Marking system and method

• US 7,293,715 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Mullins, Oliver C., Del Campo, Christopher S., Kishino, Ashley C., Reid, Lennox, Bargach, Saad, Betancourt, Soraya S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US11/014,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20060131376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/376, 235/462.01, 235/492, 455/40, 455/899, 702/6
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/06 using side-wall drilling tools pressing or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/12 Dippers; Dredgers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code

Abstract

A marking system and method for a well site sample is provided. The system includes a container for collecting the well site sample, a marker applied to the container and a scanner adapted to read the marker. Data may be uploaded to and/or downloaded from the marker.

Claims

1. A marking system for a well site sample, comprising:

at least one container for collecting the well site sample;

at least one marker applied to the at least one container, the at least one marker having an identifier associated therewith; and

a scanner positioned in a downhole tool for reading the at least one marker.

2. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the at least one marker is one of an etching, an RFID tag, a magnetic strip, a bar code, a set of grooves and combinations thereof.

3. The marking system of claim 1 further comprising a processor for processing data associated with the at least one marker.

4. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the sample is one of a core sample, a wellbore fluid sample, a formation fluid sample, a frac fluid sample and combinations thereof.

5. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the scanner is for writing to the at least one marker.

6. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the at least one marker is embedded in the at least one container.

7. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the at least one marker is etched into the at least one container.

8. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the at least one marker has circuitry for storing data.

9. The marking system of claim 1 wherein the identifier is a serial number.

10. A method of processing downhole data for a well site sample, comprising:

creating an at least one marker for an at least one container;

uploading background data relating to the at least one container to the at least one marker using a scanner positioned in a downhole tool;

collecting a well site sample in the at least one container; and

downloading the data to a surface computer.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising uploading wellbore data relating to the well site sample to the at least one marker.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of uploading wellbore data comprises writing well site data to the at least one marker.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising uploading laboratory data relating to the well site sample to the at least one marker.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of uploading laboratory data comprises writing laboratory data to the at least one marker.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising processing the data.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising analyzing the data.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of creating an at least one marker comprises applying an at least one marker to the at least one container.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of creating an at least one marker comprises etching an at least one marker onto the at least one container.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of creating an at least one marker comprises creating grooves on the at least one container.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting a fluid sample in the at least one container.

21. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting a core sample in the at least one container.

22. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of collecting comprises collecting a well site sample in the at least one container.

23. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of uploading background data comprises writing background data to the at least one marker.

24. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of downloading comprises reading the data from the at least one marker.

25. The method of claim 10 further comprising transferring the well site sample from the at least one container to a second container having a second marker and transferring data from the at least one marker to the second marker.

26. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of uploading is performed automatically.

27. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of downloading is performed automatically.

28. A marking system for a well site sample, comprising:

at least one container positioned in a downhole tool for collecting the well site sample;

at least one radio frequency identification tag applied to the at least one container, the at least one radio frequency identification tag having an identifier associated therewith; and

a scanner adapted to read the at least one radio frequency identification tag.

29. The marking system of claim 28 wherein the scanner is further adapted to write to the at least one radio frequency identification tag.

30. The marking system of claim 29 wherein the at least one radio frequency identification tag has circuitry adapted to store data.