Downhole fiber installation equipment and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11828121-B2
Application number	US-202217936627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2022
Priority date	Oct 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

Various embodiments include methods and apparatus structured to install an optical fiber cable into a well at a well site. In a from-bottom-to-top embodiment, an anchor deployed at a selected location in a hole of the well can be used and the optical fiber cable can be pulled up to a surface of the well from the selected location. In a from-top-to-bottom embodiment, an optical fiber cable can be moved down from the surface until an end of the optical fiber cable is locked at a selected location by a catcher disposed at the selected location. With the optical fiber cable in the well, a portion of the optical fiber cable can be coupled to surface instrumentation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods can be implemented in a variety of applications.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of installing an optical fiber cable into a well at a well site, the method comprising:
feeding the optical fiber cable into a hole of the well from a surface at the well site to a selected location in the well on a spool attached to a deployable anchor;
deploying an anchor, to which one end of the optical fiber cable is attached, to hold the end of the optical fiber at the selected location in the hole;
after deploying the anchor, pulling the spool up to a surface of the well from the selected location to unspool the optical fiber cable from the spool in a spiral fashion;
conveying an end to the optical fiber cable out of the hole, the conveyed end of the optical fiber cable being opposite to the end attached to the anchor; and
coupling the conveyed end of the optical fiber cable to surface instrumentation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
feeding the optical fiber cable into the well further includes feeding a fiber spooler into the well using a coiled tubing to which the fiber spooler is mounted, the fiber spooler including the spool containing the optical fiber cable and the anchor to which the one end of the optical fiber cable is attached; and
unspooling the optical fiber cable from the spool in a spiral fashion comprises rotating the spool such that the optical fiber cable unspools in a spiral.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method includes using a mud motor to drive the fiber spooler and to rotate the spool.

4. The method of claim of claim 2 , wherein pulling the coiled tubing out of the hole includes pulling the coiled tubing out of the hole at a steady velocity, while at the same time fluid is pumped down the coiled tubing causing the spool to rotate such that combination of linear and rotational motion causes the optical fiber cable to unspool in the spiral fashion against an interior wall of a piping in which the optical fiber cable is being inserted.

5. The method of claim of claim 2 , wherein the method includes adjusting spiral pitch of the optical fiber cable by varying speed of revolution of the spool and/or adjusting linear speed of the pulling of the coiled tubing.

6. The method of claim of claim 1 , wherein coupling the conveyed end of the optical fiber cable to the surface instrumentation includes splicing the portion of the optical fiber cable to a surface cable connected to the instrumentation.

7. The method of claim of claim 1 , wherein deploying the anchor includes using a burst disk that provides downhole pressure to a piston that drives open levers gripping walls in the well.

8. The method of claim of claim 7 , wherein gripping walls in the well includes gripping walls of piping in the well, the optical fiber cable is being inserted in the piping in the well.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes providing pressure readings at the selected location using a fiber optic pressure gauge contained in the anchor and communicating the pressure readings to the surface via a core of a set of cores in the optical fiber cable.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes retrieving the optical fiber cable in response to the optical fiber cable experiencing a break or experiencing deterioration of signal quality using the optical fiber cable, and installing a second optical fiber cable by anchoring an end of the second optical fiber cable at or proximate to the selected location and pulling up to the surface an end of the second optical fiber cable opposite the anchored end.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes providing pressure readings of pressure at the selected location using a fiber optic pressure gauge and communicating the pressure readings to the surface via a core of a set of cores in the optical fiber cable.

12. A system comprising:
an optical fiber cable;
an anchor deployable to fix an end of the optical fiber cable to a selected location downhole in a well at a wellsite;
surface instrumentation to couple to a portion of the optical fiber cable at a surface at the wellsite;
a coiled tubing;
a fiber spooler mounted to the coiled tubing, the fiber spooler including a spool containing the optical fiber cable and the anchor to which the one end of the optical fiber cable is attached; and
wherein the optical fiber cable unspools from the fiber spooler in a spiral fashion as the fiber spooler is retrieved to the surface with the anchor deployed at the selected location.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the anchor includes a burst disk operable to provide downhole pressure to a piston to drive open levers to grip walls.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the system includes a fiber optic pressure gauge contained in the fiber spooler or a fiber optic pressure gauge contained in the anchor.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the optical fiber cable includes a set of cores within the optical fiber cable.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the optical fiber cable includes an optical fiber having a glass diameter greater than 125 μm.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the optical fiber has a glass diameter of 200 μm or greater.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Park Brian Vandellyn
• Jaaskelainen Mikko
• Benjamin Seldon David
• Therrien Jason Edward

Classifications

• G02B6/54

  using mechanical means, e.g. pulling or pushing devices · CPC title

• G02B6/50

  Underground or underwater installation; Installation through tubing, conduits or ducts · CPC title

• E21B23/14 Primary

  for displacing a cable or a cable-operated tool, e.g. for logging or perforating operations in deviated wells · CPC title

• E21B17/206

  with conductors, e.g. electrical, optical · CPC title

• E21B23/01

  for anchoring the tools or the like (E21B23/02 - E21B23/06 take precedence; anchoring of drives in the borehole E21B4/18) · CPC title