SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DUAL TELEMETRY ACOUSTIC NOISE REDUCTION

• US 20180128100A1
• Filed: 01/08/2018
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helmerich & Payne Technologies, LLC (Helmerich & Payne Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hunt Energy Enterprises LLC (Hunt Family)
• Inventors: BENSON, TODD W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,526,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 4/10 continuous unidirectional rotary motion of shaft or drilling pipe effecting consecutive impacts
• 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 47/14 using acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/16 through the drill string or casing , e.g. by torsional acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/24 Drilling using vibrating or oscillating means, e.g. out-of-balance masses percussion drilling E21B1/00

Abstract

A system for active noise blocking of top drive acoustical waves includes a first accelerometer for detecting a first acoustical wave generated by the top drive of a drilling rig. A second accelerometer detects a second acoustical wave after the first acoustical wave has interacted with an anti-wave. An active noise blocking generator generates the anti-wave responsive to the detected first acoustical wave and the detected second acoustical wave and applies the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave. The anti-wave is generated to drive the second acoustical wave to zero responsive to application of the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave.

Claims

1. A system for active noise blocking of top drive acoustical waves, comprising:

a first accelerometer for detecting a first acoustical wave generated by the top drive of a drilling rig;

a second accelerometer for detecting a second acoustical wave after the first acoustical wave has interacted with an anti-wave;

an active noise blocking generator for generating the anti-wave responsive to the detected first acoustical wave and the detected second acoustical wave and applying the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave, wherein the anti-wave is generated to drive the second acoustical wave to zero responsive to application of the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the active noise blocking generator further comprises:

an anti-wave generator for generating the anti-wave responsive to an error signal, the error signal representing an amplitude and phase of the anti-wave necessary to interact with the first acoustical wave and drive the second acoustical wave to zero; and

error signal generation circuitry for generating the error signal responsive to differences between the first acoustical wave and the second acoustical wave.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the anti-wave generator further comprises:

a drive circuit for generating a drive signal responsive to the error signal; and

a piezoelectric transducer for generating the anti-wave responsive to the drive signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the drive circuit further comprises:

a least mean square processing circuit for determining the differences between the first acoustical wave and the second acoustical wave and generating a filter control signal responsive thereto; and

a filter for filtering the first acoustic wave responsive to the filter control signal to generate the error signal for driving the second acoustical wave to zero.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the filter further comprises an impulse response filter.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the filter further generates the error signal according to the equation Ŵ

(n)=Ŵ

(n−

1)+∇

·

e(n)·

x(n), where ∇

is an adjustment step, x(n) is the first acoustic wave and e(n) is the second acoustic wave.

7. The system of claim 1 further including:

a receiver for receiving telemetry signals from a downhole tool;

wherein the active noise blocking generator ceases operating while the receiver is receiving telemetry signals from the downhole tool.

8. A method for active noise blocking of top drive acoustical waves, comprising:

detecting a first acoustical wave generated by the top drive of a drilling rig;

detecting a second acoustical wave after the first acoustical wave has interacted with an anti-wave;

generating the anti-wave responsive to the detected first acoustical wave and the detected second acoustical wave;

applying the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave; and

driving the second acoustical wave to zero responsive to application of the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of generating further comprises:

generating an error signal responsive to differences between the first acoustical wave and the second acoustical wave, the error signal representing an amplitude and phase of the anti-wave necessary to interact with the first acoustical wave and drive the second acoustical wave to zero; and

generating the anti-wave responsive to the error signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of generating the anti-wave further comprises:

generating a drive signal responsive to the error signal using a drive circuit; and

generating the anti-wave responsive to the drive signal using a piezoelectric transducer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of generating the drive signal further comprises:

determining the differences between the first acoustical wave and the second acoustical wave using a least mean square processing circuit;

generating a filter control signal responsive to the determined differences using the least mean square processing circuit; and

filtering the first acoustic wave responsive to the filter control signal to generate the error signal for driving the second acoustical wave to zero.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of filtering further comprises generating the error signal according to the equation Ŵ

(n)=Ŵ

(n−

1)+∇

·

e(n)·

x(n), where ∇

is an adjustment step, x(n) is the first acoustic wave and e(n) is the second acoustic wave.

13. The method of claim 8 further including:

receiving telemetry signals from a downhole tool; and

ceasing active noise blocking while the receiver is receiving telemetry signals from the downhole tool.

14. A system for active noise blocking of top drive acoustical waves, comprising:

a first accelerometer for detecting a first acoustical wave generated by the top drive of a drilling rig;

a second accelerometer for detecting a second acoustical wave after the first acoustical wave has interacted with an anti-wave;

error signal generation circuitry for generating an error signal responsive to differences between the detected first acoustical wave and the detected second acoustical wave; and

a piezoelectric transducer for generating an anti-wave responsive to the error signal and applying the anti-wave to the first acoustical wave, the error signal representing an amplitude and phase of the anti-wave necessary to interact with the first acoustical wave and drive the second acoustical wave to zero.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a drive circuit for generating a drive signal for driving the piezoelectric transducer responsive to the error signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the drive circuit further comprises:

a least mean square processing circuit for determining the differences between the first acoustical wave and the second acoustical wave and generating a filter control signal responsive thereto; and

a filter for filtering the first acoustic wave responsive to the filter control signal to generate the error signal for driving the second acoustical wave to zero.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the filter further comprises an impulse response filter.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the filter further generates the error signal according to the equation Ŵ

(n)=Ŵ

(n−

1)+∇

·

e(n)·

x(n), where ∇

is an adjustment step, x(n) is the first acoustic wave and e(n) is the second acoustic wave.

19. The system of claim 14 further including:

a receiver for receiving telemetry signals from a downhole tool;

wherein the piezoelectric transducer and error signal generation circuitry ceases operating while the receiver is receiving telemetry signals from the downhole tool.