System for measuring stress in downhole tubulars

• US 8,553,494 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Barolak, Joseph Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): LOBO, IAN J
• Application Number:
  US12/169,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: 367/35, 181/105, 324/367, 324/368
• US Class Current: 367/35
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/007 Measuring stresses in a pipe string or casing for locating blocked portions of pipes E21B47/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02827 Elastic parameters, strength or force
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2636 cylindrical from inside
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/07 by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/225 Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2412 using the magnetostrictive properties of the material to be examined, e.g. electromagnetic acoustic transducers [EMAT]; investigating the presence of flaws using eddy currents G01N27/90, magnetostrictive transducers B06B1/08, measuring magnetostrictive properties G01R33/18
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/30 Analysis G01V1/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/40 specially adapted for well-logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/50 Analysing data

Abstract

An apparatus for evaluating the possibility of casing failure in a borehole measures azimuthal changes in a property responsive to azimuthal changes in axial stress. The measurements may be of acoustic velocity, magnetic permeability, and Barkhausen noise.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining an azimuthal stress variation in a tubular within a borehole, the apparatus comprising:

a logging tool including at least one transducer configured to generate a wave in the tubular;

a plurality of acoustic receivers azimuthally distributed in the logging tool, each of the acoustic receivers configured to produce a signal responsive to the generated wave and an azimuthal stress variation in the tubular; and

at least one processor; and

instructions on a non-transitory medium accessible to the at least one processor;

wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine from the signal from each of the plurality of acoustic receivers an indication of the azimuthal stress variation in the tubular.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to estimate from the indication of the azimuthal stress variation a value of a shear stress in the tubular.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one transmitter further comprises a plurality of electromagnetic transmitters mounted on a pad extendable from a body of the logging tool.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one transmitter comprises a permanent magnet configured to reorient a magnetic domain in the tubular and wherein the at least one receiver comprises a magnetic flux sensor responsive to the reorientation of the magnetic domain.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one transmitter and the plurality of acoustic receivers are selected from the group consisting of:

(i) electro-magnetic acoustic transducers, (ii) piezoelectric transducers, and (iii) wedge transducers.

7. The apparatus claim 5 wherein the plurality of acoustic receivers are disposed on at least one pad extendable from a body of the logging tool.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least processor is further configured to use a table lookup to estimate the value of the shear stress from the indication of the azimuthal stress variation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a conveyance device configured for conveying the logging tool into the borehole, the conveyance device selected from (i) a wireline, (ii) a drilling tubular, (iii) a slickline, and (iv) coiled tubing.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tubular is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) production tubing, (ii) casing, and (iii) a drilling tubular.

3. The apparatus of clam 1 wherein each of the plurality of acoustic receivers further comprises an electromagnetic receiver mounted on a pad extendable from a body of the logging tool and wherein the signal produced by each of the plurality of electromagnetic receivers is indicative of a magnetic permeability of the tubular.

11. An apparatus for determining an azimuthal stress variation in a tubular within a borehole, the apparatus comprising:

a logging tool including at least one transducer configured to generate a wave in the tubular;

a plurality of magnetic field sensors azimuthally distributed in the logging tool, each of the magnetic field sensors configured to produce a signal responsive to an azimuthal stress variation in the tubular and at least one of;

(i) a Barkhausen noise produced by a magnet on the tool and (ii) a current in an axially oriented transmitter coil; and

at least one processor; and

instructions on a non-transitory medium accessible to the at least one processor;

wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine from the signal from each of the plurality of magnetic field sensors an indication of the azimuthal stress variation in the tubular.