Downhole telemetry during fluid injection operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023132593-A1
Application number	US-202117452982-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	May 4, 2023
Grant date	—

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 and configured to form a fluid seal between a first section of the wellbore and a second section of the wellbore, the second section of the wellbore located downhole from the first section of the wellbore, the fluid seal configured to provide a seal against a fluid pressure applied to the first section of the wellbore while isolating the second section of the wellbore from the fluid pressure; and a fluid pulse generator configured to controllably allow and block a flow of a fluid through or around the plug apparatus 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 wellbore.

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 one or more fluid passageways 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 one or more fluid passageways provided within the plug apparatus.

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 one or more fluid passageways 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 one or more fluid passageways provided within the plug apparatus.

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 is positioned within a portion of a wellbore casing extending between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore and adjacent to the plug apparatus, the fluid pulse generator in fluid communication with one or more fluid passageways extending between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore and around the plug apparatus, and wherein the fluid pulse generator is configured to controllably allow and block a flow of a fluid through the one or more fluid passageways and around the plug apparatus to thereby generate a fluid pulse signal in a column of the fluid that is injected into the first section of the wellbore.

7 . 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.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pulse generator is included in the plug apparatus configured to be pumped or dropped downhole into the wellbore in an orientation so that a sealing surface of the plug apparatus is orientated downhole relative to a front face of the plug apparatus and configured to be brought into physical contact with a sealing surface of a seat positioned within and attached to a casing of the wellbore in order to form the fluid seal between a first section of the wellbore and a second section of the wellbore.

9 . 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).

10 . 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.

11 . 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.

12 . A method comprising:
injecting a treatment fluid into 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 forming a fluid seal between a first section of the wellbore and a second section of the wellbore, the second section of the wellbore located downhole from the first section of the wellbore, the 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; receiving, at a plug apparatus controller, one or more output signals from one or more downhole sensor located within the wellbore and positioned proximate to the plug apparatus; processing, using the plug apparatus controller, the one or more output signals to produce data; and actuating, using the plug apparatus controller, a fluid signal generator to produce a fluid pule signal in the treatment fluid, the fluid pulse signal including data produced based on the output signals.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein actuating the fluid signal generator comprises alternatively allowing and blocking a flow of the treatment fluid through or around the plug apparatus between the first section of the wellbore and the second section of the wellbore to generate a sequence of fluid pulses in a column of the treatment fluid present in the first section of the wellbore.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
detecting, at an acoustic receiver, the fluid pulse signal transmitted uphole to the acoustic rece

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• E21B43/261

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

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• G10K7/06 Primary

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

• E21B47/24 Primary

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

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title