Onboard navigation system for downhole tool

• US 20050269083A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Burris, Wesley Jay II, Fripp, Michael L., Rodgers, John, Goiffon, John, Schwendemann, Kenneth L., Starr, Phillip, Towers, Darrin, Hales, John
• Application Number:
  US11/120,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20050269083A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/255.200
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/00 Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/10 Tools specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/119 Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/04 Measuring depth or liquid level

Abstract

A navigation system for a downhole tool comprises a first sensor operable within a well bore to sense a parameter, at least one additional sensor, each of the at least one additional sensors being operable within the well bore to sense a parameter, and a locator component operable to determine a location of the downhole tool within the well bore based on the sensed parameters. A method for determining a location of a downhole tool within a well bore comprises deploying the downhole tool into the well bore, sensing a first parameter within the well bore via the tool, sensing at least a second parameter within the well bore via the tool, and self-determining the location of the tool based on the sensed parameters without receiving communications from the surface.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a downhole tool comprising:

a first sensor operable within a well bore to sense a parameter;

at least one additional sensor, each of the at least one additional sensors being operable within the well bore to sense a parameter; and

a locator component operable to determine a location of the downhole tool within the well bore based on the sensed parameters.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor and the at least one additional sensor are disposed on the tool.

3. The navigation system of claim 2 wherein the locator component is disposed on the tool, on another downhole component, or at the surface.

4. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the at least one additional sensor is operable to sense a parameter that is derived from the parameter sensed by the first sensor.

5. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein one or more functions of the downhole tool are activated in response to locations within the well bore determined by the navigation system.

6. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor is a discrete sensor that provides an indication of a structure in the well bore, and the at least one additional sensor is a continuous sensor that provides an indication of a location of the tool within the well bore.

7. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor and the at least one additional sensor are each selected from the group consisting of:

an absolute type sensor, a relative type sensor, a cumulative type sensor, a structured environment type sensor, a time sensor, and combinations thereof.

8. The navigation system of claim 7 wherein the absolute type sensors are each selected from the group consisting of:

a gravity sensor, a pressure sensor, a fixed length line sensor, and combinations thereof.

9. The navigation system of claim 7 wherein the relative type sensors are each selected from the group consisting of:

a range-finding to surface sensor, a range-finding to bottom sensor, a range-finding to passive target sensor, a range-finding to active deployed target sensor, and combinations thereof.

10. The navigation system of claim 7 wherein the cumulative type sensors are each selected from the group consisting of:

an optical tracking sensor, a fluid metering sensor, an acceleration integration sensor, a velocity timing sensor, an odometer, a magnetic feature tracking sensor, an optical feature tracking sensor, an electrical feature tracking sensor, an acoustic feature tracking sensor, a dead reckoning sensor, and combinations thereof.

11. The navigation system of claim 7 wherein the structured environment type sensors are each selected from the group consisting of:

a casing collar locator, a coded pipe marker, a formation sensor, an orientation sensor, an impedance type sensor, a diameter sensor, a magnetic feature map, an optical feature map, and combinations thereof.

12. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor comprises at least one giant magneto-resistive element and the at least one additional sensor comprises at least one pressure transducer.

13. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor and the at least one additional sensor are identical sensors, sense an identical parameter, or both.

14. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor and the at least one additional sensor are disposed axially along the tool.

15. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first sensor and the at least one additional sensor are disposed radially around the tool.

16. The navigation system of claim 1 further comprising a memory component that contains log properties of the well bore.

17. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the locator component is further operable to determine a velocity of the tool based on the sensed parameters.

18. The navigation system of claim 17 wherein the locator component is further operable to activate one or more functions of the downhole tool based on the velocity and the location of the tool.

19. The navigation system of claim 17 wherein the locator component is further operable to receive a mission program to activate one or more functions of the downhole tool based on the mission program and the location of the tool.

20. A well bore logging tool comprising:

a first sensor operable within the well bore to sense a parameter;

at least one additional sensor, each of the at least one additional sensors being operable within the well bore to sense a parameter; and

a processor to produce a first location estimate and at least one additional location estimate based on the sensed parameters, and to corroborate the first location estimate using the at least one additional location estimate.

21. The well bore logging tool of claim 20 wherein the processor is further operable to recalibrate the at least one additional location estimate using the first location estimate.

22. The well bore logging tool of claim 21 wherein the processor is further operable to determine a subsequent location of the tool in the well bore based on the recalibrated at least one additional location estimate.

23. The well bore logging tool of claim 20 wherein the first sensor comprises a casing collar locator.

24. The well bore logging tool of claim 20 wherein the at least one additional sensor comprises a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, a velocity sensor, or a combination thereof.

25. A method for determining a location of a downhole tool within a well bore comprising:

deploying the downhole tool into the well bore;

sensing a first parameter within the well bore via the tool;

sensing at least a second parameter within the well bore via the tool; and

self-determining the location of the tool based on the sensed parameters without receiving communications from the surface.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising combining and filtering the sensed parameters to self-determine the location of the tool.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising logging the properties of the well bore while the tool is traversing the well bore.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the tool comprises a frac plug, a bridge plug, a packer, a logging tool, a casing patch, a formation tester, a perforating gun, a whipstock, a marker setting tool, a servicing device, or a combination thereof.