Remote processing of well tool sensor data and correction of sensor data on data acquisition systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417353-B2
Application number	US-67083310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2007
Priority date	Aug 1, 2007
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

For some embodiments, a software application for correcting sensor data in a remote database ( 114, 118 ) according to magnetic correction parameters obtained from a geophysical survey service, the sensor data obtained from directional instruments on a well tool ( 107, 108, 110 ). The remote database resides in a field computer ( 112 ) at a well site, and a copy of the remote database may also reside in a real time operations computer system. For some embodiments, the sensor data for particular depths and measurement times are stored as rows in a table (FIG. 3 ). The correction software may write new rows in the remote database with the corrected sensor data, or may write new rows in a second database for storing corrected sensor data (FIG. 1 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to correct data obtained from sensors on a well tool, comprising:
making measurements using a sensor on a well tool in a well, generating sensor data associated with a depth within the well and a measurement time of the sensor data, the sensor being a sensor that provides signals to derive directional data;
retrieving, under control of a processor, magnetic correction parameters over a network from a remote database;
retrieving under control of the processor, from a first computer system located remotely from and associated with a plurality of geographically separated well sites, the sensor data associated with the depth within the well and the measurement time of the sensor data, the well being at a well site of the plurality of geographically separated well sites, the first computer system and the plurality of geographically separated well sites being separate and remote from the remote database;
correcting the sensor data by using the processor to transform the sensor data into corrected sensor data according to the magnetic correction parameters;
writing, under control of the processor, the corrected sensor data to a database of the first computer system and to each database of a plurality of geographically separated computers, the plurality of geographically separated computers being separate and remote from the remote database; and
controlling directional drilling at one or more of the geographically separated well sites based on the corrected sensor data written into the databases of the first computer system and the plurality of geographically separated computers associated with the one or more of the geographically separated well sites at which the direction drilling is being controlled.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first computer system is a real time operations computer system.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first computer system is afield computer system associated with the well.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein providing the corrected sensor data to the first computer system comprises:
providing the corrected sensor data to a second computer system, the second computer system being a computer of the plurality of geographically separated computers; and
communicating the corrected sensor data from the second computer system to the first computer system.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the sensor data is part of a row in a table abstract data type stored in the first computer, the method further comprising:
storing a new row in the table abstract data type, the new row including the corrected sensor data obtained by correcting the sensor data with the magnetic correction parameters.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 , the table abstract data type including a field for a data source, the row including a data source field value associated with the sensor data, the new row including a corrected data source field value obtained by updating the data source field value to indicate that the sensor data has been corrected using the magnetic correction parameters.

7. The method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the table abstract data type includes an enable flag field, the row including an enable flag field value, the method further comprising:
changing the enable flag field value of the row after the new row is stored in the table abstract data type.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the sensor data is part of a row in an uncorrected table abstract data type stored in the first computer, the method comprising:
storing anew row in a corrected table abstract data type, the new row including the corrected sensor data obtained by updating the sensor data with the magnetic correction parameters.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 , the corrected and uncorrected table abstract data types each having a field for a data source, the row in the uncorrected table abstract data type having a data source field value associated with the sensor data, the new row including a corrected data source field value obtained by updating the data source field value to indicate that the sensor data has been corrected using the magnetic correction parameters.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory memory device having instructions stored therein, which when read by at least one computer system, causes the at least one computer system to:
implement the making of measurements using a sensor on a well tool in a well, generating sensor data associated with a depth within the well and a measurement time of the sensor data, the sensor being a sensor that provides signals to derive directional data;
retrieve magnetic correction parameters over a network from a remote database;
retrieve, from a first computer system located remotely from and associated with a plurality of geographically separated well sites, the sensor data associated with the depth within the well and the measurement time of the sensor data, the well being at a well site of the plurality of geographically separated well sites, the first computer system and the plurality of geographically separated well sites being separate and remote from the remote database;
correct the sensor data to transform the sensor data into corrected sensor data according to the magnetic correction parameters;
write the corrected sensor data to a database of the first computer system and to each database of a plurality of geographically separated computers, the plurality of geographically separated computers being separate and remote from the remote database; and
control directional drilling at one or more of the geographically separated well sites based on the corrected sensor data written into the databases of the first computer system and the plurality of geographically separated computers associated with the one or more of the geographically separated well sites at which the direction drilling is being controlled.

11. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the first computer system is a real time operations computer system.

12. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the first computer system is a field computer system associated with the well.

13. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 10 , wherein to provide the corrected sensor data to the first computer system, the instructions further cause the at least one computer system to:
provide the corrected sensor data to a second computer system, the second computer system being a computer of the plurality of geographically separated computers; and
communicate the corrected sensor data from the second computer system to the first computer system.

14. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the sensor data is part of a row in a table abstract data type stored in the first computer, the instructions further causing the at least one computer system to:
store anew row in the table abstract data type, the new row including corrected sensor data obtained by correcting the sensor data with the magnetic correction parameters.

15. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 14 , the table abstract data type including a field for a data source, the row including a data source field value associated with the sensor data, and the new now including a corrected data source field value obtained by updating the data source field value to indicate that the sensor data has been corrected using the magnetic correction parameters.

16. The article of manufacture as set forth in claim 14 where the table abstract

Assignees

• Marsh Laban
• Sargeant Stuart
• Mckay Barry
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Marsh Laban
• Sargeant Stuart
• Mckay Barry

Classifications

• G01V3/18 Primary

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title

• G01V3/00

  Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation · CPC title

• G01V3/38

  Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction · CPC title

• E21B47/022 Primary

  of the borehole, e.g. using geomagnetism · CPC title