Apparatus and Methods for Estimating Loads and Movements of Members Downhole

• US 20080035376A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Freyer, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,220,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/45
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 12/00 Accessories for drilling tools
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/092 by detecting magnetic anomalies
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/062 the tool shaft rotating inside a non-rotating guide travelling with the shaft E21B7/067 and E21B7/068 take precedence

Abstract

This disclosure, in one aspect, provides an apparatus for use in a wellbore that includes a member having an encoded magnetic field and a sensor proximate the encoded magnetic field that measures a change in the magnetic field due to a change in the load on the member. In another aspect, a method for measuring loads on a downhole tool is provided that comprises inducing an encoded magnetic field along a section of a member of the tool and detecting a change in the magnetic field due to a load on the member when the tool is in the wellbore.

Claims

1. A method of estimating a property of interest relating to an operation in a wellbore, comprising:

conveying a tool in the wellbore that includes a member that has a coded magnetic field;

detecting a change in the coded magnetic field when the tool is in the wellbore;

estimating the property of interest using the detected change in the coded magnetic field; and

recording the estimated property of interest on a suitable medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the property of interest is load.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising calculating using the load a parameter that is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) torque;

(ii) bend;

(iii) weight on drill bit;

(iv) axial movement;

(v) radial movement;

(vi) placement; and

(vii) an inside dimension of the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a change in the coded magnetic field is done during drilling of the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing signals representative of the change in the coded magnetic field by a processor that is placed at one of:

(i) within the tool; and

(ii) at a surface location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter of interest is torque and wherein the coded magnetic field comprises at least two spaced apart coded magnetic fields on opposite sides of the member.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter of interest is bending and wherein the coded magnetic field comprises at least two substantially orthogonal magnetic fields.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a change in the coded magnetic field comprises detecting displacement of the coded magnetic field relative to a sensor proximate the coded magnetic field and wherein the parameter of interest is movement of the member relative to a selected point in the apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the coded magnetic field and sensor are arranged in a manner that is one of:

(i) the coded magnetic field is on a member that moves and the sensor is at a position that is fixed relative to member; and

(ii) the coded magnetic field is on a member that is fixed and the sensor moves relative to the member.

10. An apparatus for use in a wellbore, comprising:

a member having a coded magnetic field; and

a sensor that detects a change in the coded magnetic field when the apparatus is in the wellbore and provides a signal representative of the detected change; and

a processor that processes the signals to estimate a parameter of interest.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the parameter of interest is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) load;

(ii) torque;

(iii) movement or displacement; and

(iv) bending;

(v) weight on drill bit.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor includes at least one coil proximate the coded magnetic field with a gap between the coil and the coded magnetic field.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus includes a drilling assembly and wherein the member rotates relative to the sensor during drilling of the wellbore by the drilling assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a data storage device that has embedded therein programmed instructions accessible to the processor and wherein the processor utilizes the programmed instructions to estimate the parameter of interest.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a telemetry unit that is configured to transmit data relating to the parameter of interest to the surface during an operation of the tool in the wellbore.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the coded magnetic field is on a moving piston that moves a force application member and the sensor is placed across from the coded magnetic field.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform an operation in the wellbore based at least in part one a measurement made by the sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operation is selected from a group consisting of:

(i) applying force to a wall of the wellbore during drilling of the wellbore using the apparatus to drill the wellbore along a desired trajectory; and

(ii) altering rotation of a drill bit carried by the apparatus during drilling of the wellbore.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the movement of one of the member and sensor corresponds to one of:

(i) a linear movement;

(ii) an angular movement; and

(iii) a movement along a non-linear path.

19. A system for drilling a wellbore, comprising:

a drilling assembly that includes a member that has a coded magnetic filed;

a sensor proximate the coded magnetic field that provides a measure of a change in the coded magnetic field due to a load on the member during drilling of the wellbore and provides a signal representative of the change in the coded magnetic field; and

a processor that determines the load on the member using signals from the sensor and causes the drilling assembly to perform an operation during the drilling of the wellbore based at least in part on the determined load.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor further determines from the load at least one of:

(i) torque;

(ii) bend; and

(iii) displacement of the member relative to the sensor.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a plurality of force application devices that independently apply force on the wellbore, wherein each force application device includes a movable piston that has a coded magnetic field and a sensor that provides a measure of movement of an associated piston.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the force applied by each force application member based on the movement of its associated piston.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a member having a coded magnetic; and

a sensor proximate the coded magnetic field section that measures a change in the coded magnetic field when one of the member and sensor moves relative to the other.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising a processor that estimates a rotational speed of the sensor or member using the measured change in the coded magnetic field.