System and method for steering in a downhole environment using vibration modulation

• US 8,844,649 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helmerich & Payne Technologies, LLC (Helmerich & Payne Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hunt Advanced Drilling Technologies, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Benson, Todd W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephenson, Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US14/145,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20140110176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 273 Days
• Field of Search: 175/24, 175/40, 175/45, 175/56, 175/57, 175/106, 175/415, 175/55
• US Class Current: 175/56
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 28/00 Vibration generating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for stimulating production for fishing for or freeing objects E21B31/005; for transmitting measuring-signals E21B47/14; for geophysical measurements G01V1/02
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/00 Valve arrangements for boreholes or wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/10 continuous unidirectional rotary motion of shaft or drilling pipe effecting consecutive impacts
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/09 Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells , e.g. the position of an extending arm; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/16 through the drill string or casing , e.g. by torsional acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/003 by analysing drilling variables or conditions E21B49/005 takes precedence; systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions E21B44/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/06 Deflecting the direction of boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/24 Drilling using vibrating or oscillating means, e.g. out-of-balance masses percussion drilling E21B1/00

Abstract

A system and method are provided for using controlled vibrations to bias a drilling direction of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) in a borehole. In one example, the system includes a movement mechanism and a vibration control mechanism. The movement mechanism is configured to use mechanical energy provided by a mechanical energy source to enable translational movement of a first surface relative to a second surface to allow the first surface to repeatedly impact the second surface to produce a plurality of vibration beats. The vibration control mechanism is configured to influence a drilling direction in which the BHA is drilling by controlling an amplitude of the vibration beats to regulate an impact force between the first surface and the second surface, where the amplitude is controlled based on directional information corresponding to the BHA.

Claims

1. A system for using controlled axial vibrations to bias a drilling direction of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) in a borehole comprising:

a movement mechanism configured to use mechanical energy provided by a mechanical energy source to enable translational movement of a first surface relative to a second surface to allow the first surface to repeatedly impact the second surface to produce a plurality of axial vibration beats along a central axis of the BHA; and

a vibration control mechanism configured to influence a drilling direction in which the BHA is drilling by controlling an amplitude of the axial vibration beats to regulate an impact force between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the amplitude is controlled based on directional information corresponding to the BHA.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the BHA includes a bent sub mud motor having a bend and wherein the directional information identifies whether the bend is rotated away from a desired direction.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the vibration control mechanism is configured to influence the drilling direction in which the BHA is drilling by reducing an efficiency of the drilling when the bend rotates away from the desired direction.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration control mechanism is further configured to modify a frequency of the axial vibration beats by suppressing the amplitude of a particular axial vibration beat to skip that vibration beat.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the vibration control mechanism is further configured to reduce a frequency of the axial vibration beats to a desired frequency by skipping axial vibration beats.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration control mechanism is further configured to generate an optimal frequency by suppressing the amplitude of a portion of the axial vibration beats to skip those axial vibration beats, wherein the optimal frequency maximizes a drilling speed of the BHA through a formation within which the BHA is drilling.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration control mechanism is further configured to generate an optimal amplitude for each of the axial vibration beats, wherein the optimal amplitude maximizes a drilling speed of the BHA through a formation within which the BHA is drilling.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the vibration control mechanism is configured to control the amplitude of an axial vibration beat to match one of a plurality of defined amplitude values.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the axial vibration beats will occur whenever the mechanical energy is provided by the mechanical energy source unless the provided mechanical energy is dampened to prevent the translational movement.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the amplitude of an axial vibration beat is controlled by dampening the provided mechanical energy to regulate an impact force between the first surface and the second surface.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a sensor positioned to detect the axial vibration beats; and

a controller coupled to the sensor and configured to control the vibration control mechanism based on the axial vibration beats detected by the sensor.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the controller is configured to adjust the vibration control mechanism in response to changes in the amplitude of the axial vibration beats detected by the sensor.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the controller is configured to adjust the axial vibration control mechanism in response to changes in a frequency of the vibration beats detected by the sensor.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to control the vibration control mechanism based on a result of a comparison between a current direction of the BHA and a desired direction of the BHA.

15. A method for producing controlled axial vibrations to bias a drilling direction of a bottom hole assembly (BHA) in a borehole comprising:

using provided energy to cause a plurality of axial vibration beats along a central axis of the BHA to occur in a downhole tool positioned within the borehole, wherein the axial vibration beats are caused by a first surface striking a second surface; and

controlling an amplitude of the axial vibration beats to regulate an impact force between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the amplitude is controlled based on directional information corresponding to the BHA to influence a drilling direction in which the BHA is drilling.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the BHA includes a bent sub mud motor having a bend and wherein the directional information identifies whether the bend is rotated away from a desired direction.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein influencing the drilling direction of the BHA includes reducing an efficiency of the drilling when the bend rotates away from the desired direction.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising modifying a frequency of the axial vibration beats by suppressing the amplitude of a particular axial vibration beat to skip that axial vibration beat.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising reducing a frequency of the axial vibration beats to a desired frequency by skipping axial vibration beats.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating an optimal frequency by suppressing the amplitude of a portion of the axial vibration beats to skip those axial vibration beats, wherein the optimal frequency maximizes a drilling speed of the BHA through a formation in which the BHA is drilling.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the axial vibration beats will occur whenever the mechanical energy is provided by the mechanical energy source unless the provided mechanical energy is dampened to prevent the translational movement.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the amplitude of an axial vibration beat is controlled by dampening the provided mechanical energy to regulate an impact force between the first surface and the second surface.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein controlling the amplitude of the axial vibration beats occurs in response to changes in the amplitude of the axial vibration beats detected by a sensor.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein controlling the amplitude of the axial vibration beats occurs in response to changes in a frequency of the axial vibration beats detected by a sensor.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the directional information is based on a result of a comparison between a current direction of the BHA and a desired direction of the BHA.

26. The method of claim 15 wherein the downhole tool is part of the BHA.

27. The method of claim 15 wherein the downhole tool is separate from the BHA.

28. A system for use in a downhole drilling environment with a bottom hole assembly (BHA) that includes a bent sub mud motor having a bend, the system comprising:

a movement mechanism positioned in a downhole tool and configured to convert energy to translational movement of a first surface relative to a second surface to cause the first surface to impact the second surface to produce a plurality of axial vibration beats along a central axis of the BHA; and

a vibration control mechanism configured to selectively control an amplitude of the axial vibration beats to adjust a drilling efficiency based on a direction in which the bend is oriented, wherein the axial vibration beats occur at a fixed frequency unless the energy is diverted to prevent the translational movement and wherein the vibration control mechanism is configured to selectively control the amplitude of the axial vibration beats by diverting at least a portion of the energy from the translational movement.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and containing a plurality of instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions including instructions for using the vibration control mechanism in the downhole tool to control the amplitude of the axial vibration beats based on orientation information corresponding to the bend.

30. The system of claim 29 further comprising instructions for generating at least one of an optimal frequency and an optimal amplitude using the vibration control mechanism, wherein the optimal frequency and optimal amplitude maximize a drilling speed of the BHA through a formation within which the BHA is drilling.