HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONAL DRILLING AREA NETWORK AND METHODS

• US 20130176137A1
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merlin Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Merlin Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Kolpack, Bruce, Hall, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,194,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/854.3
• 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 47/02 Determining slope or direction
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/0232 at least one of the energy sources or one of the detectors being located on or above the ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/024 of devices in the borehole determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/04 Directional drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/046 horizontal drilling drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003

Abstract

A drilling area network hub is located proximate to a drill rig and includes an uphole transceiver in bidirectional communication with a downhole transceiver by utilizing the drill string as an electrical conductor. Certain information is collected including rig-based and/or location information. At least one field report is generated based on the certain information to characterize at least one of an inground operation, an operational condition of the downhole transceiver, an operational condition of the uphole transceiver, and an operational condition of the drill rig. A drilling area network server receives the field report from the Internet at a remote location and can generate a custom report and/or recommended actions based on field data. Region specific parameters can be applied to the operation of a drilling system. The drilling area network hub can transfer data logs to the remote location according to assigned priorities.

Claims

1. In a system that performs horizontal directional drilling, including a drill rig and a subsystem for monitoring the location of an inground tool along an underground borepath and other operational parameters relating to said underground borepath, an arrangement comprising:

a downhole transceiver supported proximate to the inground tool which is configured for bidirectional communication including receiving operational instructions from above ground and transmitting locating and operational data; and

a drilling area network hub located at the drill rig, comprising

an uphole transceiver that is configured for data communication with the downhole transceiver for bidirectional communication between the inground tool and the drill rig by utilizing the drill string as an electrical conductor,

a data communication arrangement at least to collect certain information including at least one of location information and rig-based information,

a processor for collecting said certain information for generating at least one field report based on the certain information which field report is related to at least one of the inground operation, an operational condition of the downhole transceiver, an operational condition of the uphole transceiver, and an operational condition of the drill rig, and

an Internet connection arrangement that is configurable at least for intermittent data communication with the Internet for transferring said field report to a remote location.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the field report includes raw, unprocessed data that forms at least a portion of the rig-based information for transfer to the remote location.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the field report is based, at least in part, on an analysis of the rig-based data and includes at least one recommendation that is generated by said analysis.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said downhole transceiver is configured for transmitting an electromagnetic locating signal for above ground reception and said arrangement further comprising a portable locator configured for receiving said electromagnetic locating signal at least to characterize the location of the inground tool and a telemetry transceiver at least for transmitting locator-based information to said uphole transceiver.

5. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said processor is configured to use the locator-based information in combination with the rig-based information to generate the field report.

6. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

a drilling area network server for receiving said field report from the Internet at the remote location and for generating at least one custom report as at least one of a distribution partner report, a customer report, a utility operator report, a contractor report and a government authority report.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said data collection arrangement includes a CAN-bus for collecting the rig-based information.

8. An apparatus for monitoring a system that performs horizontal directional drilling including a drill rig and a subsystem for monitoring the location of an inground tool along an underground borepath and other operational parameters relating to said underground borepath, said apparatus comprising:

a drilling area network hub located proximate to the drill rig at least for collecting system-generated borepath data that characterizes said borepath and system-related operational data for generating at least one of a field report and one or more recommended actions based on the borepath data and the operational data to characterize at least one of the inground operation and an operational condition of the drill rig;

an Internet connection arrangement that is configured at least for intermittent data communication with the Internet for transferring said report to a remote location; and

a drilling area network server for receiving said field report from the Internet at the remote location and for generating a custom report based on the field report.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said custom report is customized for at least one of a manufacturer of a component of said system, a distribution partner, a customer, a utility operator, a contractor and a government authority.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the system includes a plurality of components at least including said drill rig, said inground tool and a portable locator for collecting said borepath data as information relating to at least one of the orientation and position of the inground tool and said drilling area network hub is configured to monitor said plurality of components.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the custom report is based on service-related information for one or more selected drilling area network components.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said custom report includes a service advisement.

13. An apparatus for monitoring a system that performs horizontal directional drilling, including a drill rig and a subsystem for monitoring the location of an inground tool along an underground borepath and other operational parameters relating to said underground borepath, said apparatus comprising:

an application that is configured to receive at least one of system-generated borepath data that characterizes said underground borepath and system-related operational data at a location that is remote from the site of the underground borepath via remote electronic data transmission, and to generate at least one of a customized report and one or more recommended actions based on at least one of the borepath data and the operational data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the borepath data includes at least one of pitch, depth, yaw, fluid pressure, pull-back tension, battery status and temperature.

15. An apparatus for customizing one or more configurable components of a horizontal directional drilling system based on region specific parameters, said system including a drill rig and a subsystem for monitoring the location of an inground tool along an underground borepath and other operational parameters relating to said underground borepath, said apparatus comprising:

a geographic database of region specific parameters that specifies operational parameters based on location for one or more components of said horizontal directional drilling system;

an arrangement for identifying a current location of at least one locatable component of the system in said region and for correlating the current location with said geographic database to identify a set of local requirements for the current location; and

a controller for customizing at least one operational parameter of the one or more configurable components based on the current location to conform to the set of local requirements.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the system includes a portable locator as one of the configurable system components for monitoring the position and/or orientation of the inground tool on the borepath.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said portable locator is configured at least to transmit a telemetry signal and said local requirements specify at least one of a maximum transmission power and at least one transmission frequency for said telemetry signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said inground tool is configured for transmitting a locating signal through the ground for above ground reception and said local requirements specify at least one of a maximum transmission power and at least one transmission frequency for the locating signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein a telemetry transceiver is in data communication with said drill rig and is configured at least to transmit a telemetry signal and said local requirements specify at least one of a maximum transmission power and at least one transmission frequency for the telemetry signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein at least one locatable component is also a configurable component.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said geographic database includes a set of region profiles.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controller is configured to compare the local requirements for the current region to a current operational mode of the system and to issue a notification responsive to a difference therebetween.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controller is configured to compare the local requirements for the current region to a current operational mode of one or more of the configurable system components and to automatically reconfigure one or more of the configurable system components responsive to a difference that is detected between the current operational mode and the local requirements to bring the current operational mode of the configurable system components into conformance with the local requirements.

24. An arrangement for monitoring a system that performs horizontal directional drilling including a drill rig and a subsystem for monitoring the location of an inground tool along an underground borepath and other operational parameters relating to said underground borepath, said arrangement comprising:

a drilling area network hub located proximate to the drill rig for generating a plurality of data logs of differing types that characterize the inground operation as the inground operation is performed and said drilling area network hub is configured at least for intermittent data communication with a remote location; and

a priority table that applies a priority ranking to the differing types of said data logs such that said drilling area network hub transfers said data logs to the remote location according to the priority table.

25. The arrangement of claim 24 wherein said priority table includes a threshold value that is specified for at least a particular one of the data logs and said drilling area network hub is configured to increase the priority ranking of the particular data log responsive to a violation of the threshold value.

26. The arrangement of claim 25 wherein said drilling area network hub is configured for arbitration between two or more of the data logs that concurrently violate an associated threshold value for each of the data logs.

27. The arrangement of claim 24 wherein the differing types of data logs at least include a pull-back tension log, an annular fluid pressure log and a temperature log.

28. The arrangement of claim 27 wherein a maximum threshold value is associated with each of the pull-back tension log, an annular fluid pressure log and a temperature log.