Wireless communications in a drilling operations environment
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey Moore, Vimal Shah, Wallace Gardner, Donald Kyle, Malcolm McGregor, Randal Beste, Jesse Hensarling, Sergei Sharonov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An embodiment includes an apparatus for wireless communications in a drilling operations environment. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes an instrument hub that is inline with drill pipe of a drill string. The instrument hub includes a sensor to receive downhole communications from downhole. The instrument hub also includes a transmitter to wireless transmit data representative of the downhole communications to a data processor unit.
Claims32
An apparatus comprising:
- an instrument hub that is inline with drill pipe of a drill string, wherein the instrument hub comprises:
- a sensor to receive communications from downhole instrumentation;
- and
- a transmitter to wireless transmit data representative of the downhole communications to a data processor unit.
An apparatus comprising:
- an instrument hub that is integrated into a drill string, wherein the instrument hub comprises:
- a sensor to receive, during drilling operations, analog communications from instrumentation that is downhole;
- an analog-to-digital converter to convert the analog communications to digital communications during drilling operations;
- an antenna;
- and
- a transmitter to energize the antenna to wirelessly transmit the digital communications to a remote data processor unit while the drill string is rotating.
An apparatus comprising:
- a downhole tool that comprises:
- a data repository to store data related to a measured parameter;
- and
- a wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the data to a remote ground station after the wireless transceiver is in communication range of a receiver of the remote ground station.
An apparatus comprising:
- an instrument hub that is inline with drill pipe of a drill string and positioned at or above a rig floor during a drilling operation, wherein the instrument hub comprises a pressure gage to monitor pressure of mud flow that is to circulate through the drill string and the annular area between the drill pipe and a wall of a borehole where the drill pipe is located during the drilling operation.
A method comprising:
- measuring, using a sensor in a downhole tool of a drill string, a downhole parameter while the downhole tool is below the surface;
- and
- transmitting wirelessly the downhole parameter to a remote ground station that is at the surface, while the drill string is being tripped and after the downhole tool is approximately at or near the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.