Method of providing continuous survey data while drilling
AssigneeNabors Lux 2 Sarl
InventorsPeter James Clark, Andrew Gorrara, Ola Stengel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of surveying a wellbore continuously during drilling. The method includes using a drill string with a non-rotating sub-assembly. The non-rotating sub-assembly comprises three accelerometers oriented orthogonally to each other and three directional sensors also oriented orthogonally to each other. Sample measurements from the six sensors are used to calculate the attitude of the wellbore and more specifically used to create an accurate survey of wellbores within a subterranean formation while the drill string is drilling.
Claims19
A method of continuously surveying a wellbore, comprising:
- providing a bottom hole assembly (BHA) comprising a rotating sub-assembly and a non-rotating sub-assembly, wherein the non-rotating sub-assembly comprises one or more sensors configured to collect sample measurements representative of survey information;
- rotating the rotating sub-assembly with respect to a wellbore while maintaining the non-rotating sub-assembly substantially non-rotating with respect to the wellbore;
- collecting sample measurements from the one or more sensors while rotating the rotating sub-assembly with respect to a wellbore;
- and
- calculating, using a hardware processor, a wellbore position from an initial wellbore position, an inclination, an azimuth, and a current depth of the bottom hole assembly (BHA).
A method of continuously surveying a wellbore, comprising:
- providing a bottom hole assembly comprising a non-rotating sub-assembly, wherein the non-rotating sub-assembly is held substantially non-rotating with relation to the wellbore and at a constant distance from a drill of a drill string, and
- wherein the non-rotating sub-assembly comprises:
- a first, second, and third accelerometer;
- and
- a first, second, and third directional sensor;
- drilling a borehole with the drill string, wherein sample measurements are collected from the first, second, and third accelerometers and the first, second, and third directional sensors while the drill string is drilling;
- calculating, using a hardware processor, an inclination from the sample measurements collected from the first, second, and third accelerometers;
- calculating, using a hardware processor, an azimuth from the inclination and the sample measurements collected from the first, second, and third directional sensors;
- calculating, using a hardware processor, a wellbore position from an initial wellbore position, the inclination, the azimuth, and current depth of the bottom hole assembly;
- transmitting survey data to a surface computing device from the non-rotating sub-assembly, wherein the survey data comprises one or more of the sample measurements, the inclination, and the azimuth;
- calculating, at the surface computing device, a survey using the survey data;
- and
- displaying the survey on a display coupled to the surface computing device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.