Methods and apparatus for evaluating downhole conditions with RFID MEMS sensors

• US 9,494,032 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Roberson, Mark W., Roddy, Craig W, Bartee, Charles, McGuire, Kristopher, Ravi, Krishna M, Rothrock, Ginger, Goodwin, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US14/145,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 340/853.1, 340/854.3, 340/854.6, 340/854.8
• 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 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can include a die attached to an inductive-capacitive (LC) circuit including a capacitive element coupled to an inductive element. The LC circuit can have a resonant frequency that varies according to properties of fluid proximate the RFID tag. The RFID tag can further include a coating material disposed around the die to form an outer surface of the RFID tag. The coating material may have a thickness over a portion of the LC circuit, to permit a conductivity property of a fluid proximate the outer surface to affect the resonant frequency of the LC circuit such that the resonant frequency shifts to a second resonant frequency. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag of a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for disposing in a borehole environment, wherein the borehole environment comprising:

a casing string having a communication assembly supported by the casing string, wherein the communication assembly is configured to obtain information associated with the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in an annulus surrounding the casing string when the casing string is in place within a borehole, wherein the RFID tag comprising;

a first die attached to a first inductive-capacitive (LC) circuit including a first capacitive element coupled to a first inductive element, the first LC circuit having a first resonant frequency; and

a first coating material disposed around the first die to form a first outer surface of the RFID tag, the first coating material having a first thickness over a portion of the first LC circuit, the first coating material configured to permit a conductivity property of a fluid proximate the first outer surface to affect the first resonant frequency of the first LC circuit such that the first resonant frequency shifts to a second resonant frequency, wherein

the first capacitive element includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and a dielectric layer between the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer including a material having a Young'"'"'s modulus within a range to maintain elastic behavior of the material having the Young'"'"'s modulus when the first capacitive element is in operation,

a compressibility property of the first coating material is such that pressure of the fluid proximate the first outer surface generates a change in a distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode to generate a proportionate change in a capacitive value of the first capacitive element, and

a second LC circuit including a second capacitive element coupled to a second inductive element, wherein the first coating material has a second thickness over a portion of the second LC circuit, the second thickness being different from the first thickness, the second thickness being such that the conductivity property of the fluid proximate the first outer surface does not affect a third resonant frequency of the second LC circuit; and

a processor configured to receive data indicative of the second resonant frequency and to determine a property of the fluid based on the second resonant frequency.

2. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the second LC circuit is formed on a second die, and wherein the second die is attached to the first die.

3. The RFID tag of claim 2, wherein the third resonant frequency of the second LC circuit is substantially equal to the first resonant frequency.

4. The RFID tag of claim 3, wherein the RFID tag has an increased read range compared to a tag having only a single die and a single LC circuit.

5. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein dielectric layer between the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer further including a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion such that a change in temperature of the fluid proximate the first outer surface generates a change in a distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode to generate a proportionate change in a capacitive value of the first capacitive element.

6. The RFID tag of claim 5, wherein the dielectric layer is non-compressible.

7. The RFID tag of claim 5, wherein the top electrode includes a plurality of metal layers.

8. The RFID tag of claim 7, wherein the plurality of metal layers includes a copper layer.

9. The RFID tag of claim 1, further comprising a second coating material, different from the first coating material, disposed around the first coating material to reduce abrasion effects on the RFID tag.

10. A system comprising:

a casing string having a communication assembly supported by the casing string, wherein the communication assembly is configured to obtain information associated with a first plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in an annulus surrounding the casing string when the casing string is in place within a borehole; and

the first plurality of RFID tags placed within a first fluid pumped into the annulus, each of the first plurality of RFID tags including,

a die attached to an inductive-capacitive (LC) circuit, the LC circuit having a first resonant frequency and a first capacitive element, the first capacitive element includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and a dielectric layer between the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer including a material having a Young'"'"'s modulus within a range to maintain elastic behavior of the material having the Young'"'"'s modulus when the first capacitive element is in operation, and

a coating material disposed around the die to form an outer surface, the coating material having a first thickness to permit a conductivity property of the first fluid to affect the first resonant frequency such that the first resonant frequency shifts to a shifted second resonant frequency, the coating material further having a compressibility property such that pressure of the first fluid proximate the outer surface generates a change in a distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode to generate a proportionate change in a capacitive value of the first capacitive element;

wherein at least one of the first plurality of RFID tags further includes a second LC circuit including a second capacitive element coupled to a second inductive element, wherein the coating material further having a second thickness over a portion of the second LC circuit, the second thickness being different from the first thickness, the second thickness being such that the conductivity property of the first fluid proximate the outer surface does not affect a third resonant frequency of the second LC circuit; and

a processor configured to receive data indicative of the shifted second resonant frequency and to determine a property of the first fluid based on the shifted second resonant frequency.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second plurality of RFD tags configured differently from the first plurality of RFD tags and placed within the first fluid to detect another property of the first fluid.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication assembly further includes a plurality of RFID sensor assemblies, each RFID sensor assembly of the RFID sensor assemblies arranged on the communication assembly to interrogate the first plurality of RFID tags within a selected azimuthal region of the annulus.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory device operably coupled to the processor, the memory device having stored thereon values representative of first resonant frequencies for each of the first plurality of RFID tags and expected shifted second resonant frequencies for each of the first plurality of RFID tags; and

wherein

said each RFID sensor assembly includes oscillator circuitry in communication with the memory and the processor to provide interrogation frequencies, retrieved from the memory, to interrogate the first plurality of RFID tags within the selected azimuthal region of the annulus.

14. A method for monitoring wellbore conditions, the method comprising:

associating a sensor assembly with an exterior of a casing string being placed in a borehole, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to communicate with a plurality of radio frequency identification device (RFID) tags in an annulus surrounding the casing string when the casing string is in place within the borehole;

pumping a fluid into the annulus, the fluid containing the plurality of RFID tags, each of the plurality of RFID tags having a respective first inductive-capacitive (LC) circuit with a first intrinsic resonant frequency, a first capacitive element of the first LC circuit including a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and a dielectric layer between the top electrode and the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer including a material having a Young'"'"'s modulus within a range to maintain elastic behavior of the material having the Young'"'"'s modulus when the first capacitive element is in operation, the plurality of RFID tags having an associated set of shifted resonant frequencies to which the first intrinsic resonant frequency shifts responsive to properties of the fluid, said each of the plurality of RFID tags further including a coating material disposed around the respective first LC circuit and having an outer surface, the coating material having a first thickness to permit a conductivity property of the fluid to affect the first intrinsic resonant frequency such that the first intrinsic resonant frequency shifts to a shifted resonant frequency, the coating material further having a compressibility property such that pressure of the fluid proximate the outer surface generates a change in a distance between the top electrode and the bottom electrode to generate a proportionate change in a capacitive value of the respective first LC circuit;

providing, by the sensor assembly, a plurality of interrogation frequencies, the plurality of interrogation frequencies including each shifted resonant frequency of the set of shifted resonant frequencies and the first intrinsic resonant frequency of each of the plurality of RFID tags; and

detecting a property of the fluid upon receiving a signal with a first shifted resonant frequency of the set of shifted resonant frequencies, responsive to providing an interrogation frequency of the plurality of interrogation frequencies, from an RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags, wherein at least one RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags further includes a second LC circuit with a second intrinsic resonant frequency, a second capacitive element coupled to a second inductive element, wherein the coating material further having a second thickness over a portion of the second LC circuit, the second thickness being different from the first thickness, the second thickness being such that the conductivity property of the fluid proximate the outer surface does not affect the second intrinsic resonant frequency of the second LC circuit, and the method further comprises;

detecting the first intrinsic resonant frequency of the first LC circuit of said each RFID tag to detect a presence of the at least one RFID tag, and, subsequent to detecting the presence, estimating a shifted resonant frequency of the second LC circuit of the at least one RFID tag to detect the property of the fluid.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting another property of the fluid upon receiving a signal at a second shifted resonant frequency different from the first shifted resonant frequency.