METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING DIAGNOSTICS IN A WELLBORE OPERATION

• US 20040217880A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Boyle, Bruce W., Pacault, Nicolas, Clark, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/854.9
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/0283 characterised by the coupling being contactless, e.g. inductive
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/00 Survey of boreholes or wells monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08
• 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

Abstract

A wired drill pipe telemetry system includes a surface computer; and a drill string telemetry link comprising a plurality of wired drill pipes each having a telemetry section, at least one of the plurality of wired drill pipes having a diagnostic module electrically coupling the telemetry section and wherein the diagnostic module includes a line interface adapted to interface with a wired drill pipe telemetry section; a transceiver adapted to communicate signals between the wired drill pipe telemetry section and the diagnostic module; and a controller operatively connected with the transceiver and adapted to control the transceiver.

Claims

1. A diagnostic module for a downhole drilling tool, comprising:

a line interface adapted to interface with a wired drill pipe telemetry section;

a transceiver adapted to communicate signals between the wired drill pipe telemetry section and the diagnostic module; and

a controller operatively connected to the transceiver and adapted to control the transceiver.

2. The diagnostic module of claim 1, further comprising a power supply.

3. The diagnostic module of claim 1, further comprising an acquisition module and at least one sensor.

4. The diagnostic module of claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor is one selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a shock sensor, a load sensor and a pressure sensor.

5. The diagnostic module of claim 1, further comprising an isolation measurement circuitry.

6. A wired drill pipe, comprising:

an elongated tubular shank having an axial bore;

a box end at a first end of the shank, the box end having a first inductive coupler element disposed therein;

a pin end at a second end of the shank, the pin end having a second inductive coupler element disposed therein;

a wire electrically coupling the first and the second inductive coupler elements, wherein the first inductive coupler element, the second inductive coupler element, and the wire constitute a telemetry section of the wired drill pipe; and

a diagnostic module electrically coupled to the telemetry section of the wired drill pipe.

7. The wired drill pipe of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic module comprises:

a line interface adapted to interface with a wired drill pipe telemetry section;

a transceiver adapted to communicate signals between the wired drill pipe telemetry section and the diagnostic module; and

a controller operatively connecting the transceiver and adapted to control the transceiver.

8. The wired drill pipe of claim 7, wherein the diagnostic module further comprises an acquisition module and at least one sensor.

9. The wired drill pipe of claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor is one selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a shock sensor, and a pressure sensor.

10. The wired drill pipe of claim 7, wherein the diagnostic module further comprises an isolation measurement circuitry.

11. The wired drill pipe of claim 7, wherein the diagnostic module further comprises a power supply.

12. The wired drill pipe of claim 6, wherein the first and second inductive coupler elements each comprise a toroidal transformer.

13. The wired drill pipe of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic module electrically couples to the telemetry section by a secondary winding on the first inductive coupler element.

14. The wired drill pipe of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic module electrically couples to the telemetry section by a secondary winding on the second inductive coupler element.

15. The wired drill pipe of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic module electrically couples to the telemetry section by linking to the wire.

16. A wired drill pipe, comprising:

an elongated tubular shank having an axial bore;

a box end at a first end of the shank, the box end having a first inductive coupler element disposed therein;

a pin end at a second end of the shank, the pin end having a second inductive coupler element disposed therein;

a wire electrically coupling the first and the second inductive coupler elements, wherein the first inductive coupler element, the second inductive coupler element, and the wire constitute a telemetry section of the wired drill pipe; and

a connection for testing isolation between the wire and a body of the wired drill pipe, wherein a first end of the connection for testing connects to the wire.

17. The wired drill pipe of claim 16, wherein the connection for testing has a testing pad on a second end.

18. The wired drill pipe of claim 17, wherein the connection for testing further comprises a resistor disposed between the testing pad and the first end.

19. The wired drill pipe of claim 18, wherein the resistor has a resistance of at least one mega ohm.

20. The wired drill pipe of claim 19, wherein the testing pad is exposed.

21. The wired drill pipe of claim 19 wherein the first end is connected to the center of the inductive coupler element.

22. A wired drill pipe telemetry system, comprising:

a surface computer; and

a drill string telemetry link comprising a plurality of wired drill pipes each having a telemetry section, at least one of the plurality of wired drill pipes having a diagnostic module electrically coupled to the telemetry section.

23. The telemetry system of claim 22, wherein the diagnostic module comprises:

a line interface that interfaces with the telemetry section;

a transceiver adapted to communicate signals between the drill string telemetry section and the diagnostic module; and

a controller operatively connecting the transceiver and adapted to control the transceiver.

24. The telemetry system of claim 22, further comprising a measurement assembly attached to the drill string telemetry link.

25. The telemetry system of claim 24, wherein the measurement assembly comprises one selected from the group consisting of a measurement-while-drilling instrument and a logging-while-drilling instrument.

26. The telemetry system of claim 22, further comprising at least one router.

27. The telemetry system of claim 26, wherein the surface computer, the drill string telemetry link, and the at least one router form a network.

28. The telemetry system of claim 27, wherein the network is configured in a topology selected from the group consisting of a bus topology, a ring topology, a daisy chain topology, a linear topology, a star topology, and a hybrid topology.

29. The telemetry system of claim 27, wherein the network is reconfigurable to bypass a selected telemetry section in a wired drill pipe.

30. The telemetry system of claim 22, wherein the telemetry section comprises a first inductive coupler element at a first end of the wired drill pipe, a second inductive coupler element at a second end of the wired drill pipe, and a wire operatively connecting the first and the second inductive coupler elements.

31. A method for diagnosing a wired drill pipe telemetry system that comprises a plurality of wired drill pipes, each having a telemetry section, and at least one of the plurality of the wired drill pipes having a diagnostic module, the method comprising:

sending a polling signal from a surface computer to the wired drill pipe telemetry system, the polling signal including a selected identifier;

receiving and processing the polling signal by the diagnostic module in the at least one of the plurality of wired drill pipes; and

receiving by the surface computer a reply from a specific diagnostic module having the selected identifier.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the sending a polling signal, the receiving and the processing the polling signal, and the receiving a reply are repeated for every identifier corresponding to the at least one diagnostic module.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the receiving by the surface computer involves relaying the reply from the specific diagnostic module by a measurement assembly attached to one end of the wired drill pipe telemetry system.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the relaying the reply by the measurement assembly occurs after a pre-set time period expires.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the receiving by the surface computer involves relaying the reply from the specific diagnostic module by a router that is part of the wired drill pipe telemetry system.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the relaying the response by the router occurs after a pre-set time period expires.

37. A method for tracking a wired drill pipe usage, comprising:

polling a diagnostic module of a wired drill pipe for an identifier when the wired drill pipe is run into a borehole; and

logging the identifier for the wired drill pipe.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising logging a depth information for the wired drill pipe, the depth information being based on a known length of each drill pipe in a drill string and a location of the wired drill pipe in the drill string.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising logging a usage time for the wired drill pipe.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

instructing the diagnostic module of the wired drill pipe to make measurements while the wired drill pipe is in the borehole; and

storing the measurements for the wired drill pipe.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the measurements comprise one selected from the group consisting of a temperature measurement, a shock measurement, a load measurement and a pressure measurement.

42. A method for diagnosing a failure in a wired drill pipe telemetry system, comprising:

polling a diagnostic module of a wired drill pipe in a drill string; and

recording whether a response from the diagnostic module is received by a surface computer.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the polling and the recording are performed for each diagnostic module in the drill string.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising determining a location of the failure if at least one response is not received.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the polling, the recording, and the determining are performed when the drill string is in a borehole.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the polling, the recording, and the determining are performed when the drill string is out of a borehole.

47. A method for determining coupling efficiencies of wired drill pipes in a drill string, comprising:

instructing each of at least one diagnostic module of the wired drill pipes in the drill string to send a signal of a known magnitude to a surface computer;

receiving the signal with a measured magnitude for the each of the at least one diagnostic module; and

determining the coupling efficiencies of the wired drill pipes based on the measured magnitude of the signal.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining the coupling efficiencies uses a graph of the measured magnitude versus a distance between the surface computer and the fault diagnosis module.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the determining the coupling efficiencies comprises

adjusting the measured magnitude based on a distance between the surface computer and the diagnostic module to produce a corrected magnitude of the signal;

and

comparing the corrected magnitude of the signal.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the drill string is disposed in a borehole.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the drill string is out of a borehole.

53. The method of claim 51, wherein the wired drill pipe is part of a drill string that is disposed in a borehole.

54. The method of claim 51, wherein the wired drill pipe is out of a borehole.

52. A method for assessing electrical isolation between a telemetry wire and a pipe body in a wired drill pipe, comprising:

instructing a diagnostic module of the wired drill pipe to send a selected voltage through an isolation measurement circuitry; and

determining an electrical property in the isolation measurement circuitry,

wherein the electrical property is a resistance, a voltage, or a current.

55. A method of testing a telemetry section, the section comprising a drill pipe having a wire extending therethrough, the method comprising:

providing a telemetry section with a test pad and a resistor, the resistor having a known resistance;

applying a voltage between a test pad and the drill pipe;

measuring a test resistance passing between the test pad and the drill pipe; and

detecting a difference between the test resistance and the known resistance whereby the condition of the wired drill pipe is determined.