Spacer sub
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorGisle Vold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention involves a method and apparatus for communicating from within a wellbore to the surface of the wellbore, as well as communicating from the surface of the wellbore to downhole within the wellbore. More specifically, the present invention involves a method and apparatus for protecting and controlling cables or lines which connect surface equipment to downhole equipment. A spacer sub comprising a tubular body with a helical groove therearound is used to house one or more downhole cables. In one aspect, the spacer sub has a recess within the helical groove for housing one or more cable connectors. In another aspect, multiple helical grooves are disposed around the spacer sub to protect and house cables of different length.
Claims25
A downhole spacer sub connectible to a working string, the sub comprising:
- a tubular body having a wall defining an inner surface and outer surface, and
- a helical groove disposed around the outer surface of the wall, wherein the helical groove is designed to receive at least one cable.
A downhole spacer sub connectible to a working string, the sub comprising:
- a tubular body comprising a wall having an inner surface and outer surface,
- at least two grooves disposed within the outer surface of the wall and helically around the tubular body, wherein each of the grooves is designed to receive at least one cable.
A method of retaining one or more cables within a wellbore, comprising the steps of:
- providing a tubular body with at least one groove disposed therearound;
- winding the one or more cables through a respective groove in the tubular body;
- and
- holding the one or more cables within the respective groove with at least one retaining member.
An apparatus for communicating information between a surface of a wellbore and within the wellbore, comprising:
- a monitoring device disposed within the wellbore;
- a processing device located at the surface of the wellbore;
- a cable connecting the monitoring device and the processing device;
- and
- a tubular body which absorbs a length of the cable within a helical groove disposed around the tubular body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.