Downhole tool string weight measurement and sensor validation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11112296-B2
Application number	US-201916382676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	Apr 12, 2019
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

Methods and systems for performing weigh measurement of a downhole tool string and validating accuracy of corresponding sensors. A method may include commencing operation of a processing device to control operations at an oil and gas wellsite. The processing device may then output a movement control command to a lifting device to cause a downhole tool string to move in accordance to the movement control command, receive an acceleration measurement of the downhole tool string, and determine a weight measurement of the downhole tool string based on the movement control command and the acceleration measurement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an acceleration sensor disposed in association with a first piece of equipment at an oil and gas wellsite, wherein the acceleration sensor is operable to facilitate determination of an acceleration measurement of a downhole tool string;
a weight sensor disposed in association with a second piece of equipment, the weight sensor operable to facilitate determination of a detected weight measurement of the downhole tool string; and
a processing device comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, wherein the processing device is operable to:
output a movement control command to a lifting device to cause the downhole tool string to move in accordance to the movement control command;
receive the acceleration measurement; and
determine a deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string based on the movement control command and the acceleration measurement;
receive the detected weight measurement;
compare the deduced weight measurement to the detected weight measurement; and
determine an accuracy of at least one of the acceleration sensor and the weight sensor based on the comparison.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing device is operable to determine the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string further based on a database of corresponding past movement control commands, past weight measurements, and past acceleration measurements.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first piece of equipment comprises at least one of a draw works, a travelling block, a top drive, an elevator, and a drill string.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the processing device is further operable to:
receive a plurality of past movement control commands output to the lifting device;
receive a plurality of past acceleration measurements from the acceleration sensor;
receive a plurality of past detected weight measurements from the weight sensor;
record, in a database, each past movement control command of the plurality of past movement control commands in association with a respective corresponding past detected weight measurement of the plurality of past detected weight measurements and a respective corresponding past acceleration measurement of the plurality of past acceleration measurements; and
determine the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string by:
searching the database for a closest past movement control command of the plurality of past movement control commands and the respective corresponding past acceleration measurement that are closest to the movement control command and the acceleration measurement; and
determining the deduced weight measurement to be equal to the respective corresponding past detected weight measurement that is recorded in association with the closest past movement control command and the respective corresponding past acceleration measurement.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first piece of equipment comprises at least one of a draw works, a travelling block, a top drive, an elevator, and a drill string, and wherein the second piece of equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, a top drive link, an elevator link, and a deadline anchor.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the movement control command outputted by the processing device to the lifting device comprises one or more of:
a standard movement control command that is part of an existing rig operation;
a special movement control command that is embedded in an existing rig operation; or
a special movement control command that is not part of an existing rig operation and whose sole purpose is to determine the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing device is further operable to determine the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string by:
accessing, from a database, a plurality of past movement control commands, a plurality of past acceleration measurements, and a plurality of past weight measurements;
identifying a past movement control command of the plurality of past movement control commands and a corresponding past acceleration measurement of the plurality of past acceleration measurements that are closest to the movement control command and the acceleration measurement; and
determining the weight measurement based on a corresponding past weight measurement of the plurality of past weight measurements that is stored in association with the past movement control command and the corresponding past acceleration measurement.

8. A method comprising:
commencing operation of a processing device to control operations at an oil and gas wellsite, wherein the processing device:
outputs a movement control command to a lifting device to cause a downhole tool string to move in accordance to the movement control command;
receives an acceleration measurement of the downhole tool string facilitated ban an acceleration sensor;
determines a deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string based on the movement control command and the acceleration measurement;
receives a detected weight measurement of the downhole tool string facilitated by a weight sensor;
compares the deduced weight measurement to the detected weight measurement; and
determines an accuracy of at least one of the acceleration sensor and the weight sensor based on the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing device determines the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string further based on a database of corresponding past outputted movement control commands, past weight measurements, and past acceleration measurements.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing device further:
receives a plurality of past movement control commands output to the lifting device;
receives a plurality of past acceleration measurements;
receives a plurality of past detected weight measurements of the downhole tool string facilitated by the weight sensor;
records, in a database, each past movement control command of the plurality of past movement control commands in association with a respective corresponding past detected weight measurement of the plurality of past detected weight measurements and a respective corresponding past acceleration measurement of the plurality of past acceleration measurements; and
determines the deduced weight measurement of the downhole tool string by:
searching the database for a closest past movement control command of the plurality of past movement control commands and the respective corresponding past acceleration measurement that are closest to the movement control command and the acceleration measurement; and
determining the deduced weight measurement to be equal to the respective corresponding past detected weight measurement that is recorded in association with the closest past movement control command and the respective corresponding past acceleration measurement.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the acceleration sensor is disposed in association with a first piece of equipment, wherein the weight sensor is disposed in association with a second piece of equipment, and wherein the processing device further determines the accuracy of at least one of the acceleration sensor and the weight sensor based on the comparison while the first and second pieces of equipment are performing actions as part of a wellsite operation.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein determining the accuracy of at least one of the acceleration sensor and the weight sensor comprises determining that the acceleration sensor and the weight sensor are accurate when the deduced weight measurement and t

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Camacho Cardenas Alejandro

Classifications

• E21B19/06

  Elevators, i.e. rod- or tube-gripping devices · CPC title

• E21B19/00 Primary

  Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables · 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

• G01G19/14 Primary

  for weighing suspended loads (G01G3/00 takes precedence; incorporation of weighing devices in cranes B66C1/40, B66C13/16) · CPC title

• E21B19/08

  Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables (E21B19/22 takes precedence; automatic feed E21B44/02); Apparatus for increasing or decreasing the pressure on the drilling tool; Apparatus for counterbalancing the weight of the rods · CPC title