U.S. patent application number 10/379267 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-09 for packer with integrated sensors.
Invention is credited to Navarro-Sorroche, Juan.
Application Number | 20040173363 10/379267 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32824767 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040173363 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Navarro-Sorroche, Juan |
September 9, 2004 |
Packer with integrated sensors
Abstract
Sensors are included in an inflatable packer to measure the
pressure inside the packer and the distance that the outside wall
of the packer moves during inflation. This data is communicated to
a control module that monitors and controls the operation of the
packer, as well as to a central downhole and/or surface
controller.
Inventors: |
Navarro-Sorroche, Juan;
(Plano, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David W. Carstens
Carstens, Yee & Cahoon, L.L.P.
P.O. Box 802334
Dallas
TX
75240
US
|
Family ID: |
32824767 |
Appl. No.: |
10/379267 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/387 ;
166/179 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 47/06 20130101;
E21B 33/127 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/387 ;
166/179 |
International
Class: |
E21B 033/12 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A packer for use in a borehole, said packer comprising: a base
portion having a bore therethrough and having threaded ends for
connection to a string of tools used in a borehole; an inflatable
portion connected to be pressurized by hydraulic fluid; and a
sensor connected to detect a condition related to the deployment of
said packer.
2. The packer of claim 1, wherein said sensor detects the pressure
inside said inflatable portion.
3. The packer of claim 1, wherein said sensor detects the location
of the outer wall of said packer relative to the inner wall of said
packer.
4. The packer of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a rotary
potentiometer.
5. The packer of claim 1, wherein said sensor is an ultrasound
transducer.
6. The packer of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a fiber optic
pressure transducer.
7. The packer of claim 1, wherein said inflatable portion is
pressurized with magnetorheological fluid.
8. A system for working in a borehole, said system comprising: a
string of tools connected together to accomplish a task related to
the production of hydrocarbons from said borehole; a packer
connected to be a part of said string of tools, said packer
comprising a sensor connected to detect a condition related to the
deployment of said packer.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein said sensor detects the pressure
inside said packer.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein said sensor detects the distance
an outer wall of said inflatable packer has moved.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein said sensor is a rotary
potentiometer.
12. The system of claim 8, wherein said sensor is an ultrasound
transducer.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein said sensor is a fiber optic
pressure transducer.
14. The system of claim 8, wherein said inflatable portion is
pressurized with magnetorheological fluid.
15. A method of using a packer in a borehole, said method
comprising: positioning said packer at a predetermined position
within said borehole; inflating said packer using hydraulic fluid;
and receiving information regarding a condition related to the
inflation of said packer from a sensor implanted in said
packer.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said sensor detects the
pressure inside said packer.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein said sensor detects the
distance an outer wall of said packer has moved.
18. The system of claim 15, wherein said sensor is a rotary
potentiometer, an ultrasound transducer, or a fiber optic pressure
transducer.
19. The system of claim 8, wherein said packer is pressurized with
magnetorheological fluid.
20. A method of using a packer in a borehole, said method
comprising the steps of: attaching a packer containing at least one
sensor to a string of tools; lowering said string of tools,
containing said packer, into a cased borehole; setting said packer
while utilizing said at least one sensor to detect the state of
said packer.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein said packer is an inflatable
packer.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein said sensor is chosen from the
group comprising a rotary potentiometer, a fiber-optic pressure
transducer, an ultrasound transducer, a quartz pressure transducer,
and a pressure gauge transducer.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to the detection of equipment
status in a borehole. More specifically, it relates to detecting
the amount of expansion and the pressure inside a hydraulically
controlled packer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the field of oil and gas drilling, where a borehole may
extend a mile or further below the surface, it has long been
desirable to have knowledge of the position and configuration of
the equipment that one can no longer see. One specific case in
point is the use of packers.
[0003] FIG. 1A shows a simplified schematic of a cross-section
through a well, which can be nearing completion. A derrick 110
supports a string of pipe 112, which is run into a cased borehole
114. FIG. 1B is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1A, showing the
wall 116 of the borehole, casing 118, casing cement 120, pipe 112,
and packers 122. The packers 122 provide a seal between the outside
of the pipe 112 and the inside of the casing, so that one section
of the cased borehole 114 can be isolated from another. This can be
to allow pressure to be exerted in a specific formation, e.g., for
fracturing a producing formation, to be able to separately draw out
the oil and gas produced at different depths, or for other
reasons
[0004] There are numerous types of packers, which differ in their
material and form, but an exemplary packer uses hard rubber parts
to seal between the downhole tubing and the casing or borehole.
These packers will have a toroidal, or doughnut-shaped, section of
rubber on the outside wall of the drill string. FIG. 2A shows a
view of such a packer as it is inserted into the borehole. At this
point in time, the rubber making up the packer lies close to the
pipe supporting it, so that there is no interference with the walls
of the borehole as the packer is inserted. A view looking downward
at the packer is seen in FIG. 2B. Once the packer is in position,
the pipe supporting the packer is manipulated so that the rubber is
compressed in a longitudinal direction. As the toroid is forced
into a smaller distance longitudinally, it bulges outward to seal
against the inside of the casing, as seen in FIG. 2C. FIG. 2D is a
view looking down the borehole at the expanded packer. Another type
of packer is inflatable and can be filled with a liquid, once it is
in position. So far, however, this type of packer has been used
much less as it will not hold against a large differential pressure
across the packer.
[0005] As mentioned above, one of the problems in judging whether
the packer is correctly seated is the inability to visualize the
packer or to receive direct feedback about what is happening with
the packer. Judging the proper seating of the packer(s) involves
monitoring indirect feedback at the surface, primarily in the form
of surface pressure changes. This can involve conducting pressure
tests, where a liquid is pumped into the sealed portion to be sure
that the packer holds under necessary pressures. No information is
directly available from the packer on its displacement or its
internal condition. It would be desirable to obtain information
from the packer so that it could be more clearly determined if it
is properly positioned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In the innovative packer, sensors are included in an
inflatable packer to measure the pressure inside the packer and the
distance that the outside wall of the packer moves during
inflation. This data is communicated to a control module that
monitors and controls the operation of the packer, as well as to a
central downhole and/or surface controller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention
are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself,
however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and
advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the
following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when
read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1A shows a simplified schematic of a cross-section
through a prior art well.
[0009] FIG. 1B is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1A,
[0010] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a prior art packer before and after
activation.
[0011] FIGS. 2C and 2D show a top view of the packers of FIGS. 2A
and 2B respectively.
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of the innovative
packer.
[0013] FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of the innovative
packer.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart demonstrating a method of using the
innovative packer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A first embodiment of the disclosed packer will now be
discussed in further detail with reference to FIG. 3. This drawing
shows only the short section of the pipe string that contains the
inflatable packer. It will be noted that this drawing is not done
to scale so that the innovative features can be emphasized. Seen in
the drawing is the inflatable packer 300, which wraps completely
around the section of pipe 320 containing it. Not present in the
drawing are the threaded ends to the pipe section by which the
packer is made up as part of a string of tools. The pipe 320
contains a passageway 322 through which fluids can be pumped into
the well or production fluids removed from the well. Packer 300 is
of the inflatable type, where a fluid can be pumped into the packer
300 through a hydraulic line 302 to expand the packer. In the
presently preferred embodiment, the fluid used is a
magnetorheological fluid, comprising iron particles in an oil base.
With a magnetorheological hydraulic fluid, the flow of hydraulic
fluid into and out of the packer can be controlled through the use
of an electromagnet 303. Further information regarding the use of
magnetorheological fluids in drilling and production can be found
in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/090,054, filed Mar. 1,
2002.
[0016] Two sensors are included as part of this innovative packer.
The first of these sensors is a fiber optic pressure transducer
304. This transducer has at least one surface that is positioned to
detect the pressure within the interior of the packer 300. The
pressure detected is transformed into an electrical signal, which
is sent to controller 306. Another type of transducer is used to
detect the inflation of the packer. In this embodiment, a rotary
potentiometer 308 is used, the basic concept of which is shown in
FIG. 6. A length of cable 310 is wound around a spindle 340, so
that as cable 310 is pulled out of the potentiometer 308, the
spindle is rotated a number of turns proportional to the distance
the cable travels. These rotations are translated into another
electrical signal, which is again sent to the controller 306. As
seen in the figure, one end of cable 310 is attached to the outer
wall 312 of the packer 300 by a cable clamp 314. The cable between
the potentiometer 308 and cable clamp 314 runs over pulley 316,
which allows a change of direction. As the packer is inflated, the
cable 310 is pulled out of potentiometer 308, causing an
appropriate signal to be generated. The shaft of the potentiometer
308 is spring-loaded so that it remains in its zero position until
the packer is inflated. The sensors 304, 308, controller 306, and
the electromagnet 303 that controls the flow of fluid into the
packer 300 are connected by bus 318 to each other and to a battery
319, which provides power.
[0017] FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of the innovative
packer 300. In this embodiment, ultrasound transducer 330 bounces a
signal off a metal plate 332 attached to the wall of the packer 300
to measure the inflation of the packer 300. From the signals
bounced back from the device 332, the transducer 330 can determine
the distance the wall of the packer 300 has moved during inflation.
The pressure can be measured in this embodiment can be another form
of pressure transducer 304, such as a quartz pressure transducer or
a pressure gauge transducer. Like the prior embodiment, this
information can be collected by a controller, which controls the
electromagnetic valve used for inflating the packer 300.
Additionally, a signal can be sent uphole via transmitter 334,
where the pressure and displacement can be monitored and the action
of the packer further controlled by the operator. This signal can
be sent by any of the known methods of sending messages to the
surface.
[0018] A method of using the disclosed embodiments of the invention
will now be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
5. The method begins with the packer being inserted into a string
of tools (step 510) that will be used for finishing the hole or
during production, depending on the type of packer used. A
hydraulic line will be also be attached to the packer, as is well
known in the art, although the valve to the packer will be closed
so that the packer will not be unintentionally inflated. Once the
string of tools is completed, further pipe is added to extend the
string to the required depth (step 512). This depth will have been
determined by the operator to place the packer(s) at appropriate
locations relative to the formation of interest. In a presently
preferred embodiment, the sensors are not powered at the time the
packer is being installed and positioned, although tests may be run
to sure that it is functioning correctly. After positioning, a
signal is sent (step 514) to the controller 306 to activate the
packer and the sensors. At this time, the controller will open the
electromagnetic valve (step 516) to allow hydraulic fluid into the
interior of the packer chamber 300. At the same time, the sensors
304, 308 will be activated to detect the movement of the outside
wall of the packer and the pressure within the packer itself. The
controller 306 will monitor these signals. In a properly
functioning packer, the pressure will rise gradually while the
packer expands until the outside wall of the packer contacts the
casing of the hole. Once the sensor detecting the location of the
outer wall of the packer indicates that the casing is contacted,
the packer will continue to be filled and pressurized until
pressure sensor indicates that the predetermined pressure for
sealing is reached. At that point, the controller 306 will shut
(step 518) the valve 303. Optionally, the controller will also send
signals (step 520) back to the operator on the surface, so that the
process can be monitored topside. If the packer installation is not
permanent, then the packer can optionally be removed when necessary
by reversing the steps. In this instance, a signal is sent (step
522) to the controller 306, instructing it to deflate the packer.
The valve is opened (step 524) so that the hydraulic fluid can be
pumped out and the monitors are used to detect (step 526) when the
packer is returned to its resting, deflated position. When that
point is reached, the string can be withdrawn (step 528) as is
known in the art.
[0019] Thus, it can be seen that the innovative changes to a packer
will provide much needed information, both to automatic controllers
downhole and to the operators on the surface. The advantages of the
innovative packer include the following: 1) a direct indication
about the integrity of the packer seal is provided, 2) the safety
of the overall packer operation is increased, and 3) operating time
is saved by avoiding lengthy surface pressure tests to check the
integrity of the packer seal.
[0020] It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art
that numerous variations will be possible to the disclosed
embodiments without going outside the scope of the invention as
disclosed in the claims.
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