Core marking system for a sidewall coring tool
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsAshley C. Kishino, David O. Turner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for reliably indexing and separating sidewall core samples obtained with a sidewall coring tool comprises markers made of a magnetic material and a mechanism body made of a combination of magnetic and non-magnetic materials to reliably insert and position markers in between successive core samples. The sidewall core is not altered in any way by the marking process. Further, a flexible rubber boot apparatus is disclosed to ensure the complete transfer of retrieved samples in cases where the sample is broken, shattered or segmented and to ensure that broken, shattered or segmented cores will be retrieved in cases where the borehole is horizontal and the tool must operate in a horizontal position or in any other rotational orientation.
Claims21
A sidewall coring tool adapted to be disposed in a wellbore for retrieving core samples from a wall of said wellbore and storing said core samples in a core storage tube, comprising:
- core marking means for separating successive ones of the core samples retrieved from said wall of said wellbore and storing the separated core samples in said core storage tube, said core marking means including,
- marker means comprised of a first magnetic material for separating said successive ones of the core samples when said core samples are stored in said core storage tube, and
- block means comprised of a second magnetic material which is magnetically attracted to said first magnetic material and connected to said core storage tube for magnetically attracting said marker means to said core storage tube, the marker means being inserted between said successive ones of the core samples in said core storage tube thereby separating the core samples.
A method of marking a core sample retrieved by a sidewall coring tool disposed in a wellbore, comprising the steps of:
- storing said core sample in a core storage tube;
- kicking a magnetic marker disc from a marker tube into a hole in a magnetic adaptor block, the magnetic marker disc being magnetically attracted to said hole in said magnetic adaptor block, said marker disc marking said core sample.
Apparatus for marking a core sample retrieved by a sidewall coring tool disposed in a wellbore, comprising:
- storage means for storing said core sample;
- and
- kicker means for kicking a marker disc comprised of a first magnetic material into a hole in an adaptor block comprised of a second magnetic material, the second magnetic material of said adaptor block magnetically attracting said first magnetic material of said marker disc,
- said marker disc falling into said storage means and marking said core sample after said marker disc enters said hole in said adaptor block.
A sidewall coring tool adapted to be disposed in a wellbore for obtaining a core sample of a formation traversed by said wellbore, comprising:
- a coring motor including a barrel adapted to rotate from a vertical position to a horizontal position, the core sample being obtained by the coring motor and stored in said barrel when the coring motor is disposed in the horizontal position;
- a core storage tube for storing the core samples when said samples are obtained by the coring motor;
- and
- a boot disposed between the core storage tube and the barrel of the coring motor when said coring motor is disposed in the vertical position and sealing the barrel of the coring motor to the core storage tube when the coring motor is disposed in the vertical position for creating a continuous tube effect, the continuous tube effect extending from the barrel of the coring motor to the core storage tube.
A sidewall coring tool adapted to be disposed in a wellbore, comprising:
- a plurality of markers comprised of a second magnetic material;
- an adaptor block comprised of a first magnetic material, said adaptor block including a first means for storing said plurality of markers and a second means for storing a plurality of core samples,
- the second magnetic material of each of said plurality of makers being magnetically attracted to the first magnetic material of said adaptor block.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.