US 10,871,064 B2Granted

Determining downhole forces using pressure differentials

AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.

InventorSteven Kyle Gray

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system can include an upper completion string including an outer mandrel and an inner mandrel positioned coaxially within the outer mandrel. The upper completion string can include a first pressure sensor in communication with a first chamber via a first channel extending through an outer housing of the outer mandrel for detecting a first pressure within the first chamber and transmitting an associated sensor signal. The first chamber can have a boundary that is defined at least in part by (i) an outer surface of the inner mandrel, (ii) an inner surface of the outer mandrel, and (iii) at least two protrusions positioned between the outer surface of the inner mandrel and the inner surface of the outer mandrel. The system can include a computing device in communication with the first pressure sensor for determining a pressure difference between the first pressure and another pressure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for use with a wellbore, the system comprising:

a well tool that is positionable in the wellbore and includes:
an outer mandrel;
an inner mandrel positioned coaxially within the outer mandrel;
a first chamber having a first boundary that is defined at least in part by (i) an outer surface of the inner mandrel, (ii) an inner surface of the outer mandrel, and (iii) at least two protrusions positioned between the outer surface of the inner mandrel and the inner surface of the outer mandrel;
a first pressure sensor in communication with the first chamber of the well tool for detecting a first pressure within the first chamber and transmitting a first sensor signal associated with the first pressure;
and
a computing device comprising a processing device and a memory device, the memory device including instructions that are executable by the processing device for causing the processing device to:
receive the first sensor signal from the first pressure sensor and a second sensor signal from a second pressure sensor;
determine the first pressure based on the first sensor signal and a second pressure based on the second sensor signal;
determine a pressure difference based on the first pressure and the second pressure;
and
determine that the well tool contacted a well component in response to the pressure difference exceeding a threshold.

9 more elements

A system comprising:

a well tool comprising:
an outer mandrel;
an inner mandrel positioned coaxially within the outer mandrel;
a first chamber having a first boundary that is defined at least in part by (i) an outer surface of the inner mandrel, (ii) an inner surface of the outer mandrel, and (iii) at least two protrusions positioned between the outer surface of the inner mandrel and the inner surface of the outer mandrel;
and
a first pressure sensor in communication with the first chamber for detecting a first pressure within the first chamber and transmitting a first sensor signal associated with the first pressure;
a second pressure sensor for detecting a second pressure and transmitting a second sensor signal associated with the second pressure;
and
a computing device comprising a processing device and a memory device, the memory device including instructions that are executable by the processing device for causing the processing device to:
receive the first sensor signal from the first pressure sensor and the second sensor signal from the second pressure sensor;
determine the first pressure based on the first sensor signal and the second pressure based on the second sensor signal;
determine a calibration value based on (i) a weight of a fluid positioned between the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor and (ii) a distance between the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor;
determine a calibrated pressure by adding the calibration value to the second pressure;
and
determine a pressure difference by subtracting the first pressure from the calibrated pressure.

12 more elements

A system comprising:

a pressure-sensing device for use in a wellbore, the pressure-sensing device comprising:
a first chamber having a first boundary that is defined at least in part by (i) an outer surface of an inner mandrel that is positioned coaxially within an outer mandrel of a well tool, (ii) an inner surface of the outer mandrel, and (iii) at least two protrusions positioned between the outer surface of the inner mandrel and the inner surface of the outer mandrel;
and
a first pressure sensor in communication with the first chamber for detecting a first pressure within the first chamber and transmitting a first sensor signal associated with the first pressure;
a second pressure sensor for detecting a second pressure of an external well environment that is external to the well tool and transmitting a second sensor signal associated with the second pressure;
and
a computing device comprising a processing device and a memory device, the memory device including instructions that are executable by the processing device for causing the processing device to:
receive the first sensor signal from the first pressure sensor and the second sensor signal from the second pressure sensor;
determine the first pressure based on the first sensor signal and the second pressure based on the second sensor signal;
determine a pressure difference based on the first pressure and the second pressure;
and
determine that the well tool contacted a well component in response to the pressure difference exceeding a threshold.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/736,120Filed 2 Sep 2015
Published: US 2018/0179883 A128 Jun 2018
Granted: 22 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

E21B 41/00
Equipment or details not covered by groups e21b15/00 - e21b40/00
E21B 47/06
Survey of boreholes or wells: measuring temperature or pressure
E21B 33/12
In the borehole: packers; Plugs
E21B 47/024
Determining slope or direction: of devices in the borehole

Family

US 2018/0179883 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Jun 2018
US 10,871,064 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key