Downhole telemetry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10151196-B2
Application number	US-201815923927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2018
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A telemetry system with a plurality of controllers and telemetry systems, where the controllers are configured to obtain information from one or more sensors and transmit that information on one or more of the plurality of telemetry systems. The configuration of a controller may be changed so as to change which information is transmitted on a given telemetry system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drilling method comprising: advancing a drillstring by a process including pumping drilling fluid through a bore of the drillstring during active drilling periods separated by flow-off periods during which the flow of drilling fluid through the drillstring is discontinued; communicating telemetry data from a downhole system to surface equipment by one or more of an EM telemetry system and a mud pulse (MP) telemetry system; wherein the method comprises detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods, and configuring the electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system to communicate survey data to surface equipment in response to detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods.

2. A drilling method according to claim 1 comprising executing a current configuration profile of the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system to configure the electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system to communicate survey data to surface equipment.

3. A drilling method according to claim 2 comprising detecting at the surface equipment whether the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system is inactive, and upon detecting that the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system is inactive, switching to a new configuration profile to configure the electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system to communicate the survey data from the downhole system to surface equipment.

4. A drilling method according to claim 3 wherein the new configuration profile is selected based on a location of the downhole system and electromagnetic (EM) wave attenuation through formation.

5. A drilling method according to claim 3 wherein detecting whether the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system is inactive comprises receiving one or more sensor readings from the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system.

6. A drilling method according to claim 3 comprising sending a downlink command to the electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system containing instructions to execute the new configuration profile.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods comprises monitoring an output of a pressure transducer at the surface.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods comprises detecting an absence of mud pulse (MP) pressure pulses at a downhole pressure sensor.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods comprises receiving pressure sensor readings that indicate that a valve used for generating mud pulse (MP) pulses is jamming and/or malfunctioning.

10. A method according to claim 3 comprising inhibiting or shutting off operation of the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system in response to detecting that the mud pulse (MP) telemetry system is inactive.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the survey data comprises survey measurements received from one or more sensors comprising one or more of a flow switch sensor, a revolutions per minute (RPM) gyro sensor, and a shock sensor.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the survey data comprises one or more of inclination data, azimuth data, sensor qualification or verification data.

13. A drilling method comprising: advancing a drillstring by a processor including pumping drilling fluid through a bore of the drillstring during active drilling periods separated by flow-off periods during which the flow of drilling fluid through the drillstring is discontinued; communicating telemetry data from a downhole system to surface equipment by one or more of an electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system and a mud pulse (MP) telemetry system; wherein the method comprises detecting the onset of one of the flow-off periods based on an output of a flow sensor at the surface, and configuring the downhole system to transmit survey data to surface equipment when the flow detected by the flow sensor is below a threshold, and configuring the downhole system to transmit active drilling data to surface equipment when the flow detected by the flow sensor is at or exceeds the threshold.

14. A drilling method according to claim 13 wherein configuring the downhole system to transmit the survey data to surface equipment comprises using the electromagnetic (EM) telemetry system to transmit the survey data.

15. A drilling method according to claim 13 wherein the survey data comprises one or more of: inclination data, azimuth data, sensor qualification and verification data.

16. A drilling method according to claim 13 wherein the active drilling data comprises one or more of toolface readings, gamma readings, and rotating frames.

Assignees

• Evolution Engineering Inc

Inventors

• Logan Aaron W
• Switzer David A
• Liu Jili
• Logan Justin C

Classifications

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• E21B47/18 Primary

  through the well fluid {, e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry} · CPC title

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B47/13 Primary

  by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency · CPC title

• E21B47/024

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