Automatic downlink system

• US 7,198,102 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Thomas, John A., Follini, Jean-Marc, Virally, Stephane J., Hutin, Remi, Reed, Christopher P., Shakarchi, Franck Al
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsay; Frank
• Application Number:
  US11/299,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20060102340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 175 40- 48, 367 81- 85
• US Class Current: 166/249
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry

Abstract

A downlink system that includes at least one mud pump for pumping drilling fluid from a drilling fluid storage tank to a drilling system, a standpipe in fluid communication with the mud pump and in fluid communication with the drilling system, and a return line in fluid communication with the drilling system for returning the drilling fluid to the drilling fluid storage tank is provided. A drilling fluid modulator may be in fluid communication with at least one of the group consisting of the standpipe and the return line.

Claims

1. A method for generating a downlink signal, comprising:

pumping a drilling fluid from a storage unit to a downhole drilling tool with a pump;

coupling an actuation device to a control panel of the pump;

coupling the actuation device to a pump control device on the pump control panel; and

creating a pulse in the drilling fluid flow by selectively controlling the pump control device with the actuation device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating a pulse is done simultaneous with drilling operations.

3. A method of generating a downlink signal, comprising:

pumping a drilling fluid from a storage unit to a downhole drilling tool using at least one drilling fluid pump having a plurality of pumping elements; and

creating a pulse in a drilling fluid flow by selectively reducing the efficiency of at least one of the plurality of pumping elements.

4. A method of generating a downlink signal, comprising:

pumping a drilling fluid from a storage unit to a downhole drilling tool at a nominal flow rate; and

selectively alternately increasing and decreasing the mud flow rate of the drilling fluid using a downlink pump having an intake that is in fluid communication with a standpipe and having a discharge that is in fluid communication with the standpipe.

5. A method of generating a downlink signal, comprising:

operating at least one primary drilling fluid pump to pump drilling fluid from a storage unit to a downhole drilling tool; and

engaging an electronic circuitry tat is operatively coupled to the at least one primary drilling fluid pump to modulate a speed of the at least one primary drilling fluid pump.