Systems and methods for using wireless tags with downhole equipment

• US 9,140,823 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Christiansen, Ted Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US13/389,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 340/854.6, 340/854.3, 340/853.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/006 Accessories for drilling pipes, e.g. cleaners wear protectors E21B17/10; handling drilling pipes E21B19/00; thread protectors B65D59/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00

Abstract

Techniques for wirelessly transferring information to and/or from a drill string component are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a downhole system includes a drill string component and a tag interrogating device. The drill string component includes a tag configured for wireless communication. The tag interrogating device is configured to traverse the interior of the drill string and wirelessly communicate with the tag.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a tag, comprising;

a set of accelerometers configured to detect acceleration of the tag along multiple axes;

a processor to process acceleration measurements provided by the set of accelerometers, wherein processing by the processor comprises;

sorting the acceleration measurements according to direction and degree of acceleration detected by the set of accelerometers, setting a use start time based on the acceleration detected exceeding a predetermined threshold after initialization of the tag; and

setting a use end time based on the acceleration detected exceeding the predetermined threshold and the use start time being set;

a memory to store results of the processing of the processor; and

a transceiver configured for wireless communication;

wherein the tag is configured for attachment to an exterior surface of a drill string;

wherein the use start time specifies a time at which a downhole component to which the tag is attached is put into a service, and the use end time specifies a time at which the downhole component to which the tag is attached is no longer in the service;

wherein the transceiver is configured to transfer the acceleration measurements via a communication link including long wavelength inductive transmission to a facility that analyzes operation of the downhole component.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a drill string component configured for attachment of the tag to an exterior surface of the drill string component.

3. The downhole system of claim 2, further comprising a thread protector cap threadedly coupleable to the drill string component, the tag positionable in the thread protector cap.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises an alignment feature that indicates an operational orientation of the tag on a drill string component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to compare the acceleration measurements to a plurality of threshold values at predetermined intervals, and to sort the acceleration measurements in accordance with the plurality of threshold values.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is to increment a stored acceleration value representing an acceleration range between two threshold values of the plurality of threshold values based on a comparison by the processor identifying one of the acceleration measurements between the two threshold values.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured for bidirectional operation in a long wavelength band.

8. The downhole system of claim 1, wherein the downhole component is a downhole drilling tubular.

9. The downhole system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to set the use end time based on the detected acceleration not exceeding a continuing use threshold.

10. A method, comprising:

detecting acceleration of a tag comprising an accelerometer affixed to an exterior surface of a drill string component;

determining degree and direction of the detected acceleration of the tag;

determining which acceleration range of a plurality of predetermined acceleration ranges the detected acceleration falls within;

updating an indication of acceleration measurements detected within the determined acceleration range of the plurality of predetermined acceleration ranges; and

determining a duration of use by identifying a time at which the drill string component is placed into service as being a time at which the detected acceleration exceeded a predetermined start time threshold and identifying a time at which the drill string component is removed from the service as being a time at which the detected acceleration last exceeded a predetermined end time threshold;

transferring the indication of acceleration measurements via a communication link including long wavelength inductive transmission to a facility that analyzes operation of the drill string component.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating an indication of the acceleration measurements detected within the determined acceleration range for each direction of the acceleration measurements.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising periodically comparing the detected acceleration to a continuing use threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining cumulative fatigue based at least in part on the acceleration measurements from the tag.