System of monitoring rotational time of rotatable equipment

• US 9,567,850 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Oilwell Varco LP (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prill, Jonathan R., Tang, Michael X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUNYAN, RONALD R
• Application Number:
  US12/364,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20090205869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,933 Days
• Field of Search: 175/40, 175/45, 175/56, 175/61, 175/62, 175/92, 175/107, 166/66, 166/250.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/02 Fluid rotary type drives
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/26 Storing data down-hole, e.g. in a memory or on a record carrier

Abstract

A system for monitoring rotational time of a rotational equipment. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are systems comprising a rotatable equipment, a sensor, and an electronic system. The sensor is coupled to the rotatable equipment, and is configured to sense rotation of the rotatable equipment. The electronic system is electrically couple to the sensor. The electronic system is self-contained, and is configured to power the sensor to determine rotational time of the rotatable equipment.

Claims

1. A downhole tool comprising:

a sensor comprising a solid-state silicon-based gyroscope configured to sense rotation of the downhole tool; and

an electronic system electrically coupled to the sensor, said electronic system configured to power the sensor to determine rotational time of the downhole tool;

said downhole tool configured to threadingly couple to a drill string;

wherein the rotational time comprises a measurement of total accumulated rotating usage time while drilling.

2. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the sensor further configured to determine rotational status of rotor.

3. The downhole tool of claim 2 wherein the electronic system further configured to accumulate the rotational time of the downhole tool based on the status of the rotor, and the electronic system configured to report the accumulated rotational time.

4. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the sensor further configured to determine rotational status of the stator.

5. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the sensor is further configured to determine angular rate of the rotor.

6. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the electronic system is configured to periodically power the sensor.

7. The downhole tool of claim 1 further comprising a protective casing, the electronic system disposed within the protective casing and the protective casing mechanically coupled to the rotor.

8. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the electronic system comprises:

a battery; and

a logic device electrically coupled to the battery and the logic device electrically coupled to the sensor.

9. The downhole tool of claim 1 further comprising:

said electronic system is configured to activate the sensor a plurality of times each hour; and

said battery is configured to provide power to the electronic system for more than 1000 hours on a single charge.

10. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the electronic system is configured to determine the rotational time of the downhole tool based a ratio of a number of times rotation is sensed over a time interval to a number of times the sensor is powered over the time interval;

wherein the sensor is discontinuously powered over the time interval.

11. The downhole tool of claim 1 wherein the downhole tool is a downhole mud motor.

12. The downhole tool of claim 1 further comprising at least one device selected from the group consisting of:

a temperature sensor coupled to the electronic system and configured to read operating temperature of the tool;

a pressure sensor coupled to the electronic system and configured to read a pressure associated with the tool;

an accelerometer coupled to the electronic system and configured to read vibration associated with the tool; and

wherein the electronic system is configured to determine whether rotation sensed by the sensor is rotation while drilling based on an output of the at least one device.

13. A system comprising:

a rotatable equipment;

a sensor comprising a solid-state silicon-based gyroscope coupled to the rotatable equipment, the sensor configured to sense rotation of the rotatable equipment; and

an electronic system electrically coupled to the sensor, said electronic system is self-contained and said electronic system configured to power the sensor to determine rotational time of the rotatable equipment;

wherein the rotational time comprises a measurement of total accumulated rotating usage time while drilling.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

said electronic system configured to periodically power the sensor to determine if the rotatable equipment is rotating during each period of the powering;

said electronic system further configured to accumulate the rotational time of the rotatable equipment in proportion to periods during which the rotatable equipment was rotating to periods during which the rotatable equipment was not rotating; and

said electronic system configured to report the accumulated rotational time upon request.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor further configured to sense rotation of a rotor relative to a stator.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor further configured to sense rotation of a stator relative to a borehole.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the sensor is further configured to determine angular rate of the rotatable equipment.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the electronic system is configured to determine the rotational time of the rotatable equipment based on a ratio of a number of times rotation is sensed over a time interval to a number of times the sensor is powered over the time interval;

wherein the sensor is discontinuously powered over the time interval.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the rotatable equipment is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a downhole mud motor; and

an electrical motor.