Sensing shock during well perforating

• US 8,985,200 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Serra, Marco, Linyaev, Eugene, Glenn, Timothy S., Le, Cam, Rodgers, John, Swenson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bomar, Shane
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, KIPP CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US13/304,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20120152519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 175 1- 46, 166/297, 166/298
• US Class Current: 166/66
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/119 Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/01 Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like

Abstract

A shock sensing tool for use with well perforating can include a generally tubular structure which is fluid pressure balanced, at least one strain sensor which senses strain in the structure, and a pressure sensor which senses pressure external to the structure. A well system can include a perforating string including multiple perforating guns and at least one shock sensing tool, with the shock sensing tool being interconnected in the perforating string between one of the perforating guns and at least one of: a) another of the perforating guns, and b) a firing head.

Claims

1. A well system, comprising:

a perforating string including multiple perforating guns and at least one shock sensing tool which measures shock experienced by the perforating string due to detonation of the perforating guns and which stores within the shock sensing tool at least one measurement of the shock,

wherein the shock sensing tool is interconnected in the perforating string between a firing head and a perforating gun nearest the firing head, wherein the firing head detonates the nearest perforating gun.

2. The well system of claim 1, wherein multiple shock sensing tools are longitudinally distributed along the perforating string.

3. The well system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the perforating guns is interconnected in the perforating string between two shock sensing tools.

4. The well system of claim 1, wherein a detonation train extends through the shock sensing tool.

5. The well system of claim 1, wherein the shock sensing tool includes a strain sensor which senses strain in a structure, and

wherein the structure is fluid pressure balanced.

6. A well system, comprising:

a perforating string including multiple perforating guns and at least one shock sensing tool which measures shock experienced by the perforating string due to detonation of the perforating guns and which stores within the shock sensing tool at least one measurement of the shock, the shock sensing tool being interconnected in the perforating string between a firing head and a perforating gun nearest the firing head,

wherein the firing head detonates the nearest perforating gun, and

wherein the shock sensing tool includes a sensor which senses load in a structure.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the structure transmits all structural loading between the nearest perforating gun and the firing head.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the structure is fluid pressure balanced.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein both an interior and an exterior of the structure are exposed to pressure in an annulus between the perforating string and a wellbore.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the structure is isolated from pressure in a wellbore.

11. A well system, comprising:

a perforating string including multiple perforating guns and at least one shock sensing tool which measures shock experienced by the perforating string due to detonation of the perforating guns and which stores within the shock sensing tool at least one measurement of the shock, the shock sensing tool being interconnected in the perforating string between a firing head and a perforating gun nearest the firing head, wherein the firing head detonates the nearest perforating gun, and

wherein the shock sensing tool includes a pressure sensor which senses pressure produced by detonating at least one of the perforating guns.

12. A well system, comprising:

a perforating string including multiple perforating guns and at least one shock sensing tool which measures shock experienced by the perforating string due to detonation of the perforating guns and which stores within the shock sensing tool at least one measurement of the shock, the shock sensing tool being interconnected in the perforating string between a firing head and a perforating gun nearest the firing head, wherein the firing head detonates the nearest perforating gun, and

wherein the shock sensing tool begins increased recording of sensor measurements in response to sensing a predetermined event.

13. A shock sensing tool for use with well perforating, the shock sensing tool comprising:

a structure which is fluid pressure balanced;

at least one sensor which senses load in the structure;

a first pressure sensor which senses pressure external to the structure;

an electronics package which collects sensor measurements of shock experienced due to detonation of at least one perforating gun and which stores downhole the sensor measurements; and

at least one perforating gun connector which interconnects the shock sensing tool in a perforating string between a firing head and a perforating gun nearest the firing head, wherein the firing head detonates the nearest perforating gun.

14. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a combination of strain sensors which senses axial, bending and torsional strain in the structure.

15. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, further comprising a second pressure sensor which senses pressure internal to the structure.

16. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, further comprising an accelerometer.

17. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, further comprising a temperature sensor.

18. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, wherein the shock sensing tool begins increased recording of the sensor measurements in response to sensing a predetermined event.

19. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, wherein a detonation train extends through the structure.

20. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, wherein a flow passage extends through the structure.

21. The shock sensing tool of claim 13, further comprising a non-volatile memory which stores the sensor measurements.