Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100096186 | DOWNHOLE SURVEYING UTILIZING MULTIPLE MEASUREMENTS - Systems and methods for controlling a drill string are provided. A method comprises receiving one or more first signals from a first sensor package mounted in a first portion of the drill string at a first position within a wellbore. The first signals may be indicative of an orientation of the first portion of the drill string. The method also includes receiving one or more second signals from a second sensor package mounted in a second portion of the drill string at a second position within the wellbore. In certain embodiments, the second signals indicative of an orientation of the second portion of the drill string. The drill string may be adapted to bend between the first portion and the second portion and certain embodiments include calculating a first amount of bend between the first portion and the second portion in response to the first signals and the second signals. | 04-22-2010 |
20120218118 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INITIALIZATION OF A WELLBORE SURVEY TOOL VIA A REMOTE REFERENCE SOURCE - A method and an apparatus are provided for determining an orientation of a wellbore survey tool at a first position with respect to a reference direction. At least one first signal is indicative of an orientation of a directional reference system with respect to the reference direction. The directional reference system is positioned at a second position spaced from the first position. At least one second signal is indicative of a relative orientation of the wellbore survey tool with respect to the directional reference system. The orientation of the wellbore survey tool at the first position is determined in response at least in part to the at least one first signal and the at least one second signal. | 08-30-2012 |
20120247833 | DOWNHOLE DRILLING UTILIZING MEASUREMENTS FROM MULTIPLE SENSORS - A system and method for controlling a downhole portion of a drill string is provided. The method includes receiving signals from a first sensor package mounted at a first position to the downhole portion, the signals indicative of an orientation of the first sensor package. The method also includes receiving signals from a second sensor package mounted at a second position to the downhole portion, the signals indicative of an orientation of the second sensor package. The method further includes calculating a first amount of bend between the first and second sensor packages in response to the signals and transmitting control signals to an actuator which responds by adjusting the downhole portion to have a second amount of bend between the first and second sensor packages. | 10-04-2012 |
20130138347 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING DEPTH AND VELOCITY OF INSTRUMENTATION WITHIN A WELLBORE USING A BENDABLE TOOL - An apparatus and method for measuring depth, velocity, or both depth and velocity of instrumentation along a wellbore is provided. The apparatus includes a downhole portion movable within the wellbore in a direction generally parallel to the wellbore. The apparatus further includes a first acceleration sensor that generates a first signal indicative of a first acceleration. The apparatus further includes a second acceleration sensor that generates a second signal indicative of a second acceleration. The apparatus further includes a bend sensor generating a third signal indicative of an amount of bend of at least a portion of the downhole portion. | 05-30-2013 |
20130211723 | REDUCING ERROR CONTRIBUTIONS TO GYROSCOPIC MEASUREMENTS - A method and system for reducing error contributions to gyroscopic measurements is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of signals indicative of at least one component of the Earth's rotation substantially perpendicular to a portion of a wellbore and a component of the Earth's rotation substantially parallel to the portion of the wellbore. The plurality of signals is generated by one or more gyroscopic sensors within the portion of the wellbore. The method further includes calculating, using the plurality of signals and using one or more signals indicative of the Earth's rotation rate and one or more signals indicative of the latitude of the one or more gyroscopic sensors within the portion of the wellbore, a mass unbalance offset for the one or more gyroscopic sensors. | 08-15-2013 |
20130282287 | DOWNHOLE SURVEYING UTILIZING MULTIPLE MEASUREMENTS - Certain embodiments described herein provide an estimate of the magnetic interference incident upon a drilling system using multiple magnetic sensors within a downhole portion of the drilling system in a first wellbore. Certain embodiments utilize the magnetic measurements to determine an axial interference resulting from one or more magnetic portions of the downhole portion and to provide an estimate of a relative location of a second wellbore spaced from the first wellbore. | 10-24-2013 |
20130282290 | REAL-TIME DEFINITIVE SURVEY WHILE DRILLING - A computer-based method of generating a survey of a wellbore section is provided. The method includes analyzing a plurality of surveys of the wellbore section to identify survey measurements that do not comprise gross errors, generating an initial weighted average survey, and calculating an initial set of measurement differences between the identified survey measurements and the initial weighted average survey. The method further includes calculating a plurality of error term estimates for the plurality of surveys and using the plurality of error term estimates to correct the identified survey measurements. The method further includes generating an updated weighted average survey and calculating an updated set of measurement differences between the identified survey measurements and the updated weighted average survey. | 10-24-2013 |
20130292176 | DOWNHOLE DRILLING UTILIZING MEASUREMENTS FROM MULTIPLE SENSORS - A system and method for controlling a downhole portion of a drill string is provided. The method includes receiving signals from a first sensor package mounted at a first position to the downhole portion, the signals indicative of an orientation of the first sensor package. The method also includes receiving signals from a second sensor package mounted at a second position to the downhole portion, the signals indicative of an orientation of the second sensor package. The method further includes calculating a first amount of bend between the first and second sensor packages in response to the signals and transmitting control signals to an actuator which responds by adjusting the downhole portion to have a second amount of bend between the first and second sensor packages. | 11-07-2013 |
20140374159 | POSITIONING TECHNIQUES IN MULTI-WELL ENVIRONMENTS - A method is provided to determine a distance, a direction, or both between an existing first wellbore and at least one sensor module of a drill string within a second wellbore being drilled. The method includes using the at least one sensor module to measure a magnetic field and to generate at least one first signal indicative of the measured magnetic field. The method further includes using the at least one sensor module to gyroscopically measure an azimuth, an inclination, or both of the at least one sensor module and to generate at least one second signal indicative of the measured azimuth, inclination, or both. The method further includes using the at least one first signal and the at least one second signal to calculate a distance between the existing first wellbore and the at least one sensor module, a direction between the existing first wellbore and the at least one sensor module, or both a distance and a direction between the existing first wellbore and the at least one sensor module. | 12-25-2014 |