Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices and systems and methods including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10508536-B2
Application number	US-201514820616-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

Discrete wellbore devices, hydrocarbon wells including a downhole communication network and the discrete wellbore devices, and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The discrete wellbore devices include a wellbore tool and a communication device. The wellbore tool is configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular of the hydrocarbon well. The communication device is operatively coupled for movement with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit. The communication device is configured to communicate with a downhole communication network that extends along the wellbore tubular via a wireless communication signal. The methods include actively and/or passively detecting a location of the discrete wellbore device within the wellbore conduit. The methods additionally or alternatively include wireless communication between the discrete wellbore device and the downhole communication network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for using a discrete wellbore device, the system comprising:
a wellbore tool configured to perform a downhole operation within a wellbore conduit that is defined by a wellbore tubular, wherein the wellbore tubular extends within a subterranean formation and the wellbore tool is configured to be conveyed and operated within the wellbore in an untethered manner;
an acoustic downhole communication network comprising a plurality of acoustic transmission nodes that extends along the wellbore tubular and at least one of the plurality of acoustic transmission nodes is in electronic communication with an acoustic receiver at a known location along the wellbore tubular for receiving acoustic signals from within the wellbore tubular, wherein the plurality of downhole transmission nodes comprise a series of nodes provided on the wellbore tubular, each node includes an acoustic transmission receiver, an acoustic transmission transmitter, and utilizes the wellbore tubular to transmit an acoustic transmission signal from one of the plurality of nodes to another of the plurality of nodes;
performing the downhole operation with the wellbore tool, wherein performance of the downhole operation produces an acoustic signal within the wellbore in response to the performance;
receiving the produced acoustic signal from the wellbore tool by the acoustic receiver; and
communicating another acoustic signal related to the received acoustic signal from the wellbore along the wellbore tubular using the plurality of acoustic transmission nodes and the wellbore tubular as an acoustic transmission medium between nodes;
receiving the communicated another acoustic signal at a surface location; and
performing another downhole operation within the wellbore in response to the received acoustic signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein performing the downhole operation with the wellbore tool includes at least one of perforating the wellbore tubular and setting a plug within the wellbore tubular, and wherein performing the another downhole operation includes performing at least one of a stimulation operation and a perforating operation.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore tool further comprises an acoustic communication device coupled with the wellbore tool for movement within the wellbore conduit with the wellbore tool, wherein the acoustic communication device is configured to acoustically communicate with the acoustic downhole communication network.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the communicated acoustic signal at a surface location further comprises evaluating the received communicated acoustic signal to affirm that the wellbore tool performed the downhole operation.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the discrete wellbore device further includes a control structure configured to be conveyed with the wellbore tool within the wellbore conduit and to control the operation of the discrete wellbore device, wherein the control structure is programmed to:
(i) determine that an actuation criterion has been satisfied; and
(ii) provide an actuation signal to the wellbore tool responsive to satisfaction of the actuation criterion, wherein the wellbore tool is configured to perform the downhole operation responsive to receipt of the actuation signal.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the discrete wellbore device further includes a detector configured to detect at least one of a downhole parameter and a parameter of the discrete wellbore device.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control structure is programmed to autonomously control determining location of the wellbore tool within the wellbore tubular.

Assignees

• Morrow Timothy I
• Angeles Boza Renzo M
• Dale Bruce A
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Morrow Timothy I
• Angeles Boza Renzo M
• Dale Bruce A

Classifications

• E21B43/11

  Perforators; Permeators · CPC title

• E21B47/09

  Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes · CPC title

• E21B47/12 Primary

  Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling · CPC title

• E21B47/138

  Devices entrained in the flow of well-bore fluid for transmitting data, control or actuation signals · CPC title

• E21B47/14

  using acoustic waves · CPC title