Method and system for monitoring downhole assets

• US 9,269,199 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Laughlin, Steven D., Gilleylen, Russell, Ghansyam, Haresh C., Rector, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Tung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Xiuquin
• Application Number:
  US13/774,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 702/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

A location of a downhole asset relative to a first environment may be tracked. The configuration information for the downhole asset is acquired, where the configuration information includes a measurement of one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset in the first environment. A service life of the downhole asset is determined from the configuration information. One or more parameters related to usage of the downhole environment in a second environment are measured. A remainder of the service life of the downhole asset is determined by reducing the service life by an amount proportional to usage of the downhole asset as indicated by the measurement related to usage of the downhole asset. The remaining service life may be used to automatically initiate an order for new parts.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring downhole assets, comprising:

(a) providing a system including at least one electronic tag containing a unique identification code, at least one reader, at least one downhole monitoring package, and at least one force measuring device;

(b) assembling a downhole asset in a first environment;

(c) measuring one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset with the at least one force measuring device;

(d) associating the at least one electronic tag and the at least one downhole monitoring package with the downhole asset;

(e) interrogating the at least one electronic tag for the unique identification code using the at least one reader;

(f) storing in a database configuration information of the downhole asset, the configuration information comprising the unique identification code, and a service life of the downhole asset that is determined from the measurement of the one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset in the first environment;

(g) measuring and recording one or more parameters related to usage of the downhole asset in a second environment using the at least one downhole monitoring package; and

(h) displaying a remainder of the service life of the downhole asset determined by reducing the service life stored in the database by an amount proportional to usage of the downhole asset as indicated by the record of the one or more parameters related to usage of the downhole asset in the second environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising disassembling the downhole asset and repeating step (b) through step (h) for the downhole asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the service life in step (f) comprises determining an equivalent usage time of the downhole asset from the one or more parameters related to usage of the downhole asset and determining the remainder of the service life by reducing the service life by the equivalent usage time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first environment is a service facility environment and the second environment is a downhole environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises measuring torque applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (g) comprises measuring at least one of vibration of the downhole asset and temperature in the second environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (g) comprises recording a usage time of the downhole asset in the second environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) comprises scanning the at least one electronic tag associated with the downhole asset.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving location information of the downhole asset;

receiving the configuration information of the downhole asset;

receiving usage time and one or more other usage parameters of the downhole asset in the second environment; and

determining the remainder of the service life of the downhole asset by reducing the service life by an amount proportional to usage time, a proportionality multiplier being indicated by the one or more other usage parameters.

10. A system for monitoring downhole assets, comprising:

at least one electronic tag associable with a downhole asset, the at least one electronic tag containing a unique asset identification code;

at least one reader for interrogating the at least one electronic tag for an asset identification code;

at least one downhole monitoring package associable with a downhole asset, the at least one downhole monitoring package being configured to measure and record one or more parameters related to usage of the downhole asset;

at least one force measuring device for measuring one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset;

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the at least one processor to display a remainder of a service life of the downhole asset determined from configuration information and the one or more parameters related to usage of the downhole asset, the configuration information comprising the asset identification code and a service life determined from the measurement of the one or more forces applied to the downhole asset during assembly of the downhole asset.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one electronic tag is selected from a radio frequency identification tag and a long wave identification tag.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one downhole monitoring package comprises one or more sensors to measure at least one of vibration of the downhole asset and temperature in an environment in which the downhole asset is used.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one force measuring device is a torque measuring device.