Apparatus and method for cleaning and sealing a well borehole portion for formation evaluation
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsMatthias Meister, Wolfgang Herberg, Sven Krueger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A borehole wall cleaning apparatus and method for obtaining an improved seal between a fluid sampling device and a portion of the borehole wall. Clean drilling fluid is pumped into a drilling tool using a mud pump. A fluid diverter in the tool diverts all or part of the clean drilling fluid through a port to clear a portion of a borehole wall. A sealing pad is moved against the clean portion. A sampling port is exposed to the sealed portion for sampling and/or testing fluid from the formation.
Claims16
An apparatus for sampling fluid from a formation comprising:
- (a) a tool conveyed on a drill string in a well borehole surrounded by the formation;
- (b) a fluid moving device at a surface location coupled to the tool for delivering a first fluid through the tool, the first fluid comprising a drilling fluid, the first fluid exiting the tool at a distal end and returning as a return fluid to the surface location in an annulus between the tool and a borehole wall, the return fluid including the first fluid and formation fragments;
- (c) a fluid-diverting device for directing the first fluid from within the tool toward a portion of the borehole wall for diverting the fragments in the return fluid away from the wall portion;
- (d) a pad member disposed on the tool, the pad member being moveable in relation to the wall portion for sealing said wall portion from the annulus;
- and
- (e) a first port exposed to the sealed wall portion for sampling formation fluid.
A formation testing while drilling system comprising:
- (a) a drilling rig for drilling a well borehole into the earth, the rig including a mud circulation system for flowing drilling fluid through a drill string;
- (b) a tool disposed on the drill string and conveyed in the borehole, wherein the drilling fluid flows through the drill string and through the tool, the drilling fluid exiting the drill string at a distal end and returning as a return fluid to the surface location in an annulus between the drill string a borehole wall, the return fluid including the drilling fluid and formation fragments;
- (c) a fluid diverting device in the tool for directing the drilling fluid from within the tool toward a portion of the borehole wall for diverting the fragments in the return fluid away from the wall portion;
- (d) a pad member disposed on the tool, the pad member being moveable in relation to the wall portion for sealing said wall portion from the annulus;
- (e) a first port exposed to the sealed wall portion for sampling formation fluid;
- and
- (f) a surface controller for controlling at least a portion of a drilling operation including formation testing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.