US 12,534,999 B2 · Methods for determining a position of a droppable object in a wellbore

Abstract

The position of a droppable object (e.g., a cementing plug or drillpipe dart) in a cased wellbore may be determined in real time during a cementing operation. A pressure data acquisition system is installed at a wellsite and a pressure transducer is installed at the wellhead. As the droppable object travels through casing it encounters regions with a positive or a negative change of inner cross-sectional dimension. The droppable object generates a pressure pulse as it passes through the regions. The pressure pulse and associated reflections are detected by the pressure transducer, and the signals are processed mathematically to determine the current position of the droppable object.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for determining a position of a cementing plug inside a casing string, comprising:

(i) placing the cementing plug inside the casing string installed in a liquid filled borehole, wherein the casing string comprises pipe joints;
(ii) pumping a fluid behind the cementing plug causing the cementing plug to travel through an interior of the casing string and pass the pipe joints, thereby generating a pressure pulse due to a difference in a diameter of the pipe joints from casing string diameter, wherein the generated pressure pulse generates recordable pressure data;
(iii) recording pressure data with a pressure transducer and transmitting the pressure data to a pressure data acquisition system;
and
(iv) determining the position of the cementing plug and processing the pressure data mathematically using cepstral analysis for recorded pressure pulses, pulse reflections, or both.

2 more elements

A method for cementing a borehole penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising:

(i) placing a top cementing plug inside a casing string in the borehole wherein the casing string comprises pipe joints;
(ii) pumping a displacement fluid behind the top cementing plug causing the top cementing plug to travel through the casing string and pass through the pipe joints generating a pressure pulse due to a difference in a diameter of the pipe joints from casing string diameter, wherein the generated pressure pulse generates detectable pressure data;
(iii) using a pressure transducer to detect the pressure pulse and transmit the pressure data to a pressure data acquisition system, the pressure data comprising a pressure pulse propagation velocity and a reflection time;
and
(iv) determining a position of the top cementing plug and processing the pressure data mathematically using cepstral analysis.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/808,267Filed 19 Aug 2024 · continuation

Priority

WO PCT/RU2019/00060028 Aug 2019

Published

US 2024/0410273 A112 Dec 2024

Granted

27 Jan 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

E21B 47/095
Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells , e.g. the position of an extending arm; Identifying the free or blocked…:…
E21B 33/16
For cementing casings into boreholes: using plugs for isolating cement charge; Plugs therefor
E21B 33/165
Using plugs for isolating cement charge; Plugs therefor: cementing plugs specially adapted for being released down-hole
E21B 23/04
Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells: operated by fluid means, e.g.…

Family

Application17/002,130Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Aug 2020

US 2024/0410273 A1Pre-grant publication · published 12 Dec 2024

US 12,065,925 B2Parent of this continuation

US 2021/0062640 A1Published application

US 12,534,999 B2This patent

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

Methods for determining a position of a droppable object in a wellbore

Life of this patent

Methods for determining a position of a droppable object in a wellbore

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17