Guide wire for ranging and subsurface broadcast telemetry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9010461-B2
Application number	US-200913055852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2009
Priority date	Jun 1, 2009
Publication date	Apr 21, 2015
Grant date	Apr 21, 2015

Abstract

A managed bulk drilling system that employs a guide wire for ranging and crosswell telemetry. Some system embodiments include multiple drilling assemblies operating in the vicinity of a reference well that contains an electrical cable. The electrical cable is coupled to a surface control system. The control system uses the electrical cable as part of an antenna to receive uplink signals from the drilling assemblies and to broadcast down-link signals to the drilling assemblies. The uplink signals can include position data and the downlink signals can include individual steering commands to adjust the trajectories of each drilling assembly. The cable can also generate a guidance field for the drilling assemblies to detect and follow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A downhole telemetry method that comprises:
providing at least one reference well having an insulated conductor;
using the insulated conductor to electromagnetically broadcast signal that communicates downlink information from a surface facility to a plurality of drilling downhole tools in other wells; and
communicating uplink information, comprising data acquired by the plurality of drilling downhole tools, from the plurality of drilling downhole tools to the surface facility via the insulated conductor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said using comprises supplying a signal current to the insulated conductor to generate the broadcast signal.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said broadcast signal identifies a communication channel for each drilling downhole tool to use when communicating with the surface facility.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said using comprises sensing a signal on the insulated conductor to receive a telemetry signal from each of said plurality of drilling downhole tools.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the telemetry signals includes relative position information for a drilling assembly.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said insulated conductor carries a current that generates a guidance field, and wherein said drilling assembly determines the relative position information based at least in part on measurements of the guidance field.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising supplying a current to a second insulated conductor to generate a guidance field around another reference well, wherein said drilling assembly determines the relative position information based at least in part on measurements of the guidance field generated by the second insulated conductor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink information includes an identification of the downhole tool or wellbore communicating the uplink information.

9. A downhole telemetry method that comprises:
providing at least one reference well having an insulated conductor;
using the insulate conductor to send an electromagnetic broadcast signal that communicates downlink information from a surface facility to a plurality of downhole tools in other wells; and
communicating uplink information from the plurality of downhole tools to the surface facility via the insulated conductor;
wherein said using comprises supplying a signal current to the insulated conductor to generate the broadcast signal; and
wherein said broadcast signal provides steering information to at least one of said downhole tools.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said steering information is provided to direct the drilling assembly along a path parallel to the reference well.

11. A managed bulk drilling method that comprises:
creating at least one reference well with an insulated electrical conduction path;
concurrently drilling a plurality of target wells in the vicinity of the at least one reference well; and
transmitting electromagnetic uplink signals sensed on the conduction path from drilling assemblies in the target wells to the surface facility;
wherein the uplink signals comprise data acquired by the drilling assemblies.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising demodulating the signals to receive formation logging data from the drilling assemblies.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising demodulating the signals to receive position information from the drilling assemblies.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising transmitting a downlink signal via the communication path to individually steer the drilling assemblies.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising passing a current along the conduction path to provide a guidance field for the drilling assemblies.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting a downlink signal via the communication path to adjust operating parameters of the drilling assemblies.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising passing a current along the conduction path to provide a guidance field for the drilling assemblies.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising passing a current along a second reference well to provide a guidance field for the drilling assemblies.

19. A managed bulk drilling system that comprises:
a plurality of drilling assemblies operating to create a plurality of boreholes in the vicinity of a reference well;
an electrical cable positioned in the reference well; and
a control system coupled to the electrical cable to receive an uplink signal, comprising data aquired by the plurality of drilling assemblies, from each of the plurality of drilling assemblies, wherein the control system broadcasts a downlink signal to the plurality of drilling assemblies via the electrical cable.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the uplink signals include position information from each of the drilling assemblies, and the downlink signal includes individual steering commands for each of the drilling assemblies.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the electrical cable generates a guide field for the plurality of drilling assemblies.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein each of the drilling assemblies includes a toroid for electromagnetic communications via the electrical cable.

Assignees

• Hay Richard T
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Hay Richard T

Classifications

• E21B47/13

  by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency · CPC title

• E21B47/0228 Primary

  using electromagnetic energy or detectors therefor · CPC title

• E21B47/02216 Primary

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B47/122

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic