Electromagnetic and acoustic repeater and method for use of same
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorNeal G. Skinner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electromagnetic and acoustic signal repeater (34) for communicating information between surface equipment and downhole equipment and a method for use of the repeater (34) is disclosed. The repeater (34) comprises an electromagnetic receiver (48) and an acoustic receiver (49) for respectively receiving and transforming electromagnetic input signals (46) and acoustic input signals into electrical signals that are processed and amplified by an electronics package (50) that generates an electrical output signal that is forwarded to an electromagnetic transmitter (52) and an acoustic transmitter (51) for respectively generating an electromagnetic output signal (53) that is radiated into the earth and an acoustic output signal that is acoustically transmitted.
Claims21
A repeater apparatus for communicating information between surface equipment and downhole equipment comprising:
- an electromagnetic receiver receiving the information via an electromagnetic input signal and transforming the electromagnetic input signal to a first electrical signal carrying the information;
- an acoustic receiver receiving the information via an acoustic input signal and transforming the acoustic input signal to a second electrical signal carrying the information;
- an electronics package electrically connected to the electromagnetic receiver and the acoustic receiver, the electronics package processing the first and second electrical signals carrying the information and generating a first electrical output signal carrying the information and a second electrical output signal carrying the information each from a hybrid of the first and second electrical signals;
- an electromagnetic transmitter electrically connected to the electronics package, the electromagnetic transmitter transforming the first electrical output signal carrying the information to an electromagnetic output signal carrying the information that is radiated into the earth, thereby electromagnetically retransmitting the information;
- and
- an acoustic transmitter electrically connected to the electronics package, the acoustic transmitter transforming the second electrical output signal carrying the information to an acoustic output signal carrying the information, thereby aoustically retransmitting the information.
A method for communicating information between surface equipment and downhole equipment comprising:
- receiving the information via an electromagnetic input signal on an electromagnetic receiver disposed within a wellbore;
- transforming the electromagnetic input signal into a first electrical signal carrying the information;
- receiving the information via an acoustic input signal on an acoustic receiver disposed within the wellbore;
- transforming the acoustic input signal into a second electrical signal carrying the information;
- processing the first and second electrical signals carrying the information in an electronics package to generate a first electrical output signal carrying the information and a second electrical output signal carrying the information each from a hybrid of the first and second electrical signals;
- transforming the first electrical output signal carrying the information into an acoustic output signal carrying the information in an acoustic transmitter;
- acoustically retransmitting the information;
- transforming the second electrical output signal carrying the information into an electromagnetic output signal carrying the information;
- and
- electromagnetically retransmitting the information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.