memory node in communication with the at least one of the one or more sensor communications nodes to retain the acoustic data signals in the memory, the memory being accessible to a memory wireless transmission transceiver; running a downhole tool into the tubular using a working string, the downhole tool having an associated signal receiver; transmitting the acoustic data signals from the memory to the associated signal receiver by means of the memory wireless transmission transceiver as the associated signal receiver is positioned by the working string within an effective wireless transmission range to said each of the sensor communications nodes within the wellbore; transmitting the acoustic data signals received by the associated signal receiver from the memory along the working string to the surface; and receiving the acoustic data signals from the associated signal receiver at the surface; further comprising a plurality of intermediate communications nodes, wherein at least one intermediate communications node of the intermediate communications nodes intermediately positioned between one of the one or more sensor communication nodes and the memory to transmit the acoustic data signals acoustically between the one of the one or more sensor communication nodes and the memory; wherein an intermediate transceiver in each of the intermediate communications nodes receives acoustic waves at a first frequency, and re-transmits the acoustic waves to a next intermediate communications node at a second different frequency; and the intermediate transceiver in said at least one intermediate communications node listens for the acoustic waves generated at the first frequency for a longer time than the time for which the acoustic waves were generated at the first frequency by a previous intermediate communications node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A downhole acoustic telemetry system, comprising:
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two or more downhole sensors residing along a wellbore proximate a depth of a subsurface formation, with of the two or more downhole sensors being configured to sense a subsurface condition and then send sensor signals indicative of the subsurface condition, and with each of the downhole sensors residing along a designated production zone within the wellbore; one or more sensor communications nodes also residing along the wellbore proximate the subsurface formation, wherein said each sensor of the downhole sensors and each sensor communications node of the one or more sensor communications nodes is secured to the wellbore, a joint of production casing, to a base pipe of a sand screen, or to a sliding sleeve device, and wherein said each of the one or more sensor communications nodes comprises; a first housing having a first sealed bore, with the first housing being fabricated from a material having a resonance frequency; a first electro-acoustic transducer and associated first transceiver residing within the first sealed bore for transmitting the sensor signals from the downhole sensors as acoustic signals, an independent power source residing within the first sealed bore providing power to the first transceiver; said each of the one or more sensor communications nodes having a first acoustic transceiver in acoustic contact with the tubular for transmitting and receiving the acoustic signals along the tubular for transmitting data corresponding to the sensor signals as acoustic data signals along the tubular; configuring the one or more sensor communications nodes to receive the sensor signals and transforming the received sensor signals into the acoustic data signals; a series of intermediate communications nodes placed between the sensor communications nodes, each intermediate communications node of the intermediate communications nodes comprising; a second housing having a second sealed bore, with the second housing being fabricated from a material having a resonance frequency; a second electro-acoustic transducer and a second transceiver associated with, residing within the second sealed bore associated with said each intermediate communications node of the intermediate communications nodes, for transmitting the acoustic data signals along a subsurface pipe, node-to-node, said each of the intermediate communications nodes having said a second acoustic transceiver associated with, in acoustic contact with the tubular for transmitting and receiving the acoustic data signals along the tubular for transmitting the acoustic data signals corresponding to the sensor signals as the acoustic data signals along the tubular; and an independent power source residing within the second sealed bore associated with said each intermediate communications node, providing power to the said second transceiver associated with, residing within the second sealed bore associated with said each intermediate communications node; a memory node comprising a memory, the memory node in communication with (i) the one or more sensor communications nodes and (ii) the series of intermediate communications nodes, to retain the acoustic data signals in the memory; a receiver communications node along (i) and (ii), the receiver communications node being accessible to the memory, the receiver communications node including a communications node transceiver for wirelessly transmitting the acoustic data signals corresponding to electro-acoustic waves to a downhole signal receiver as the acoustic data signals; wherein the downhole signal receiver is associated with a downhole tool configured to be run into the tubular using a working string; wherein the acoustic data signals are transmitted from the memory to the downhole signal receiver by means of the receiver communications node as the downhole signal receiver is positioned by the working string within an effective wireless transmission range to said each of the sensor communications nodes within the wellbore; and wherein the acoustic data signals received by the downhole signal receiver are transmitted from the memory along the working string to a surface, where the acoustic data signals are received from the downhole signal receiver at the surface; wherein the second transceiver in said each of the intermediate communications nodes receives the acoustic data signals at a first frequency, and re-transmits the acoustic data signals to a next intermediate communications node at a second different frequency; and the second transceiver in said each intermediate communications node listens for the acoustic data signals generated at the first frequency for a longer time than the time for which the acoustic data signals were generated at the first frequency by a previous intermediate communications node of the intermediate communications nodes. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification