Automated spiraling detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036203-B2
Application number	US-201414526805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

An embodiment of a method of detecting and correcting for spiraling in a downhole carrier includes: deploying the carrier in a borehole in an earth formation as part of a subterranean operation; acquiring time based data from at least one sensor disposed at the carrier; acquiring time and depth data, the time and depth data correlating time values with depths of the carrier; generating a depth based profile based on the time based data and the time and depth data; generating a frequency profile by transforming the depth based profile into the frequency domain; detecting a spiraling event based on an amplitude of the frequency profile; and taking corrective action based on detecting the spiraling event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting and correcting for spiraling in a downhole carrier, the method comprising:
deploying the carrier in a borehole in an earth formation as part of a subterranean operation;
acquiring time based data from at least one sensor disposed at the carrier;
acquiring time and depth data, the time and depth data correlating time values with depths of the carrier;
generating a depth based profile based on the time based data and the time and depth data;
generating a frequency profile by transforming the depth based profile into the frequency domain;
analyzing the frequency profile to detect a spiraling event at a specific location along a borehole string by identifying a wavelength and a corresponding frequency at one or more selected locations along the borehole string, wherein spiraling is detected at the specific location when an amplitude at the corresponding frequency exceeds a threshold; and
taking corrective action based on detecting the spiraling event at the specific location along the borehole string.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the frequency profile includes selecting a frequency from the profile that is associated with a location on the carrier.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carrier is a drill string and the subterranean operation is a drilling operation, and detecting the spiraling event includes evaluating an amplitude of the selected frequency, the selected frequency corresponding to a distance from a drill bit.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the distance is a distance between the drill bit and a component that contacts a borehole wall during drilling.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising correlating the amplitude with an energy value, comparing the energy value to a threshold based on a total energy of the frequency profile, and taking the corrective action based on the energy value exceeding the threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the corrective action is selected from at least one of alerting a user and changing an operational parameter.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the spiraling event is performed in real time during the subterranean operation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time based data is selected from at least one of directional data and bending moment data.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising estimating a deflection associated with the detected spiraling based on the time based data.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a filter to the depth based profile prior to generating the frequency profile.

11. A system for detecting and correcting for spiraling in a downhole carrier, the method comprising:
a carrier configured to be deployed in a borehole in an earth formation as part of a subterranean operation;
at least one sensor disposed at the carrier, the at least one sensor configured to generate time based data based on measurements performed downhole; and
a processor configured to receive the time based data and acquire time and depth data, the time and depth data correlating time values with depths of the carrier, the processor configured to perform:
generating a depth based profile based on the time based data and the time and depth data;
generating a frequency profile by transforming the depth based profile into the frequency domain;
analyzing the frequency profile to detect a spiraling event at a specific location along a borehole string by identifying a wavelength and a corresponding frequency at one or more selected locations along the borehole string, wherein spiraling is detected at the specific location when an amplitude at the corresponding frequency exceeds a threshold; and
taking corrective action based on detecting the spiraling event at the specific location along the borehole string.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein generating the frequency profile includes selecting a frequency from the profile that is associated with a location on the carrier.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the carrier is a drill string and the subterranean operation is a drilling operation, and detecting the spiraling event includes evaluating an amplitude of the selected frequency, the selected frequency corresponding to a distance from a drill bit.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the distance is a distance between the drill bit and a component that contacts a borehole wall during drilling.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform:
correlating the amplitude with an energy value, comparing the energy value to a threshold based on a total energy of the frequency profile, and taking the corrective action based on the energy value exceeding the threshold.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the corrective action is selected from at least one of alerting a user and changing an operational parameter.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to detect the spiraling event in real time during the subterranean operation.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the time based data is selected from at least one of directional data and bending moment data.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to estimate a deflection associated with the detected spiraling based on the time based data.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to apply a filter to the depth based profile prior to generating the frequency profile.

Assignees

• Herbig Christian
• Reckmann Hanno
• Emmerich Wojciech
• Hoehn Oliver
• Linke Christian
• Bruns Jens Uwe
• Hohl Andreas
• Oueslati Hatem
• Forstner Ingo
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Herbig Christian
• Reckmann Hanno
• Emmerich Wojciech
• Hoehn Oliver
• Linke Christian
• Bruns Jens-Uwe
• Hohl Andreas
• Oueslati Hatem
• Forstner Ingo

Classifications

• E21B3/00

  Rotary drilling · CPC title

• E21B47/02

  Determining slope or direction · CPC title

• E21B7/00 Primary

  Special methods or apparatus for drilling · CPC title

• E21B44/00

  Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions · CPC title

• G05B13/021

  in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance · CPC title