Downhole positioning system
First Claim
1. A downhole positioning method that comprises:
- transmitting an electromagnetic positioning signal from a source in a borehole, the electromagnetic positioning signal derived from a pilot signal transmitted from a device proximate to the surface;
receiving at each of multiple receivers the electromagnetic positioning signal from the source in a borehole; and
combining positioning signal measurements collected from the electromagnetic positioning signal at each of the receivers to determine a position of the source, each of the positioning signal measurements are indicative of a magnitude and a phase of the electromagnetic positioning signal at each respective receiver.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Downhole positioning systems and associated methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system comprises a downhole source, an array of receivers, and a data hub. The downhole source transmits an electromagnetic positioning signal that is received by the array of receivers. The data hub collects amplitude and/or phase measurements of the electromagnetic positioning signal from receivers in the array and combines these measurements to determine the position of the downhole source. The position may be tracked over time to determine the source'"'"'s path. The position calculation may take various forms, including determination of a source-to-receiver distance for multiple receivers in the array, coupled with geometric analysis of the distances to determine source position. The electromagnetic positioning signal may be in the sub-hertz frequency range.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A downhole positioning method that comprises:
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transmitting an electromagnetic positioning signal from a source in a borehole, the electromagnetic positioning signal derived from a pilot signal transmitted from a device proximate to the surface; receiving at each of multiple receivers the electromagnetic positioning signal from the source in a borehole; and combining positioning signal measurements collected from the electromagnetic positioning signal at each of the receivers to determine a position of the source, each of the positioning signal measurements are indicative of a magnitude and a phase of the electromagnetic positioning signal at each respective receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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transmitting an electromagnetic positioning signal from a source in a borehole, the electromagnetic positioning signal derived from a pilot signal transmitted from a device proximate to the surface; receiving at each of multiple receivers the electromagnetic positioning signal from the source in a borehole, and the pilot signal from the device proximate to the surface; and combining positioning signal measurements collected from the electromagnetic positioning signal at each of the receivers to determine a position of the source, each of the positioning signal measurements are indicative of a magnitude and a phase of the electromagnetic positioning signal at each respective receiver. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification