# US 12,215,557 B2 · Method and apparatus to recover cores from downhole environments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,215,557 B2 - Document ID: US12215557B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/096,405 - Filed: 2023-01-12 - Published: 2023-06-01 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-06 - Assignees: Professional Coring Enterprises, LLC - Applicants: Professional Coring Enterprises, LLC - Inventors: Jamie Mark Alleman; Karen L. O'Neal; William Harold Scott, III - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215557B2 ## CPC - E21B 25/00: Apparatus for obtaining or removing undisturbed cores, e.g. core barrels or core extractors (core bits E21B10/02) - E21B 44/00: Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions - E21B 47/00: Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) - E21B 47/01: Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like - E21B 47/06: Measuring temperature or pressure - E21B 47/12: Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract Methods relate to recovering cores from downhole environments where downhole environmental parameters are measured during coring operations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for recovering a core from a downhole environment, comprising: providing a measure while coring device and a coring apparatus within a wellbore, wherein the coring apparatus includes an inner tube configured to receive the core, a pressure sealed plug within the inner tube and a pressure relief valve actuatable to relieve pressure within the inner tube; lowering the measure while coring device and the coring apparatus to an elevation where the core is to be obtained; positioning the coring apparatus at the elevation where the core is to be obtained; starting the coring apparatus; conducting coring operations thereby causing the core to push the pressure sealed plug through the inner tube increasing pressure within the inner tube until the pressure relief valve actuates; and taking at least one measurement in the inner tube of the coring apparatus during the coring operations. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the at least one measurement to an operator at the surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising: comparing the at least one measurement to a threshold value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one measurement is one of a pressure measurement, a shock measurement, a revolutions per unit time, a vibration measurement and a gamma measurement. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising: stopping the coring apparatus when the at least one measurement exceeds the threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the threshold value is at least one of a pressure measurement limit, a shock measurement limit, a revolution per unit time, a vibration measurement limit and a gamma measurement limit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein stopping the coring apparatus when the at least one measurement exceeds the threshold includes transmitting the at least one measurement from a downhole environment to an up-hole environment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the measure while coring device is separately retrievable from the wellbore from the coring apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure relief valve includes a spring pressing a ball into a ball seat, thereby selectively closing the pressure relief valve up to a preset pressure limit within the inner tube. ### Claim 10 A method for recovering a core from a downhole environment, comprising: providing a measure while coring device and a coring apparatus within a wellbore, wherein the coring apparatus includes an inner tube configured to receive the core, a pressure sealed plug within the inner tube and a pressure relief valve actuatable to relieve pressure within the inner tube; lowering the measure while coring device and the coring apparatus to an elevation where the core is to be obtained; positioning the coring apparatus at the elevation where the core is to be obtained; starting the coring apparatus thereby causing the core to push the pressure sealed plug through the inner tube increasing pressure within the inner tube until the pressure relief valve actuates; taking a pressure measurement within the inner tube of the coring apparatus during coring operations; and transmitting the pressure measurement to an operator at a surface elevation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the taking the pressure measurement within the inner tube of the coring apparatus during coring operations is with a measurement while drilling device within the coring apparatus. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the pressure measurement is made within the inner tube and above the core at an entry point within the center of a flow diverter. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, further comprising: analyzing the pressure measurement at the surface elevation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the measure while coring device is connected to the coring apparatus and is configured to be separately retrievable from the wellbore from the coring apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the pressure relief valve includes a spring pressing a ball into a ball seat, thereby selectively closing the pressure relief valve up to a preset pressure limit within the inner tube. ### Claim 16 A method for recovering a core from a downhole environment, comprising: providing a measurements while drilling device and a coring apparatus within a wellbore, wherein the coring apparatus includes an inner tube configured to receive the core, a pressure sealed plug within the inner tube and a pressure relief valve actuatable to relieve pressure within the inner tube; lowering the measurements while drilling device and the coring apparatus to an elevation where the core is to be obtained; positioning the coring apparatus at the elevation where the core is to be obtained; starting the coring apparatus thereby causing core to push pressure sealed plug through the inner tube increasing pressure within the inner tube und the pressure relief valve actuates; conducting coring operations; and taking at least one measurement in the inner tube of the coring apparatus during the coring operations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the measurements while drilling device is separately retrievable from the wellbore from the coring apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the pressure relief valve includes a spring pressing a ball into a ball seat, thereby selectively closing the pressure relief valve up to a preset pressure limit within the inner tube.