Multiple well tool control systems in a multi-valve well testing system

• US 4,915,168 A
• Filed: 01/10/1989
• Issued: 04/10/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Upchurch, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US07/295,614
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 166/264, 166/53, 166/66.4, 166/373, 166/374, 166/375, 166/250, 166/65.1, 166/332, 166/319, 73/155, 175/24, 175/26, 175/38, 175/40, 175/41, 175/4.55
• US Class Current: 166/250.15
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/04 Ball valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/06 in wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/10 operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/16 Control means therefor being outside the borehole control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry

Abstract

A well testing tool includes a plurality of valves, a plurality of well tool control systems connected, respectively, to the plurality of valves, and an electronics section connected to the plurality of well tool control systems for energizing one of the control systems thereby opening or closing a valve associated with the one control system when the electronics section of the tool detects the existance of an input stimulus transmitted downhole by an operator at the well surface. The operator need only know the particular input stimulus to transmit for a particular valve and need not know how many well tools are disposed downhole or in which tool a particular valve is disposed. The opening or closing of a particular valve is accomplished independantly of any other valves disposed in the tool.

Claims

1. A well testing tool adapted to be disposed in a borehole and responsive to an input stimulus transmitted into said borehole by an operator, said tool having a plurality of valves and including at least a first valve and a second valve, said input stimulus being uniquely associated with said first valve, comprising:

sensor means for sensing said input stimulus and generating an output signal representative of said input stimulus;

control means responsive to an output signal from said sensor means for generating a driver signal; and

a plurality of control systems interconnected respectively between said plurality of valves and said control means, one of said plurality of control systems controlling an operation of said first valve of said plurality of valves in response to said driver signal from said control means.

2. The well testing tool of claim 1, wherein another input stimulus is transmitted into said borehole by said operator, said another input stimulus being uniquely associated with said second valve, said sensor means sensing said another input stimulus, said control means generating another driver signal in response thereto, another one of said plurality of control systems controlling an operation of said second valve in response to said another driver signal.

3. The well testing tool of claim 1, wherein said first valve has a closure state, said driver signal from said control means includes a first driver signal and a second driver signal, and wherein said one of said plurality of control systems comprises:

first solenoid means connected to said first valve for changing an operational state in response to said first driver signal thereby causing said first valve to change its closure state from a first state to a second state; and

second solenoid means connected to said first valve for changing an operational state in response to said second driver signal thereby causing said first valve to change its closure state from said second state to said first state.

4. The well testing tool of claim 3, wherein said operational state of said first solenoid means includes either an open state or a closed state, said first state of said first valve being one of an open state and a closed state, said second state of said first valve being the other of said open state and said closed state.

5. The well testing tool of claim 1, wherein said input stimulus is a pressure signal transmitted into an annulus of said borehole by said operator.

6. A method of changing an operating state of one of a plurality of valves disposed in one or more well testing tools, said one or more well testing tools including a plurality of control systems connected respectively to said plurality of valves and an electronics section connected to said plurality of control systems, said one or more well testing tools being adapted to be disposed in a borehole of an oil well, comprising the steps of:

transmitting an input stimulus into said borehole;

receiving said input stimulus in said electronics section of said tool and generating a driver signal in response thereto;

energizing one of said plurality of control systems in response to said driver signal; and

changing said operating state of said one of said plurality of valves in response to the energizing step.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said electronics section comprises a receiving sensor means and a controller means connected to said receiving sensor means, the receiving step comprising the steps of:

sensing said input stimulus by said receiving sensor means;

determining an identity of said one of said plurality of control systems by said controller means in response to the sensing step; and

generating from said controller means said driver signal in response to said determining step.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said one of said plurality of control systems comprises a first solenoid means connected to said one of said plurality of valves and a second solenoid means also connected to said one of said plurality of valves, said driver signal including a first driver signal and a second driver signal, the energizing step comprising the steps of:

initially receiving in said first solenoid means said first driver signal thereby changing the operational state of said first solenoid means in response thereto; and

subsequently receiving in said second solenoid means said second driver signal thereby changing the operational state of said second solenoid means in response thereto.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the changing step further comprises the steps of:

in response to the change in operational state of said first solenoid means via said initially receiving step, operating said one of said plurality of valves to implement one of an opening or a closing of said one of said plurality of valves; and

in response to the change in operational state of said second solenoid means via said subsequently receiving step, operating said one of said plurality of valves to implement the other of an opening or a closing of said one of said plurality of valves.

10. A multi-valve well tool system adapted to be disposed in a borehole, the system including a plurality of valves, each of the valves having a closure state, comprising:

means for sensing a stimulus;

a controller responsive to the stimulus for storing information and for generating an output signal when said stimulus corresponds to said information stored in said controller;

a plurality of control systems interconnected respectively between the plurality of valves and the controller,

one of the control systems changing the closure state of one of the valves, independently of the other of said valves, in response to said output signal from said controller.

11. The well tool system of claim 10, wherein said stimulus is transmitted into said borehole by an operator.

12. A method practiced by an operator of a multi-valve system for opening or closing one of the valves of said system, comprising the steps of:

determining an input stimulus uniquely associated with the one valve;

transmitting said input stimulus into a borehole where said multi-valve system is adapted to be disposed;

receiving said input stimulus in said system when said system is disposed in said borehole and comparing said input stimulus with information store din said system; and

generating an output signal when said input stimulus corresponds to at least a part of said information;

said one valve being opened or closed in response to said output signal without also affecting any other valve of said multi-valve system.

13. A well testing system comprising:

a plurality of well testing tools, the well testing tools collectively including a plurality of valves;

a plurality of control systems connected respectively to said plurality of valves; and

controller means connected to said plurality of control systems and responsive to an input stimulus for storing information and for comparing said input stimulus with said information, said controller means generating an output signal when said input stimulus corresponds to at least a part of said information, said output signal from said controller means energizing one of said control systems thereby operating a corresponding one of said plurality of valves.

14. A method of operating two or more valves of a well testing system, comprising the steps of:

generating an input stimulus, said input stimulus being a pressure signal transmitted into an annulus of a borehole by an operator;

receiving said input stimulus in a control means embodied in said system, said control means being connected to said two or more valves; and

operating said two or more valves in response to the receiving step using said control means to perform the operating step, the operating step including the step of opening or closing one or more of said two or more valves.

15. A system adapted to be disposed in a borehole for operating one or more apparatus, comprising:

one or more control systems connected respectively to said one or more apparatus; and

controller means connected to said one or more control systems and responsive to an input stimulus for storing information and for generating an output signal in accordance with said input stimulus and at least a part of said information stored in said controller means,

said output signal from said controller means energizing said one or more control systems, said one or more control systems operating said one or more apparatus.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said controller means compares said input stimulus with said information and generates said output signal when said input stimulus corresponds to said at least a part of said information stored in said controller means.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said information stored in said controller means comprises one or more signatures associated with said apparatus,

said controller means comparing a signature of said input stimulus with said one or more signatures stored in said controller means and generating said output signal when said signature of said input stimulus matches said one or more signatures stored in said controller means.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising sensor means connected to said controller means for sensing said input stimulus, said controller means being responsive to said input stimulus sensed by said sensor means.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each of said one or more apparatus comprises a valve.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each of said control systems include one or more solenoid means for operating a valve in response to said output signal from said controller means.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said system is a well testing system.

22. A method of operating one or more apparatus embodied in a system adapted to be disposed in a borehole, said system storing information, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an input stimulus in said system;

(b) generating one or more output signals in accordance with said input stimulus and said information stored in said system;

(c) receiving said one or more output signals in one or more control systems; and

(d) operating said one or more apparatus using said one or more control systems to perform the operating step.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the generating step (b) comprises the steps of:

(e) comparing said input stimulus with said information stored in said system; and

(f) generating said one or more output signals when said input stimulus corresponds to one or more parts of said information stored in said system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said information comprises one or more signatures, and wherein the comparing step (e) comprises the step of comparing a signature of said input stimulus with said one or more signatures stored in said system.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein each of said one or more apparatus is a valve.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each of said one or more control systems include one more solenoid means for operating a valve.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said system is a well testing system, said information including said one or more signatures being stored in a controller embodied in said system.