Autonomous tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11434751-B2
Application number	US-202017064399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2020
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus for determining the location of a tool traveling down a wellbore by measuring a first borehole magnetic anomaly with respect to time at two known locations on a tool, comparing the time difference between the two measurements, then calculating the velocity of the tool based on the comparison, then further calculating the distance traveled by the tool in the wellbore based on the velocity calculation, then executing a series of commands at a predetermined location in the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use downhole comprising:
a cylindrical housing with a first end, a second end, an axis;
a first magnetic anomaly sensor located within the cylindrical housing;
a second magnetic anomaly sensor located within the cylindrical housing and located a fixed axial distance from the first magnetic anomaly sensor;
a processor located within the cylindrical housing, operatively connected to the first magnetic anomaly sensor and the second magnetic anomaly sensor, wherein the processor compares the measurements of the first magnetic anomaly sensor, the second magnetic anomaly sensor, the time differential of those measurements, and with the fixed axial distance between the two sensors, calculates the instantaneous velocity of the tool; and
at least one radially retractable braking arm located in the cylindrical housing, wherein the processor can command the braking arm to extend against a wellbore and stop the downhole descent of the apparatus at a predetermined location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of processors, wherein the processors determine the location of the tool within the wellbore and execute commands at one or more predetermined locations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising the processor having stored log data of the wellbore and comparing that to the two measurements to fine tune the velocity calculation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic anomaly sensor comprises a plurality of electromagnetic coils oriented about the axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second magnetic anomaly sensor comprises a plurality of electromagnetic coils wrapped oriented about the axis.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical housing is composed of a frangible material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical housing is composed of a ceramic material.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical housing is composed of steel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor calculates the distance traveled by the tool based on the calculated instantaneous velocity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor calculates the distance traveled by the tool by integrating the calculated velocity with respect to time.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor calculates the distance traveled by the tool using summation of the calculated velocity with respect to time.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor calculates the distance traveled by the tool by averaging the calculated velocity over a plurality of measurements and multiplying by time.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor calculates the distance traveled by the tool using a piecewise summation with respect to time.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one radially retractable braking arm is a plurality of radially retractable braking arms located about the axis.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a first centralizer surrounding a portion of the first end of the housing, wherein the first centralizer centralizes the housing in a wellbore.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a second centralizer surrounding a portion of the second end of the housing, wherein the second centralizer centralizes the housing in a wellbore.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a perforating gun assembly coupled to the housing, wherein the processor is electrically coupled to the perforating gun assembly and can fire the perforating gun assembly at a predetermined location.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cutter assembly coupled to the housing, wherein the processor is electrically coupled to the cutter assembly and can fire the cutter assembly at a predetermined location.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a setting tool coupled to the housing, wherein the processor is electrically coupled to the setting tool and can activate the setting tool at a predetermined location to plug the wellbore.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is capable of fully autonomous operation once it enters the wellbore.

Assignees

• Hunting Titan Inc

Inventors

• Mcbride Gene
• Hohmann Garrett M
• Dobsky David
• Pundole Faraidoon

Classifications

• E21B43/119

  Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction · CPC title

• E21B29/02

  by explosives or by thermal or chemical means {(freeing stuck objects by explosives E21B31/002)} · CPC title

• E21B41/00

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• G01P3/50

  for measuring linear speed (G01P3/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B23/00

  Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells (setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10) · CPC title