Downhole telemetry during fluid injection operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11808145-B2
Application number	US-202117452982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A fluid signal generator configured to produce fluid pulses in a fluid column of a wellbore are described. The fluid pulses represent data and/or other information to be transmitted from a downhole device, such as a fluid plug apparatus located within the borehole of the wellbore, to one or more other devices located away from the downhole device, including devices located above a surface of the wellbore. The fluid plug may be configured to provide a fluid seal between a first portion of the wellbore and a second portion of the wellbore prior to and during a fluid treatment procedure being performed on the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a plug apparatus positionable within a wellbore, the plug apparatus including a seat and a first fluid passageway extending through the seat, the seat configured to receive a drop device configured to form a fluid seal with the seat and thereby form a wellbore fluid seal between a first section of the wellbore positioned uphole from the plug apparatus and a second section of the wellbore positioned downhole of the plug apparatus when the drop device has been received at the seat, the first fluid passageway configured to allow a fluid applied at a fluid pressure to the first section of the wellbore to pass through the first fluid passageway and be communicated to the second section of the wellbore when the drop device is not received at the seat, and wherein the seat and the drop device are configured to seal against the fluid pressure applied to the first section of the wellbore while isolating the second section of the wellbore from the fluid pressure when the drop device has been received at the seat; and
a fluid pulse generator positioned in a second fluid passageway extending within and through the plug apparatus, the second fluid passageway extending around the seat of the plug apparatus, wherein the fluid pulse generator is configured to controllably allow and block a flow of the fluid through the second fluid passageway to thereby generate a fluid pulse signal in a column of the fluid that is injected into the first section of the wellbore as part of a stimulation procedure being performed on the first section of the wellbore following sealing of the first fluid passageway through the plug apparatus using the drop device and the seat, wherein the first section of the wellbore includes a first set of perforation clusters providing fluid communication between the column of fluid that is injected into the first section of the wellbore and a formation material that is proximate the first set of perforation clusters, and wherein the second section of the wellbore includes a second set of perforation clusters providing fluid communication between the column of fluid injected into the first section of the wellbore and passing through the first passage of the plug apparatus prior to the drop device being received at the seat of the plug apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plug apparatus further comprises:
a sealing member configured to seal an outside surface of the plug apparatus to an inner surface of a casing of the wellbore so that the fluid that is injected into the first section of the wellbore is prevented from passing around the outside surface of the plug apparatus once the plug apparatus is positioned at a desired location within the casing and the sealing member is activated to be in a sealing configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pulse generator comprises:
a stopper coupled to an actuator; the actuator configured to move the stopper between a first stopper position and a second stopper position,
wherein when in the first stopper position the stopper blocks any fluid communication between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore through the second fluid passageway provided within the plug apparatus, and when in the second stopper position the stopper provides fluid communication between the first section of the well bore and the second section of the wellbore through the second fluid passageway.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pulse generator comprises:
a siren positioned within the plug apparatus, the siren configured to provide one or more first siren positions that block any fluid communication between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore through the second fluid passageway provided within the plug apparatus, the siren further configured to provide one or more second siren positions that provide fluid communication between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore through the second fluid passageway.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the siren further comprises:
a first plate having one or more first plate fluid passageways extending through the first plate, and a second plate having one or more second plate fluid passageway extending through the second plate; and
an actuator coupled to one or both of the first plate and the second plate, the actuator configured to position the first plate relative to the second plate so that no portion of the one or more first plate fluid passageways align with any portion of the one or more second plate fluid passageways when the siren is in the first siren position, and to position the first plate relative to the second plate so that at least some portion of the one or more first plate fluid passageways align at least one of the one or more second plate fluid passageways when the siren is in the second siren position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pulse generator comprises a fluid vortex coupled to a fluid diverter, the fluid diverter configured to shift a flow path of the fluid present in the first section of the wellbore between a first and second flow path extending through the fluid vortex in order to generate the fluid pulse signal in the column of the fluid that is injected into the first section of the wellbore.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the column of the fluid injected into the first section of the wellbore as part of the stimulation procedure has a turbidity measurement of less than 1000 Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the column of the fluid injected into the first section of the wellbore as part of the stimulation procedure being performed on the wellbore includes a fluid pressure in a range from 1,000 to 15,000 pounds per square inch.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pulse signal comprises sensor data gathered at or near the plug apparatus while the plug apparatus is located within the wellbore and while during the stimulation procedure being performed on the wellbore.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plug apparatus includes a receiver configured to receive fluid signals generated by one or more additional downhole plug apparatus, and wherein the fluid pulse generator is configured to generate fluid signals that are induced into the column of the fluid based at least in part on the fluid signals generated by the one or more additional downhole plug apparatus.

11. A method comprising:
injecting a treatment fluid into a wellbore as part of a stimulation procedure being performed on the wellbore, the wellbore comprising a plug apparatus positioned within the wellbore, the plug apparatus including a seat and a first fluid passageway extending through the seat, the seat having received a drop device forming a fluid seal with the seat and thereby forming a wellbore fluid seal between a first section of the wellbore positioned uphole from the plug apparatus and a second section of the wellbore positioned downhole from the plug apparatus, the wellbore fluid seal providing the fluid seal against a fluid pressure applied by the treatment fluid to the first section of the wellbore while isolating the second section of the wellbore from the fluid pressure, wherein the first section of the wellbore includes a first set of perforation clusters providing fluid communication between the fluid pressure applied by the treatment fluid to the first section of the wellbore and a formation material that is proximate the perforation clusters, and wherein the second section of the wellbore includes a second set of perforation clusters providing fluid communication betwee

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Fripp Michael Linley
• Canning Sean Christopher
• Moeller Daniel Keith

Classifications

• E21B47/24 Primary

  by positive mud pulses using a flow restricting valve within the drill pipe · CPC title

• E21B34/142

  unsupported or free-falling elements, e.g. balls, plugs, darts or pistons · CPC title

• E21B43/261

  Separate steps of (1) cementing, plugging or consolidating and (2) fracturing or attacking the formation · CPC title

• G10K7/06 Primary

  in which the sound-producing member is driven by a fluid, e.g. by a compressed gas · CPC title

• E21B43/2607

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title