Environmental compensation system for downhole oilwell tools
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMichael John Levchak, Stephen L. Woolverton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure may generally relate to systems and methods to compensate for changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature and pressure, that may be experienced by downhole tools. A downhole tool may include a tool body; a protective sleeve disposed around the tool body, wherein an annulus is formed between the protective sleeve and the tool body; a sensor coupled to the tool body; and an environmental compensation system, wherein the environmental compensation system comprises a bladder, and wherein an interior of the bladder is in fluid communication with the annulus.
Claims17
A downhole tool comprising:
- a tool body;
- a protective sleeve disposed around the tool body, wherein an annulus is formed between the protective sleeve and the tool body;
- a sensor coupled to the tool body;
- and
- an environmental compensation system comprising a bladder having an interior in fluid communication with the annulus, wherein the bladder is disposed in a recess formed in the tool body, the bladder being exposed to an environment external to the downhole tool, wherein a pathway in the tool body interconnects the recess and the annulus, and wherein a portion of the environmental compensation system extends into the pathway.
A downhole system, comprising:
- a conveyance line;
- and
- a downhole tool attached to the conveyance line, wherein the downhole tool comprises:
- a tool body;
- a protective sleeve disposed around the tool body, wherein an annulus is formed between the protective sleeve and the tool body;
- a sensor coupled to the tool body;
- and
- an environmental compensation system comprising a bladder having an interior in fluid communication with the annulus, wherein the bladder is disposed in a recess formed in the tool body, the bladder being exposed to an environment external to the downhole tool, wherein a pathway in the tool body interconnects the recess and the annulus, and wherein a portion of the environmental compensation system extends into the pathway.
A method for pressure and thermal expansion compensation,
- comprising:
- placing a downhole tool into a wellbore;
- and
- exposing a bladder disposed in the downhole tool to downhole pressure in the wellbore, wherein an interior of the bladder is in fluid communication with an annulus through a pathway in the tool body, wherein the annulus is formed between a tool body of the downhole tool and a protective sleeve disposed around the tool body, wherein an increase in the downhole pressure results in an increase in pressure in the annulus due to an increase in pressure exerted on the bladder such that a pressure differential experienced by the protective sleeve is reduced, and wherein the bladder is exposed to the downhole pressure through one or more holes in an additional protective sleeve disposed around the tool body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.