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US 6,257,354 B1Granted
Drilling fluid flow monitoring system
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsHartmut Schrader, Frank Reiber
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AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsHartmut Schrader, Frank Reiber
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a fluid flow measurement system for an oil well drilling system that includes a supply of drilling fluid to a wellbore under pressure and a return line carrying fluid leaving the wellbore during drilling of the wellbore. The system includes at least one floating sensor in the return line that provides a measure of the velocity of the fluid in the return line. The sensor may be a thermal sensor, an electromagnetic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. A height sensor provides the fluid level in the return line and a density sensor provides the density of the returning fluid. A controller determines the inflow rate and out flow rate of the drilling fluid and further determines the presence of a kick and wash out from the flow rates. The system also determines the operating condition of the pumps supplying fluid to the wellbore.
A drilling system having a fluid flow monitoring apparatus, comprising an inflow line supplying fluid under pressure into a wellbore, a return line having a known cross-sectional area carrying fluid returning from the wellbore, and a sensor assembly disposed in the return line, the sensor assembly including a floatable carrier placed on the fluid in the return line, the carrier carrying a first flow rate sensor for providing measurements representative of the velocity of the fluid flowing through the return line.
A method of determining a parameter of interest of a drilling system having an inflow line supplying fluid under pressure into a wellbore and a return line carrying fluid returning from the wellbore, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.