Method for rockwell hardness testing of tubulars post wellbore installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001433-B2
Application number	US-201514930133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

Devices and methods are described for evaluating tubulars installed in a wellbore, which permit detection of wellbore construction errors. Errors in the hardness or grade of the material installed, e.g., in critical wellbores, could potentially affect the integrity of the wellbore and lead to catastrophic effects with respect to well control, pipe connection failure while running casing down-hole, or pipe body failure due to buckling or axial/triaxial failure during stimulation and production. Once tubulars are installed, the devices and methods permit testing the hardness of the steel or other material forming the tubulars. Determining the hardness of the tubulars may provide assurances or indications that remedial action may be appropriate to secure the wellbore. The devices and methods can be implemented to deliver a down-hole Rockwell hardness test in connection with logging while drilling technologies, with wireline tools, or in connection with other deployment mechanisms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of evaluating down-hole structures, the method comprising:
conveying a testing apparatus having an indenting member into a wellbore to position the testing apparatus adjacent a target down-hole structure;
applying a major load to the down-hole structure with an indenting member of the testing apparatus to permanently form a major indentation in the target down-hole structure;
maintaining the major load for a predetermined dwell time, wherein the dwell time is predetermined to permit elastic recovery of the target down-hole test structure;
measuring a characteristic of the major indentation, wherein the characteristic of the major indentation is a depth of the major indentation; and
determining a hardness value for the target down-hole structure from the characteristic the major indentation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein characteristic of the major indentation is a depth of the major indentation.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
applying, prior to applying the major load, a minor load to the indenting member to urge the indenting member to engage the target down-hole structure and to permanently form a minor indentation in the target down-hole structure; and
measuring a depth of the minor indentation; and
determining a variance between the depth of the major indentation and the depth of the minor indentation to thereby determine the hardness values for the target down-hole structure.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising communicating at least one of the depth of the major indentation, the depth of the minor indentation, the variance between the depths of the major and minor indentations and the hardness value to a surface location from the testing apparatus in the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising pre-determining the minor load such that the minor load is sufficient to break through a surface finish on the target down-hole structure such that the indenting member engages a core material of the target down-hole structure upon application of the minor load.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising orienting the testing apparatus in the wellbore such that the indenting member engages the target down-hole structure in a generally perpendicular manner.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the testing apparatus is oriented to engage the target down-hole structure within 2 degrees of perpendicular.

8. A method of evaluating tubular members disposed in a wellbore, the method comprising:
conveying a testing apparatus into the wellbore to position the testing apparatus adjacent a concave surface of a target tubular member;
measuring a characteristic of the target tubular ember with the testing apparatus; and
determining a hardness value for the target tubular member from the measured characteristic of the target tubular member, wherein determining the hardness value for the target tubular member comprises applying a correction factor to accommodate for the concave surface.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising applying minor and major loads to the target tubular member with the testing apparatus, and wherein the measured characteristic of the target tubular member is a variance between depths of permanent indentations formed in the target tubular member by the applications of the minor and major loads.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein or load is in the range of about 500 kg f to about 3000 kg f .

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the major and minor loads are sequentially applied to the target tubular member in a generally perpendicular direction at the same location on the target tubular member.

12. A down-hole testing apparatus for determining a hardness of tubular members deployed in a wellbore, the down-hole test apparatus comprising:
a probe deployable on a conveyance into the wellbore;
an indenting member operable to selectively extend from the probe and to form permanent indentations a target tubular member;
a controller including instructions for obtaining measurements of a minor indentation and a major indentation formed in the target tubular member by the respective application of a minor load and a major load with the indenting member to the target tubular member;
a communication unit operable to transmit signal indicative of the measurements from the probe; and
an inclination sensor operably coupled to the controller, and wherein the controller is operable to verify a perpendicular inclination of the indenting member with respect to the target tubular member.

13. The down-hole testing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the controller comprises a processor operable to determine a hardness value from the measurements of the minor indentation and the major indentation.

14. The down-hole testing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the indenting member comprises one of a ball indenter tip and a conical indenter tip.

15. The down-hole testing apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a hydraulic actuator operably coupled to the indenting member and selectively operable to impart the minor load and the major load to the target tubular member through the indenting member.

16. The down-hole testing apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a conveyance coupled to the probe, wherein the conveyance comprises at least one of a drill string, coiled tubing and wireline.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Hess Joe E
• Cuthbert Andy J

Classifications

• E21B47/024

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B47/007

  Measuring stresses in a pipe string or casing (for locating blocked portions of pipes E21B47/09) · CPC title

• G01N3/44 Primary

  the indentors being put under a minor load and a subsequent major load, i.e. Rockwell system · CPC title

• E21B47/0006

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic