Self-powered miniature mobile sensing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10844694-B2
Application number	US-201816202324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2018
Priority date	Nov 28, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A device for wirelessly monitoring well conditions includes a power including a first material attached to edges of at least one lever suspended about a central fulcrum, wherein the edges of the at least one lever are free to move about the central fulcrum, a frictionless movable object disposed inside the body of the at least one lever, wherein the frictionless movable object is free to move within the body of the at least one lever, and a second material that is fixed in position relative to the first material, wherein the first material and second material are of opposite polarities.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for wirelessly monitoring well conditions, the device comprising:
a power generator comprising:
a first material attached to two edges of at least one lever suspended about a central fulcrum, wherein the two edges of the at least one lever are free to move about the central fulcrum;
a frictionless movable object disposed inside the body of the at least one lever, wherein the frictionless movable object is free to move, from one edge to another edge, within the body of the at least one lever; and
a second material that is fixed in position relative to the first material, wherein the first material and second material are of opposite polarities;

at least one electrode that is connected to the first material or second material;
a bridge rectifier connected to the at least one electrode to transform the power generated into direct current from alternating current;
a storage unit for storing the power generated by the power generator;
at least one sensor that gathers information concerning a downhole environment; and
a microcontroller and transceiver unit to manage the power generated by the power generator and transmit information gathered by the at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is operatively coupled to the microcontroller.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first shell for housing the power generator; and
a second shell for housing the at least one electrode, the bridge rectifier, the storage unit, the at least one sensor, and the microcontroller and transceiver unit,
wherein the first shell and the second shell comprise a material that withstands high temperatures.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the frictionless movable object comprises at least one of a spherical ball and a liquid.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lever comprises a beam or a rod.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotor installed at least one side of the device, wherein the rotor spins about an internal axis of the device such that when the magnitude or direction of the device changes, the angular speed and displacement of the rotor changes;
a plurality of first pads disposed on one side of the rotor, wherein the plurality of pads are coated with the first material; and
a corresponding number of second pads coated with the second material, the second pads being fixed in position relative to the first pads.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the storage unit comprises one of ceramic film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, supercapacitors, double-layer capacitors, or pseudo-capacitors.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first material and the second material are comprised of a material that causes static electricity.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first material and the second material are selected from the group consisting of Copper, Aluminum, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyimide, Lead, Elastomer, Polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), Nylon, and Polyester.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver unit is configured to communicate over a wireless communication method selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and ZigBee.

10. A system for wirelessly monitoring well conditions, the system comprising:
a plurality of devices wirelessly connected to a computer on a drilling surface, each of the devices comprising:
a power generator comprising:
a first material attached to two edges of at least one lever suspended about a central fulcrum, wherein the two edges of the at least one lever are free to move about the central fulcrum;
a frictionless movable object disposed inside the body of the at least one lever, wherein the frictionless movable object is free to move, from one edge to another edge, within the body of the at least one lever; and
a second material that is fixed in position relative to the first material, wherein the first material and second material are of opposite polarities;

at least one electrode that is connected to the first material or second material;
a bridge rectifier connected to the at least one electrode to transform the power generated into direct current from alternating current;
a storage unit for storing the power generated by the power generator;
at least one sensor that gathers information concerning a downhole environment; and
a microcontroller and transceiver unit to manage the power generated by the power generator and transmit information gathered by the at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is operatively coupled to the microcontroller.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of devices further comprise:
a first shell for housing the power generator; and
a second shell for housing the at least one electrode, the bridge rectifier, the storage unit, the at least one sensor, and the microcontroller and transceiver unit,
wherein the first shell and the second shell comprise a material that withstands high temperatures.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of devices further comprise:
a rotor installed at least one side of the device, wherein the rotor spins about an internal axis of the device such that when the magnitude or direction of the device changes, the angular speed and displacement of the rotor changes;
a plurality of first pads disposed on one side of the rotor, wherein the plurality of pads are coated with the first material; and
a corresponding number of second pads coated with the second material, the second pads being fixed in position relative to the first pads.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a string of wireless transceivers placed along a drill string inside a well, each transceiver placed within at least half the maximum distance that each transceiver can transmit data and configured to communicate wirelessly with the plurality of devices.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the string of wireless transceivers are configured to:
receive measurement data from one of the devices; and
transmit the measurement data to another wireless transceiver closer to the computer on the drilling surface.

15. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:
one or more downhole tools placed along a drill string inside a well for being activated, deactivated, or configured by the device when the device is within a predetermined distance from the tool,
or a downhole tool to activate, deactivate or configure a device when the device is within a predetermined distance from the tool.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein motion in the lever is caused due to vibration, rotation, or mud flow in a drill string carrying the device.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the storage unit comprises one of ceramic film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, supercapacitors, double-layer capacitors, or pseudo-capacitors.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first material and the second material are comprised of a material that causes static electricity.

19. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first material and the second material are selected from the group consisting of Copper, Aluminum, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyimide, Lead, Elastomer, Polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA), Nylon, and Polyester.

20. The system of claim 10 , wherein the transceiver unit is configured to communicate over a wireless communication method selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and ZigBee.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Gooneratne Chinthaka Pasan
• Li Bodong

Classifications

• E21B41/0085 Primary

  Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes · CPC title

• 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

• E21B47/00

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title

• E21B47/138

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

• E21B47/017

  Protecting measuring instruments · CPC title