Device and Method for Measuring a Property in a Downhole Apparatus

• US 20080164063A1
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Rodney, Paul F., Grayson, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,789,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/45
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/007 Measuring stresses in a pipe string or casing for locating blocked portions of pipes E21B47/09

Abstract

A method and device for measuring a property, such as torque, includes a plurality of sensors, and a measuring device. The sensors attach to a downhole apparatus at a distance from one another. The sensors provide signals indicating their positions. A logic circuit may calculate an angle between the sensors. The logic circuit then calculates the property based on the angle, the distance between the sensors, and other known physical properties of the downhole apparatus.

Claims

1. A device for measuring a property of a downhole apparatus over a longitudinal extent of the downhole apparatus, the device comprising:

a plurality of sensors coupled to the downhole apparatus, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components; and

a device for measuring the property over the longitudinal extent of the downhole apparatus based on the outputs from a subset of the plurality of sensors.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device for measuring is a computing device.

3. A device for measuring one or more components of a vector field over a longitudinal extent of a downhole apparatus, the device comprising:

a plurality of sensors coupled to the downhole apparatus, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of the vector field measured by that sensor; and

a device for measuring at least one property of the downhole apparatus over the longitudinal extent based on the outputs from a subset of the plurality of sensors.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the device for measuring is a computing device.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises more than two sensors.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one downhole apparatus property comprises torque.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one downhole apparatus property comprises bending.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the subset of the plurality of sensors comprises all of the plurality of sensors.

9. The device of claim 3, wherein each sensor is coupled to the drillstring at a location and the output of each sensor is the measure of the vector components of the vector field at the location of that sensor.

10. A method of monitoring the drilling of a borehole, comprising:

providing a plurality of sensors coupled to a downhole apparatus, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor;

providing a device for measuring at least one downhole apparatus property over a longitudinal distance based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors; and

using the device for measuring to provide information for monitoring.

11. A method for correcting a survey compiled during the drilling of a borehole, comprising:

providing a plurality of sensors coupled to a drillstring, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor;

measuring at least one drillstring property over a longitudinal extent of the drillstring based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors;

measuring information regarding the shape of the drillstring over the longitudinal extent using the measured drillstring property over the longitudinal extent; and

measuring a correction to the survey based on the information regarding the shape of drillstring over the longitudinal extent.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of measuring at least one drillstring property, measuring information regarding the shape of the drillstring, and measuring a correction to the survey are all done with one computing device.

13. A method of improving drilling efficiency, comprising:

drilling with a drillstring, the drilling having adjustable drilling parameters;

providing a plurality of sensors coupled to a drillstring, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor;

measuring at least one drillstring property associated with drilling efficiency over a longitudinal extent of the drillstring based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors;

adjusting the adjustable drilling parameters to improve drilling efficiency.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one drillstring property associated with drilling efficiency is one of the following:

bit bounce, stick slip, and sticking.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjustable drilling parameters include one of the following:

weight-on-bit, drilling speed, and drilling direction.

16. A system for monitoring the drilling of a borehole, comprising:

a plurality of sensors coupled to a downhole apparatus, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor; and

a device for measuring at least one downhole apparatus property over a longitudinal distance based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the device for measuring provides information for monitoring.

17. A system for correcting a survey compiled during the drilling of a borehole, comprising:

a plurality of sensors coupled to a drillstring, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor;

a device for measuring at least one drillstring property over a longitudinal extent of the drillstring based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors;

a device for measuring information regarding the shape of the drillstring over the longitudinal extent using the measured drillstring property over the longitudinal extent; and

a device measuring a correction to the survey based on the information regarding the shape of the drillstring over the longitudinal extent.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the device for measuring at least one drillstring property, the device for measuring information regarding the shape of the drillstring, and the device for measuring a correction to the survey comprise a single computing device.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a device for correcting the survey by decoupling the available measurements.

20. A system for improving drilling efficiency, comprising:

a drillstring with adjustable drilling parameters;

a plurality of sensors coupled to a drillstring, each sensor providing an output which is a measure of vector components of a vector field measured by that sensor; and

a device for measuring at least one drillstring property associated with drilling efficiency over a longitudinal extent of the drillstring based on the outputs of the plurality of sensors;

wherein the drilling efficiency is improved by adjusting the adjustable drilling parameters.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein one drillstring property associated with drilling efficiency is one of the following:

bit bounce, stick slip, and sticking.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the adjustable drilling parameters include one of the following:

weight-on-bit, drilling speed, and drilling direction.