Instrumented tube for measuring flow from a wellbore blowout

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11492894-B2
Application number	US-201616310850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2016
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A support arm can be positioned in an inner area of a tubular body. The support arm can extend from the inner surface of the tubular body to retain a sensor in flow from a wellbore blowout passing through the tubular body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a support arm positioned in an inner area of a tubular body and extending from an inner surface of the tubular body to retain a sensor in flow from a wellbore blowout passable through the tubular body, wherein the support arm has an inner passage providing access to the sensor for moving or retrieving the sensor, wherein a first portion of the sensor is positioned in a flow path of the flow and a second portion of the sensor is positioned within the inner passage of the support arm; and
a sensor housing positioned within the inner area of the tubular body and coupled to the support arm for housing the sensor.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular body comprises an aperture in the inner surface of the tubular body,
wherein the support arm is positioned at the aperture to form a conduit between the sensor and an area external to the tubular body.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the support arm is positionable to retain the sensor in the flow for measuring a characteristic of the flow, wherein the support arm includes a communication medium positioned in the conduit and communicatively coupled to the sensor for communicating data based on the characteristic of the flow between the sensor and a transceiver located externally to the tubular body for analysis to determine a feature of the wellbore blowout or a wellbore.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a plurality of sensors, and wherein the sensor housing further comprises a channel to allow the flow to pass therethrough and for housing the plurality of sensors.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is moveable between a first position at which the at least one sensor is in the inner passage to a second position at which the at least one sensor is in the sensor housing and exposed to the flow.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the support arm is positioned to extend from a first part of the inner surface of the tubular body to a second part of the inner surface of the tubular body, wherein the support arm comprises a profiled shape having an edge closer to an opening in a wellbore than any other portion of the support arm.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is retained at a position proximate a center of the tubular body by the support arm.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular body is a Venturi tube positioned at a wellhead to divert the flow of the wellbore blowout away from the wellhead.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the tubular body is part of a capping stack, and the device is positionable in a subsea wellbore.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the capping stack is coupled to a blowout preventer, and wherein the sensor is positioned to measure a characteristic of flow from the blowout preventer.

11. An assembly comprising:
a tubular body positionable at an opening in a wellhead of a wellbore to allow a flow of a wellbore blowout from the wellhead to pass therethrough;
a support arm extending from a first portion of an inner surface of the tubular body to a second portion of the inner surface of the tubular body, wherein the support arm has an inner passage providing access to a sensor of a plurality of sensors for moving or retrieving the sensor, wherein a first portion of a sensor of the plurality of sensors is positioned in a flow path of the flow and a second portion of the sensor of the plurality of sensors is positioned within the inner passage of the support arm; and
a sensor housing positioned within the tubular body and coupled to the support arm and housing the plurality of sensors such that the plurality of sensors are positionable in the flow for measuring characteristics of the flow.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the tubular body comprises an aperture in the first portion of the inner surface,
wherein the inner passage is positionable to form a conduit between the sensor housing and an area external to the tubular body.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , further comprising a communication medium positionable in the conduit and communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors for communicating data based on the characteristics of the flow between the plurality of sensors and a transceiver external to the tubular body.

14. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the sensor housing is retained at a position proximate a center of the tubular body by the support arm.

15. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the support arm has a profiled shape having an edge closer to the opening in the wellbore than any other part of the support arm for limiting a deflection of a portion of the flow that contacts the support arm to an angle range of −45° to ±45° relative to a direction the portion of the flow was traveling through the tubular body.

16. The assembly of claim 11 , further comprising:
a processing device communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors to analyze the characteristics of the flow to determine a feature of the wellbore blowout or a feature of the wellbore.

17. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the support arm is a plurality of support arms that extends from the inner surface of the tubular body, the assembly further comprising:
a communication circuit communicatively coupled to at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors to wirelessly communicate data based on the characteristics of the flow to a transceiver external to the tubular body.

18. A method comprising:
allowing flow from a blowout to pass through a tubular body positioned at an opening in a wellbore;
positioning a sensor in a flow path of the blowout by inserting the sensor through a support arm and into a sensor housing positioned in the flow path and within the tubular body using an insertion element, the support arm being coupled to the sensor housing and extending from an inner surface of the tubular body;
measuring characteristics of the flow by the sensor; and
transmitting data based on the characteristics of the flow, through a cable communicatively coupled to the sensor, to a transceiver external to the tubular body, wherein a portion of the cable is housed in the support arm and the cable passes through an aperture in the inner surface of the tubular body.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
retaining the sensor at a position proximate a center of the tubular body by positioning the sensor in the sensor housing coupled to the support arm, the support arm extending from a first part of the inner surface of the tubular body to a second part of the inner surface of the tubular body.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
analyzing the data by a processing device communicatively coupled to the transceiver to determine a feature of the blowout or a feature of the wellbore.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Haghshenas Arash
• Cuthbert Andrew John

Classifications

• E21B47/10 Primary

  Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements · CPC title

• E21B33/03

  Well heads; Setting-up thereof · CPC title

• E21B47/06 Primary

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• G01V1/40

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title

• G01F1/44

  Venturi tubes · CPC title