Electronically activated underreamer and calliper tool

• US 9,447,676 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smart Reamer Drilling Systems Ltd
• Original Assignee: Wajid Rasheed
• Inventors: Rasheed, Wajid
• Primary Examiner(s): WALLACE, KIPP CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US13/909,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20130306373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 2300/00 Combinations or mixtures of active ingredients covered by classes A01N27/00 - A01N65/48 with other active or formulation relevant ingredients, e.g. specific carrier materials or surfactants, covered by classes A01N25/00 - A01N65/48
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/20 containing the group , wherein Cn means a carbon skeleton not containing a ring; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/22 the nitrogen atom being directly attached to an aromatic ring system, e.g. anilides
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/26 containing the group; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/10 with sulfur as the ring hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/12 condensed with a carbocyclic ring
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/20 three- or four-membered rings
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/40 six-membered rings
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/78 1,3-Thiazoles; Hydrogenated 1,3-thiazoles
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/80 five-membered rings with one nitrogen atom and either one oxygen atom or one sulfur atom in positions 1,2
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 43/82 five-membered rings with three ring hetero atoms
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 47/12 containing a —O—CO—N< group, or a thio analogue thereof, neither directly attached to a ring nor the nitrogen atom being a member of a heterocyclic ring
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 47/16 the nitrogen atom being part of a heterocyclic ring
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 47/38 containing the group >N—CO—N< where at least one nitrogen atom is part of a heterocyclic ring; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 57/14 containing aromatic radicals
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/54 Razor-blades B26B21/4006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/32 with expansible cutting tools
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/124 Units with longitudinally-spaced plugs for isolating the intermediate space
• 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 47/013 Devices specially adapted for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/08 : Measuring diameters or related dimensions at the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/085 : using radiant means, e.g. acoustic, radioactive or electromagnetic
• 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 47/095 : by detecting an acoustic anomalies, e.g. using mud-pressure pulses
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 : Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/00 : Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/28 : Enlarging drilled holes, e.g. by counterboring

Abstract

An electronically activated tool (50) comprising a tool body, cutter blocks and sensors with means for attachment to a drilling support and rotation so as to permit the simultaneous underreaming and measurement of the diameter of a wellbore (especially in oil and gas drilling) characterized by a means of activation using an electronic signal sent by mud-pulse, fiber-optics, wireless transmission or other means which may also communicate commands and receive data from the underreamer during drilling, at least one radially extendable cutter block (62) incorporating positional sensors adapted to measure the relative position of the cutter block to the tool, at least one calliper means (76) to measure wellbore diameter, all of which are inter-linked by a means of communication using receivers, sensors and microprocessors and a system that optimizes underreaming or expansion (22) by simultaneously comparing and correlating wellbore diameter data (22) and underreaming parameters in real-time or in memory.

Claims

1. A method of closed loop reaming to provide a borehole with a predetermined dimension, comprising providing a rig in contact with a reamer and a processor linked to a calliper measuring borehole dimension, thereby providing caliper data,

sensing a relative position of extendable cutter blocks using a magnetic position sensor thereby providing extendable cutter block positional data,

wherein said cutter blocks are housed within a tool body and extendable from said tool body and said magnetic sensor remains housed within a tool body when said cutter blocks are extended,

wherein the processor makes a comparison between said calliper data, and said extendable cutter block positional data, wherein the processor sends an alert to a user in response to the comparison to check operational parameters in order to to ensure that the borehole is accurately provided with the predetermined dimension, wherein a user is capable of making a user comparison between said caliper data, said extendable cutter block positional data, and said predetermined borehole dimension.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the relative position of the cutter blocks is monitored at surface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the relative position of the said cutter blocks is detected downhole.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one signal related to said cutter block position is recorded by the user or processor.

5. The method of claim 1 using electronic or mechanical signals to activate said cutter blocks.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising sensing a property from one of a group comprising flow, rotation, weight, sound transit time, density, and hydraulic force using a properties sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two extendable cutter blocks are located in longitudinally separate housings.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one extendable element.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one extendable stabilizer.

10. A method of reaming below a restriction in a borehole comprising:

providing a drill-bit and an extendable tool to increase a diameter of a borehole greater than a diameter of a drill-bit after passing through the restriction, said tool being activated to extend extendable blocks on the extendable tool to increase the size of said borehole to a desired diameter greater than that of the restriction and drill bit, further providing a processor linked to a calliper measuring borehole dimension, rotating said tool and moving it axially along the wellbore;

measuring a reamed borehole diameter using the calliper,

measuring an extendable block position using a magnetic position sensor,

wherein the processor makes a comparison between said measured reamed borehole diameter and the measured extendable block position, wherein the processor further sends an alert to a user in response to the comparison to check operational parameters in order to control underreaming and deliver the desired borehole diameter, wherein a user is capable of making a user comparison between said caliper data, said extendable cutter block positional data, and said predetermined borehole dimension.

11. The method of claim 10 where monitoring is performed in real time or memory.

12. The method of claim 10 where the calliper is mechanical.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein a surface transducer is used to detect the extendable block position signal.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said drill-bit is replaced by bull-nose or expandable bit.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising recording a signal related to alignment of a nozzle.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising checking an underreaming property from one of a group comprising flow, rpm, weight, and hydraulic force.

17. A method for increasing borehole diameter below a restriction in a borehole comprising a drill-bit and an extendable tool to increase a diameter of the borehole to a size greater than a diameter of the drill-bit after passing through the restriction, said extendable tool being activated to extend extendable blocks on the extendable tool to increase said borehole diameter to a size greater than that of the restriction and drill bit, rotating said tool and moving it axially along the wellbore while flowing fluid through the tool;

providing a position sensor to measure an extendable cutter block position and a calliper to measure the reamed borehole diameter and wherein a processor makes a comparison between the measured extendable cutter block position and the measured reamed borehole diameter and alerts a user in response to the comparison to check weight on the cutter blocks, torque on the cutter blocks, or a flow rate of fluid through the tool, wherein a user is capable of making a user comparison between said caliper data, said extendable cutter block positional data, and said predetermined borehole dimension.

18. The method of claim 17 using said position sensor to detect an extendable block position.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the calliper comprises an acoustic caliper and providing a fluid properties sensors to determine sound transit time and calibrate said acoustic caliper.