Wireless acoustic communication apparatus and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10900352-B2
Application number	US-201616471347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 19, 2016
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

Wireless acoustic communication apparatus and related methods are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a first rod and a second rod. The first rod and the second rod are to form a rod string. The example apparatus includes a first acoustic repeater mechanically coupled to the first rod. The first acoustic repeater is to communicate with a second acoustic repeater to convey data via the rod string. The second acoustic repeater is to receive the data from a first tool.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first rod;
a second rod, the first rod and the second rod to form a rod string; and
a first acoustic repeater mechanically coupled to the first rod, the first acoustic repeater to communicate with a second acoustic repeater to convey data via the rod string, the second acoustic repeater to receive the data from a first tool, wherein the rod string is a first rod string and further including a second rod string, the second rod string including a third acoustic repeater, at least one of the first acoustic repeater or the second acoustic repeater to communicate with the third acoustic repeater to convey the data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first acoustic repeater is coupled to the first rod via a first connector at a first end of the first acoustic repeater and the second rod via a second connector at a second end of the first acoustic repeater opposite the first end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first acoustic repeater is coupled to the first rod via a clamp.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the clamp includes a first clamp portion and a second clamp portion, a first end of the first acoustic repeater to couple to the first rod via the first clamp portion and a second end of the first acoustic repeater to couple to the first rod via the second clamp portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first rod includes a male connector and the second rod includes a female connector, the male connector to couple to the female connector to couple the first rod and the second rod.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first rod includes a metal material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first acoustic repeater includes a transducer, a face of the transducer to be substantially in contact with the first rod when the first acoustic repeater is coupled to the first rod.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first tool is disposed below an obstruction relative to a surface when the first acoustic repeater is disposed in a wellbore.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a fourth acoustic repeater disposed at a surface when the first acoustic repeater is disposed in a wellbore, the fourth acoustic repeater coupled to the rod string.

10. A method comprising:
deploying a first rod string in a wellbore, the first rod string including a first acoustic repeater;
communicating, by executing an instruction with a processor and via the first acoustic repeater, with a second acoustic repeater, the second acoustic repeater associated with a first tool disposed in the wellbore, the second acoustic repeater to transmit first data to the first acoustic repeater via the first rod string;
transmitting, by executing an instruction with the processor, the first data from the first acoustic repeater to the processor
deploying a second rod string including a third acoustic repeater in the wellbore; and
transmitting data between the first acoustic repeater and the third acoustic repeater via the first rod string and the second rod string.

11. The method of claim 1 , further including transmitting second data between the third acoustic repeater and the processor, the second data to be collected by a second tool associated with the third acoustic repeater.

12. The method of claim 10 , further including coupling the rod string to an obstruction, the first acoustic repeater to be disposed below obstruction relative to a surface when the rod string is deployed in the wellbore.

13. The method of claim 10 , further including coupling the rod string to a plunger, the first tool to be disposed below the plunger relative to a surface when the first tool is disposed in the wellbore.

14. The method of claim 1 , further including transmitting data between the first acoustic repeater and the processor via the second rod string.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Vannuffelen Stephane
• Rayssiguier Christophe M
• Croux Arnaud

Classifications

• E21B47/16 Primary

  through the drill string or casing {, e.g. by torsional acoustic waves} · CPC title

• G10K11/002

  Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices (G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002) · CPC title

• G10K11/004

  Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device (mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00) · CPC title

• E21B17/1078

  Stabilisers or centralisers for casing, tubing or drill pipes (E21B17/1007 - E21B17/1064 take precedence) · CPC title

• E21B47/017

  Protecting measuring instruments · CPC title