ELECTROMAGNETIC IMAGING FOR STRUCTURAL INSPECTION

• US 20160282504A1
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Wilson, Glenn A., Donderici, Burkay
• Granted Patent: US 9,778,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/0025 generating an image of the borehole wall using down-hole measurements, e.g. acoustic or electric
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/007 Measuring stresses in a pipe string or casing for locating blocked portions of pipes E21B47/09
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/01 Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/113 using electrical indications; using light radiations
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/904 with two or more sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/01 Measuring or predicting earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/082 operating with fields produced by spontaneous potentials, e.g. electrochemical or produced by telluric currents G01V3/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/26 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified either by the surrounding earth formation or by the detecting device with electromagnetic waves G01V3/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/38 Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction

Abstract

An apparatus and method provides for nondestructive inspection of a generally tubular target structure (such as a wellbore casing) by rolling contact engagement of one or more rolling probe devices with the target structure. Each rolling probe device carries electromagnetic (EM) measurement instrumentation to capture measurement data during rolling contact engagement with the casing. Each rolling probe device may comprise an instrumentation carrier (e.g., a roller or a wheel) having an endless tread surface to engage the target structure, with the EM measurement instrumentation extending along the endless tread surface and being located at or adjacent an exterior of the instrumentation carrier. A plurality of such rolling instrumentation carriers can be mounted at azimuthally spaced positions on a tool body configured for axial movement along a wellbore.

Claims

1. An apparatus for nondestructive structural inspection, the apparatus comprising:

a tool body; and

one or more rolling probe assemblies mounted on the tool body and configured to measure one or more properties of a target structure, each rolling probe assembly comprising;

an instrumentation carrier configured for revolving movement relative to the tool body when an endless tread surface defined by the instrumentation carrier bears against the target structure, to allow rolling contact engagement of endless tread surface with the target structure; and

measuring instrumentation extending along the endless tread surface at or adjacent an exterior of the instrumentation carrier, the measuring instrumentation being configured for capturing electromagnetic measurement data during rolling contact engagement of the tread surface with the target structure, the electromagnetic measurement data being indicative of the one or more properties of the target structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each instrumentation carrier comprises a roller that is rotatably mounted on the tool body about a respective axis of rotation, the endless tread surface being defined by a radially outer surface of the roller.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each roller is of a resiliently compressible material, each rolling probe assembly further comprising an urging mechanism for urging the corresponding roller into contact with the target structure such that a contact interface between the roller and the target structure comprises a substantially nonlinear area.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each roller comprises a roller body that defines an endless, circumferentially extending substrate surface, the measurement instrumentation comprising printed electronic circuitry carried on the substrate surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the measuring instrumentation comprises a flexible printed circuit board mounted on the substrate surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the measuring instrumentation comprises a substantially uninterrupted, regularly spaced series of sensor antennae, the series extending circumferentially along the tread surface of the roller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each instrumentation carrier comprises:

a carrier body that defines a substrate surface on which the measurement instrumentation is carried; and

a barrier layer that covers the substrate surface and the measurement instrumentation such that the tread surface of the instrumentation carrier is defined by an outer surface of the barrier layer, the measurement instrumentation being located beneath the tread surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each instrumentation carrier comprises a flexible endless web, each rolling probe assembly further comprising a guide arrangement having two or more guide wheels rotatable about parallel, spaced rotational axes, the endless web being mounted on the guide arrangement for guided revolving movement about the two or more guide wheels in an endless loop.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to measure the one or more properties of the target structure by rolling contact engagement with an interior cylindrical surface of the target structure, the tool body being configured for movement along a longitudinal axis of the interior cylindrical surface, and the one or more rolling probe assemblies comprising a plurality of rolling probe assemblies that are circumferentially spaced about the tool body for simultaneous rolling contact engagement with the interior cylindrical surface at different circumferential positions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the tool body is elongate, to extend lengthwise along the longitudinal axis of the interior cylindrical surface, and wherein the plurality of rolling probe assemblies are arranged in two or more axially spaced sets of rolling probe assemblies, each set of rolling probe assemblies comprising two or more circumferentially spaced, axially aligned rolling probe assemblies.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the two or more sets of rolling probe assemblies are substantially identical in spatial arrangement, but are angularly displaced relative to each other, so that the instrumentation carriers of the rolling probe assemblies of respective sets are axially misaligned.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in the plurality of rolling probe assemblies, when seen in axial end view, cumulatively provide full circumferential coverage of the interior cylindrical surface of the target structure.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each rolling probe assembly comprises an undercarriage that mounts the associated instrumentation carrier on the tool body such that a radial spacing between the tool body and the instrumentation carrier, relative to the longitudinal axis, is dynamically variable.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each rolling probe assembly comprises an urging mechanism configured to urge the associated instrumentation carrier radially outwards and into contact with the interior cylindrical surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured for electromagnetic inspection of a wellbore casing, the tool body being configured for insertion in and lengthwise movement along the wellbore casing.

16. A method comprising:

moving an inspection tool lengthwise along a wellbore, the inspection tool having a plurality of azimuthally spaced rolling probe devices;

during movement of the inspection tool along the wellbore, rolling the plurality of rolling probe devices along a cylindrical inner surface of a casing that lines the wellbore, each rolling probe device being in rolling contact engagement with the casing at a respective azimuthal position; and

at each of the plurality of rolling probe devices, during rolling contact engagement with the casing, capturing electromagnetic measurement data by use of measuring instrumentation carried by the respective rolling probe device, the electromagnetic measurement data being indicative of one or more structural properties of the casing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

processing the electromagnetic measurement data captured by the plurality of rolling probe devices; and

based on the processing, generating a casing image representing structural features of the casing, with image information for different azimuthal positions of the casing image being based on electromagnetic measurement data captured by respectively corresponding ones of the plurality of rolling probe devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of rolling probe devices are arranged such that a cumulative azimuthal coverage of the plurality of rolling probe devices covers an entire azimuthal extent of the interior cylindrical surface of the casing.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating multiple casing images based on multiple respective rolling probe data sets captured at different times, to produce a set of time-staggered casing images; and

based on the set of time-staggered casing images, generating an animated casing image that provides a graphic representation of changes to the structural features of the casing over a particular time interval.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, in an automated operation using one or more computer processors, performing image processing on the casing image, to identify one or more structural defects of the casing.