METHOD AND SYSTEM OF MONITORING ROTATIONAL TIME OF ROTATABLE EQUIPMENT

• US 20090205869A1
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tang, Michael X., Prill, Jonathan R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,567,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/40
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/02 Fluid rotary type drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/26 Storing data down-hole, e.g. in a memory or on a record carrier

Abstract

Method and system for monitoring rotational time of a rotatable equipment. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising powering a sensor coupled to a rotatable equipment, the powering by a self-contained electronic system integral to the rotatable equipment monitoring rotational time of the rotatable equipment by way of the sensor, and providing a report of rotational time of the rotatable equipment upon request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

powering a sensor coupled to a rotatable equipment, the powering by a self-contained electronic system integral to the rotatable equipment;

sensing rotation of the rotatable equipment by way of the sensor; and

providing a report of rotational time of the rotatable equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing further comprises sensing rotation of a rotor relative to a stator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing further comprises sensing rotation of a stator relative to a borehole.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensing comprises

determining if the rotatable equipment is rotating during the powering;

and

accumulating the rotational time of the rotatable equipment if the rotatable equipment is rotating during the powering.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining if the rotatable equipment is rotating further comprises determining angular rate of the rotatable equipment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein powering further comprises

periodically powering the sensor;

determining if the rotatable equipment is rotating during each period of the powering; and

accumulating the rotational time of the rotatable equipment in proportion to periods during which the rotatable equipment was rotating to periods during which the rotatable equipment was not rotating.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein periodically powering further comprises powering the sensor a plurality of times each hour.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein periodically powering further comprises powering the sensor in approximately 15 minute intervals.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a solid-state, silicon-based gyroscope.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the rotatable equipment is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a downhole mud motor; and

an electrical motor.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring at least one selected from the group consisting of:

operating pressure of the rotatable equipment;

temperature of the rotatable equipment; and

vibration of the rotatable equipment.

12. A downhole tool comprising:

a stator and a rotor in operational relationship to the stator;

a sensor in operational relationship to the rotor, the sensor configured to sense rotation of the rotor; and

an electronic system electrically coupled to the sensor, said electronic system configured to power the sensor to determine rotational time of the downhole tool;

said downhole tool configured to threadingly couple to a drill string at a first end, and said downhole tool configured to couple to a drill bit at a second end.

13. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the sensor further configured to determine rotational status of rotor.

14. The downhole tool of claim 13 wherein the electronic system further configured to accumulate the rotational time of the downhole tool based on the status of the rotor, and the electronic system configured to report the accumulated rotational time.

15. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the sensor further configured to determine rotational status of the stator.

16. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the sensor is further configured to determine angular rate of the rotor.

17. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the electronic system is configured to periodically power the sensor.

18. The downhole tool of claim 12 further comprising a protective casing, the electronic system disposed within the protective casing and the protective casing mechanically coupled to the rotor.

19. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the electronic system comprises:

a battery; and

a logic device electrically coupled to the battery and the logic device electrically coupled to the sensor;

20. The downhole tool of claim 12 further comprising:

said electronic system is configured to activate the sensor a plurality of times each hour; and

said battery is configured to provide power to the electronic system for more than 1000 hours on a single charge.

21. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the sensor is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a tachometer; and

a solid-state, silicon based gyroscope.

22. The downhole tool of claim 12 wherein the downhole tool is a downhole mud motor.

23. The downhole tool of claim 12 further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a temperature sensor coupled to the electronic system and configured to read operating temperature of the device;

a pressure sensor coupled to the electronic system and configured to read a pressure associated with the device;

an accelerometer coupled to the electronic system and configured to read vibration associated with the device.

24. A system comprising:

a rotatable equipment;

a sensor coupled to the rotatable equipment, the sensor configured to sense rotation of the rotatable equipment; and

an electronic system electrically coupled to the sensor, said electronic system is self-contained and said electronic system configured to power the sensor to determine rotational time of the rotatable equipment.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising:

said electronic system configured to periodically power the sensor to determine if the rotatable equipment is rotating during each period of the powering;

said electronic system further configured to accumulate the rotational time of the rotatable equipment in proportion to periods during which the rotatable equipment was rotating to periods during which the rotatable equipment was not rotating; and

said electronic system configured to report the accumulated rotational time upon request.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the sensor further configured to sense rotation of a rotor relative to a stator.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the sensor further configured to sense rotation of a stator relative to a borehole.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the sensor is further configured to determine angular rate of the rotatable equipment.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein the sensor is a solid-state, silicon-based gyroscope.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the rotatable equipment is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a downhole mud motor; and

an electrical motor.