Systems and methods for recovering and protecting sidewall core samples in unconsolidated formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11913331-B1
Application number	US-202217822326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 25, 2022
Priority date	Aug 25, 2022
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods presented herein include sidewall coring tools used to return core samples of rock from a sidewall of a wellbore as part of a data collection exercise for exploration and production of hydrocarbons. In particular, the systems and methods presented herein perform sidewall coring of a subterranean formation using a combination of rotary and percussive coring. More specifically, the systems and methods presented herein rotate a coring cylinder of a sidewall coring tool back and forth less than a full rotation while pushing the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool against a bore wall of a wellbore, and push the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool into the subterranean formation to enable extraction of a core sample of the subterranean formation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
deploying a sidewall coring tool into a wellbore extending through a subterranean formation;
rotating a coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool back and forth less than a full rotation while pushing the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool against a bore wall of the wellbore;
pushing the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool into the subterranean formation to enable extraction of a core sample of the subterranean formation; and
retracting the coring cylinder to retrieve the core sample of the subterranean formation.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising rotating the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool to break a pressure seal formed by drilling mud prior to retracting the coring cylinder to retrieve the core sample of the subterranean formation.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising rotating the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool back and forth less than 90 degrees while pushing the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool against the bore wall of the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall coring tool comprises one or more actuators configured to rotate and push the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool into the subterranean formation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall coring tool comprises a single actuator coupled to the coring cylinder and configured to directly rotate and push the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool into the subterranean formation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall coring tool comprises two opposing actuators configured to indirectly rotate and push the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool into the subterranean formation via respective linkages coupled to the two opposing actuators and the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a full muleshoe.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a partial muleshoe.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a knife edge axial end.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the knife edge axial end comprises a serrated knife edge axial end having two or more segments.

11. A sidewall coring tool, comprising:
a coring cylinder; and
one or more actuators configured to:
rotate the coring cylinder back and forth less than a full rotation while pushing the coring cylinder against a bore wall of a wellbore; and
push the coring cylinder into a subterranean formation to enable extraction of a core sample of the subterranean formation.

12. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , wherein the one or more actuators are configured to rotate the coring cylinder back and forth less than 90 degrees while pushing the coring cylinder against the bore wall of the wellbore.

13. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , comprising a single actuator coupled to the coring cylinder and configured to directly rotate and push the coring cylinder into the subterranean formation.

14. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , comprising two opposing actuators configured to indirectly rotate and push the coring cylinder into the subterranean formation via respective linkages coupled to the actuators and the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool.

15. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a full muleshoe.

16. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a partial muleshoe.

17. The sidewall coring tool of claim 11 , wherein the coring cylinder comprises a knife edge axial end.

18. The sidewall coring tool of claim 17 , wherein the knife edge axial end comprises a serrated knife edge axial end having two or more segments.

19. A coring system, comprising:
a sidewall coring tool comprising a coring cylinder and one or more actuators configured to perform sidewall coring of a subterranean formation using a combination of rotary and percussive coring; and
a surface unit configured to send control signals to the sidewall coring tool to control the sidewall coring of the subterranean formation,
wherein the one or more actuators are configured to rotate the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool back and forth less than 90 degrees while pushing the coring cylinder of the sidewall coring tool against a bore wall of a wellbore extending through the subterranean formation.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Milkovisch Mark
• Bhome Amol
• Casassa Joseph
• Kumar Anish
• De La Garza Daniel

Classifications

• E21B49/06 Primary

  using side-wall drilling tools {pressing} or scrapers · CPC title

• G01N1/04

  in the solid state, e.g. by cutting · CPC title