Video system and method for determining and monitoring the depth of a bottomhole assembly within a wellbore
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsPeter Wraight, James C. Mayes, Jacques Orban
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Video systems and methods for determining the length of objects to be inserted in a wellbore, and for summing the lengths to obtain an accurate determination of the depth at which a bottomhole assembly is located at any given time. The video systems and methods of the present invention are also used in conjunction with hookload and traveling block location information to determine bottomhole assembly depth while drilling, or tripping-in or tripping out of a well. Also disclosed is a method of accurately determining the transition a drillstring undergoes and its associated movement when passing from in-slips to out-of-slips.
Claims20
A method of determining the length of an object to be inserted into a wellbore, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) displaying an image of said object onto a display having at least one moveable cursor superimposed thereon;
- b) generating a table of cursor position on said display versus length;
- c) moving said cursor superimposed on said display to points corresponding to said length of said object to be determined;
- d) determining the distance between said points;
- and
- e) equating said distance between said points to a length from said table, thereby determining said length of said object.
A method of determining the depth at which a component of a bottomhole assembly is located within a wellbore, said bottomhole assembly being attached to the lower end of a plurality of objects interconnected to one another, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) displaying an image of at least one of said objects onto a display before said object is inserted into said wellbore, said display having at least one moveable cursor superimposed thereon;
- b) generating a table of cursor position on said display versus length;
- c) moving said cursor superimposed on said video display to points corresponding to the length of said at least one object;
- d) determining the distance between said points;
- e) equating said distance between said points to a length from said table, thereby determining the length of said at least one object;
- and
- f) summing the lengths of said plurality of objects as they are inserted into said wellbore, thereby determining the depth of said component of said bottomhole assembly.
An apparatus for determining the length of an object to be inserted into a wellbore, said apparatus comprising:
- a) means for generating an image of said object onto a display having at least one moveable cursor superimposed thereon;
- b) means for generating a table of cursor position on said display versus length;
- c) means for moving said cursor superimposed on said display to points corresponding to said length of said object to be determined;
- d) means for determining the distance between said points;
- and
- e) means for equating said distance between said points to a length from said table, thereby determining said length of said object.
An apparatus for determining the depth at which a component of a bottomhole assembly is located within a wellbore, said bottomhole assembly being attached to the lower end of a plurality of objects interconnected to one another, said apparatus comprising:
- a) means for displaying an image of at least one of said objects onto a display before said object is inserted into said wellbore, said display having at least one moveable cursor superimposed thereon;
- b) means for generating a table of cursor position on said display versus length;
- c) means for moving said cursor superimposed on said video display to points corresponding to the length of said at least one object;
- d) means for determining the distance between said points;
- e) means for equating said distance between said points to a length from said table, thereby determining the length of said at least one object;
- and
- f) means for summing the lengths of said plurality of objects as they are inserted into said wellbore, thereby determining the depth of said component of said bottomhole assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.