Actuation dart for wellbore operations, wellbore treatment apparatus and method
OwnerRobert Joe Cooninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An actuation dart for actuating a target tool in a tubing string, the actuation dart includes: a body conveyable through the tubing string to reach the target tool; a control module configured to respond to contact with at least one downhole tool in the tubing string to locate the target tool; and an actuation mechanism for actuating the target tool when it is located.
Claims19
An actuation dart conveyable through a tubing string for actuating a first tool in the tubing string, said tubing string also having a second tool located uphole from the first tool, the actuation dart comprising:
- a body conveyable through the tubing string, the body including a radial protrusion;
- a magnet and a magnetic sensor, wherein a change in proximity between the magnet and the magnetic sensor occurs in response to movement of the radial protrusion provided on the body when the dart makes contact with the second tool, and wherein the magnetic sensor is configured to generate an output signal in response to said change in proximity;
- a control module, including a circuit having a central processor unit, configured to receive the output signal, process the output signal and send an activation signal based on said processing;
- and
- an actuation mechanism for activating the actuation dart after receiving the activation signal.
In a tubing string that contains a plurality of tools, a method for actuating a first tool from amongst the plurality of tools, performed by an actuation dart comprising a body including a radial protrusion, a control module, an activation mechanism, a magnet and a magnetic sensor, the method comprising:
- moving the actuation dart through the tubing string past a subset of the plurality of tools that are uphole from the first tool;
- sensing a change of proximity of the magnet and the magnetic sensor caused by movement of the radial protrusion when the actuation dart makes contact with a second tool from amongst the plurality of tools, wherein no other tools are located between the first tool and the second tool;
- processing said contact in response to the sensing,
- activating the actuation mechanism in response to said processing, and
- actuating the first tool in response to said activating.
An actuation dart for actuating a target tool from a plurality of tools provided in a tubing string, the actuation dart comprising:
- a body, including a radial protrusion capable of movement relative to the rest of the body upon each occurrence of a passage of the dart past one of the plurality of tools;
- a magnet and a magnetic sensor positioned in the body, wherein a change in proximity of the magnet and the magnetic sensor occurs in response to each movement of the radial protrusion, and wherein the magnetic sensor generates an output signal in response to each said change in proximity;
- a control module including a circuit having a central processor unit, said control module adapted to receive each output signal, process each output signal to register an occurrence of a passage of the dart past one of the plurality of tools, and generate an identification of the target tool upon counting a pre-defined number of received output signals,
- wherein the control module is configured to generate an actuation signal to trigger a change of state in the body for engaging and actuating the target tool, upon said identification of the target tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.