Apparatus and method for orienting a downhole tool
First Claim
1. An orienter for a downhole tool, comprising:
- a device in the orienter for generating rotational kinetic energy from the flow of fluid past the orienter; and
means for applying the rotational kinetic energy to position the downhole tool relative to a point of reference whereby the downhole tool is placed in a desired orientation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An orienter, particularly on coiled tubing or small diameter drill pipe, includes a motor, turbine, or other device for selectively converting the rotational kinetic energy produced from fluid flow through the device to mechanical power, and applying the mechanical power to a downhole tool through a gear train for orienting the downhole tool. The orienter is utilized during directional drilling and other operations such as well intervention, fishing, and multilateral re-entry operations. The downhole tool preferably includes a steerable mud motor. In one embodiment, the direction of the borehole is controlled by azimuthal rotation of the orienter of the present invention in response to downlink commands from the surface by changing fluid flow rate through the orienter in a predefined series of steps.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. An orienter for a downhole tool, comprising:
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a device in the orienter for generating rotational kinetic energy from the flow of fluid past the orienter; and
means for applying the rotational kinetic energy to position the downhole tool relative to a point of reference whereby the downhole tool is placed in a desired orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Apparatus for orienting a tool in a borehole comprising:
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a device connectable to the tool, the device capable of converting fluid flow past said device into rotational kinetic energy;
means for applying the rotational kinetic energy of said device to position the tool whereby the tool is placed in a desired orientation; and
means for communicating the desired orientation of the tool to said energy applying means. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An orienter for a downhole tool comprising:
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a device connectable to the downhole tool, the device capable of converting fluid flow past said device into rotational kinetic energy;
an alternator operably connected to said device, said alternator capable of converting the rotational kinetic energy produced by said device into electricity;
a motor powered by the electricity produced by said alternator; and
control circuitry for selectively operating said motor whereby the downhole tool is positioned in a desired orientation. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of orienting a downhole tool relative to a point of reference comprising the steps of:
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pumping a fluid through a tubular string in a borehole;
generating rotational power from the hydraulic energy of the pumped fluid; and
utilizing the rotational power generated from the hydraulic energy to selectively position a downhole tool relative to the point of reference whereby the downhole tool is placed in a desired orientation. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification