Equipment string communication and steering
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorEdward George Parkin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure relate to a system including an implement (e.g., a steering tool, a drill bit) tetherable to an equipment string (e.g., a drill string), where the implement includes a steering mechanism to steer the equipment string with respect to a wall of a tubular passage (e.g., a borehole). The system can also include a bearing housing for the equipment string (e.g., connectable to a drill pipe of the drill string), where the bearing housing is rotationally coupled with the implement and rotated. The system can further include an actuation mechanism coupleable between the bearing housing and the steering mechanism to actuate the steering mechanism based upon a rotational orientation of the bearing housing with respect to the steering mechanism.
Claims19
A method for steering an implement tethered to an equipment string, the equipment string to traverse a tubular passage, the method comprising:
- determining, at the implement, a rotational characteristic of a bearing housing of the equipment string with respect to the tubular passage based, at least in part, upon a first sensor value;
- wherein determining the rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage comprises:
- determining, at the implement, a rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the tubular passage based upon the first sensor value;
- determining, at the implement, a rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the bearing housing based upon a second sensor value;
- and
- calculating, at the implement, the rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage based upon the rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the tubular passage and the rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the bearing housing;
- and
- actuating a steering mechanism to steer the equipment string with respect to a wall of the tubular passage based upon the rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage.
A system for communicating with an implement tethered to an equipment string, the equipment string to traverse a tubular passage, the system comprising:
- a first sensor at the implement to determine a rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the tubular passage;
- a second sensor at the implement to determine a rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to a bearing housing of the equipment string;
- and
- a processor to calculate a rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage based upon the rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the tubular passage and the rotational characteristic of the implement with respect to the bearing housing.
A method for steering an implement tethered to an equipment string, the equipment string to traverse a tubular passage, the method comprising:
- determining, at the implement, a rotational characteristic of a bearing housing of the equipment string with respect to the tubular passage based, at least in part, upon a first sensor value;
- determining, when the rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage has a negligible rotational velocity, the equipment string is in a sliding mode;
- determining, when the rotational characteristic of the bearing housing with respect to the tubular passage has a net rotational velocity, the equipment string is in a rotating mode;
- and
- actuating a steering mechanism to steer the equipment string only when the equipment string is in the sliding mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.