Surface wellbore operating equipment utilizing MEMS sensors

• US 9,194,207 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Roddy, Craig W., Covington, Ricky L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Kenneth L.
• Application Number:
  US13/855,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20130213647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 166/66, 166/253.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/13 Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/25 Methods for stimulating production by vibrating earth formations E21B43/003
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/005 Monitoring or checking of cementation quality or level
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/10 Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency

Abstract

A method comprising mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite. An interrogator retrieves data regarding a parameter sensed by the MEMS sensor.

Claims

1. A wellbore servicing system comprising:

surface wellbore operating equipment placed at a surface of a wellsite;

a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors, wherein the wellbore servicing composition is located within the surface wellbore operating equipment; and

an interrogator placed in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors in the wellbore servicing composition at the surface of the wellsite.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of MEMS sensors comprises an elastomer coating, wherein the elastomer coating of the plurality of elastomer-coated MEMS sensors comprises a copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene;

a copolymer of methylmethacrylate and acrylonitrile;

a copolymer of styrene and acrylonitrile;

a terpolymer of methylmethacrylate, acrylonitrile, and vinylidene dichloride;

a terpolymer of styrene, vinylidene chloride, and acrylonitrile;

a phenolic resin;

polystyrene;

or combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the surface wellbore operating equipment comprises a cement blender, a proppant mixer, a gel blender, a sand blender, a flowline, a conduit, or combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the interrogator is positioned in, on, around, about, in proximity to, or combinations thereof, the surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of the wellsite.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the interrogator is integrated with a radio-frequency (RF) energy source and the plurality of MEMS sensors are passively energized via an FT antenna which picks up energy from the RF energy source, and wherein the RF energy source comprises frequencies of 125 kHz, 915 MHz, 13.5 MHz, 2.4 GHz, or combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the wellbore servicing composition is formulated as a drilling fluid, a spacer fluid, a sealant, a fracturing fluid, a gravel pack fluid, or a completion fluid.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein a dispersion of the MEMS sensors in the wellbore servicing composition is determined at the surface of the wellsite.

9. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

retrieving data regarding one or more parameters sensed by the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the one or more parameters comprises a location of the plurality of MEMS sensors within the wellbore servicing composition, a condition of mixing, a concentration of a component, a density, or combinations thereof.

10. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite, wherein the wellbore servicing composition comprises wellbore servicing fluid, wherein the wellbore servicing fluid is a hydraulic cement slurry or a non-cementitious sealant.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wellbore servicing fluid is a hydraulic cement slurry, the method further comprising:

placing the hydraulic cement slurry in a wellbore in a subterranean formation, wherein the hydraulic cement slurry is pumped down an inside of a casing and flows out of the casing and into an annulus between the casing and the subterranean formation.

12. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite, wherein the wellbore servicing composition is formulated as a drilling fluid, a sealant, a fracturing fluid, a completion fluid, or a combination thereof, wherein the plurality of MEMS sensors comprises an amount from about 0.01 to about 5 weight percent of the wellbore composition.

13. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors.

14. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite;

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors; and

adjusting a location of one or more of the plurality of the MEMS sensors in the wellbore servicing composition at the surface of the wellsite before placing the wellbore servicing composition into a wellbore.

15. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors is integrated or coupled with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

16. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite;

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors; and

adjusting a condition of the surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of the wellsite before placing the wellbore servicing composition into a wellbore.

17. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein the interrogator is attached to the surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of the wellsite.

18. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, and wherein the communicative proximity comprises a distance of about 0.1 meter to about 10 meters.

19. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

placing an interrogator in communicative proximity with one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator activates and receives data from the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors, wherein the interrogator comprises a mobile transceiver electromagnetically coupled with the one or more of the plurality of MEMS sensors; and

wherein the interrogator is integrated with a radio-frequency (RF) energy source and the plurality of MEMS sensors are passively energized via an FT antenna which picks up energy from the RF energy source, and wherein the RF energy source comprises frequencies of 125 kHz, 915 MHz, 13.5 MHz, 2.4 GHz, or combinations thereof.

20. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite, wherein the plurality of MEMS sensors are approximately 0.01 mm² to approximately 10 mm² in size.

21. A method comprising:

mixing a wellbore servicing composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in surface wellbore operating equipment at the surface of a wellsite; and

determining a dispersion of the MEMS sensors in the wellbore servicing composition at the surface of the wellsite.