US 9,752,426 B2Granted

Well ranging apparatus, systems, and methods

AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.

InventorHsu-Hsiang Wu

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include well ranging apparatus, systems, and methods which operate to receive normal components of electromagnetic field strength azimuthal measurements within a first well at different tool azimuth angles in the first well. Further activities include determining an approximate range from the sensors to a second well that serves as a source of an electromagnetic field, via direct transmission or backscatter transmission, using the normal components of the electromagnetic field strength azimuthal measurements. In some embodiments, the approximate range can be determined without introducing sensor azimuthal separation into range calculations. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a down hole tool housing attached to at least two sensors rotatable in an azimuthal plane, each of the sensors to measure an electromagnetic field strength component comprising at least a normal component;
and
a range determination module to,
receive a normal component as a first set of field strength components from each of the sensors provided by the sensors when the sensors are located at a first azimuthal location;
receive a normal component as a second set of field strength components from each of the sensors provided by the sensors when the sensors are located at a second azimuthal location different from the first azimuthal location;
determine a gradient component based on the normal components received from the first and second azimuthal locations;
and
determine an approximate range based on the normal components and the gradient component from the sensors disposed in one well, to another well, via direct transmission or backscatter transmission of an electromagnetic field from the other well.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/769,476Filed 4 Aug 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 11 Aug 2014
Published: US 2016/0273338 A122 Sep 2016
Granted: 5 Sep 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

E21B 47/0228
Of the borehole, e.g. using geomagnetism: using electromagnetic energy or detectors therefor
E21B 7/04
Special methods or apparatus for drilling: directional drilling
E21B 33/14
Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like: for cementing casings into boreholes
E21B 47/024
Determining slope or direction: of devices in the borehole

Family

Application62/035,877Us provisional application · filed 11 Aug 2014
Application62/037,440Us provisional application · filed 14 Aug 2014
Application62/078,732Us provisional application · filed 12 Nov 2014
US 2016/0273338 A1Pre-grant publication · published 22 Sep 2016
US 9,752,426 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key