Wireless communication for downhole tool strings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9523271-B2
Application number	US-201214429219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2012
Priority date	Sep 21, 2012
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A wireline interface sub includes a wireline-interface-sub housing mechanically coupleable to a wireline and a wireline-interface module electrically coupleable to the wireline. A first tandem sub includes a first-tandem-sub housing mechanically coupled to the wireline-interface-sub housing, a first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver wirelessly coupled to the wireline-interface module, and a first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver electrically coupled to the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver. A first gun sub includes a first-gun-sub housing mechanically coupled to the first-tandem-sub housing, a first-gun-sub transceiver wirelessly coupled to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver, and a first-gun-sub detonator coupled to, and triggerable by, the first-gun-sub transceiver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a wireline interface sub comprising:
a wireline-interface-sub housing mechanically coupleable to a wireline, and
a wireline-interface module electrically coupleable to the wireline;

a first tandem sub comprising:
a first-tandem-sub housing mechanically coupled to the wireline-interface-sub housing,
a first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver wirelessly coupled to the wireline-interface module, and
a first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver electrically coupled to the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver; and

a first gun sub comprising:
a first-gun-sub housing mechanically coupled to the first-tandem-sub housing,
a first-gun-sub transceiver wirelessly coupled to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver, and
a first-gun-sub detonator coupled to, and triggerable by, the first-gun-sub transceiver, and

a first first-tandem-sub downside antenna physically coupled to the first-tandem-sub downside transceiver and physically extending into the first-gun-sub housing;
a second gun sub comprising a second-gun-sub housing, the second gun sub mechanically coupleable to the first-tandem-sub housing to replace the first gun sub after detonation of the first-gun-sub detonator; and
a second first-tandem-sub downside antenna coupleable to the first tandem-sub-downside transceiver and extendable into the second-gun-sub housing, the second first-tandem-sub downside antenna to replace the first first-tandem-sub downside antenna after detonation of the first-gun-sub detonator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the first gun sub further comprises:
a first-gun-sub antenna electrically coupled to the first-gun-sub transceiver.

3. The apparatus of claims 1 wherein the wireline interface sub further comprises:
a wireline-interface-module antenna electrically coupled to the wireline-interface module.

4. The apparatus of claims 1 further comprising:
a second tandem sub comprising:
a second-tandem-sub-housing mechanically coupled to the first-gun-sub housing, and
a second-tandem-sub-upside transceiver wirelessly coupled to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver; and
a second-tandem-sub-downside transceiver electrically coupled to the second-tandem-sub-upside transceiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:
a second gun sub comprising:
a second-gun-sub housing mechanically coupled to the second-tandem-sub housing,
a second-gun-sub transceiver wirelessly coupled to the second-tandem-sub-downside transceiver, and
a second-gun-sub detonator coupled to, and triggerable by, the second-gun-sub transceiver.

6. The apparatus of claims 1 wherein the first-gun-sub transceiver comprises:
a first-gun-sub processor commandable to trigger the first-gun-sub detonator upon receipt of a first-gun-sub-addressed message from the wireline-interface module through the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver, the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver, and the first-gun-sub transceiver.

7. The apparatus of claims 1 where the first-gun-sub wireline transceiver comprises:
a first-gun-sub processor commandable to trigger the first-gun-sub detonator upon receipt within a predetermined period of time of a predetermined plurality of first-gun-sub-addressed messages ordering the first gun sub to fire.

8. A method comprising:
mechanically coupling:
a first-tandem-sub housing of a first tandem sub to a wireline-interface-sub housing of a wireline interface sub, and
a first-gun-sub housing of a first gun sub to the first-tandem-sub housing; electrically coupling:
a first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver in the first tandem sub to a first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver within the first tandem sub, and
a first-gun-sub detonator in the first gun sub to a first-gun-sub transceiver in the first gun sub; and

wirelessly coupling:
the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver to a wireline-interface module in the wireline interface sub, and
a first-gun-sub transceiver in a first gun sub to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver;

mechanically coupling a first tandem-sub-downside antenna to the first-tandem-sub housing such that the first tandem-sub-downside antenna physically extends into the first gun sub;
electrically coupling the first tandem-sub-downside antenna to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver;
providing a second gun sub mechanically coupleable to the first-tandem-sub housing after detonation of the first-gun-sub detonator; and
providing a second tandem-sub-downside antenna coupleable to the first-tandem-sub housing and extendable into the second gun sub, the second first-tandem-sub downside antenna to replace the first first-tandem-sub downside antenna after detonation of the first-gun-sub detonator.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
mechanically coupling the wireline interface sub to a wireline; and
electrically coupling the wireline-interface module in the wireline interface sub to the wireline.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
electrically coupling the wireline to a firing panel; and
lowering the wireline interface sub, the first tandem sub, the first gun sub, and the second tandem sub into a borehole.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
the firing panel transmitting a firing-panel-issued command to the wireline-interface module through the wireline;
a wireline-interface-module processor within the wireline-interface module processing the firing-panel-issued command and wirelessly transmitting a not-first-gun-sub-addressed command to the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver;
the first tandem-sub-upside transceiver receiving the not-first-gun-sub-addressed command and electrically communicating the command to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver;
the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver wirelessly transmitting the not-first-gun-sub-addressed command to the first-gun-sub transceiver;
a first-gun-sub processor within the first gun sub receiving the not-first-gun-sub-addressed command from the first-gun-sub transceiver; and
the first-gun-sub processor determining that the not-first-gun-sub-addressed command is not addressed to the first gun sub, and, as a result, not taking any action.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
the firing panel transmitting a firing-panel-issued command to the wireline-interface module through the wireline;
a wireline-interface-module processor within the wireline-interface module processing the firing-panel-issued command and wirelessly transmitting a first-gun-sub-addressed command to the first-tandem-sub-upside transceiver;
the first tandem-sub-upside transceiver receiving the first-gun-sub-addressed command and electrically communicating the first-gun-sub-addressed command to the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver;
the first-tandem-sub-downside transceiver wirelessly transmitting the first-gun-sub-addressed command to the first-gun-sub transceiver and the second-tandem-sub-upside transceiver;
a first-gun-sub processor within the first gun sub receiving the first-gun-sub-addressed command from the first-gun-sub transceiver; and
the first-gun-sub processor determining that the first-gun-sub-addressed command is addressed to the first gun sub, and, as a result, sending a signal to the first-gun-sub detonator to cause it to detonate.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
the firing panel transmitting a firing-panel-issued command to the wireline-interface module through the wireline;
a wireline-interface-module processor within the wireline-interface module processing the firing-panel-issued command and wirelessly transmitting a first-gun-sub-addressed command to the

Assignees

• Halliburton Energry Sevices Inc
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bonavides Clovis S
• Dillon William George

Classifications

• E21B43/11

  Perforators; Permeators · CPC title

• E21B43/116 Primary

  Gun or shaped-charge perforators · CPC title

• E21B43/1185

  Ignition systems · CPC title

• G01V1/06

  Ignition devices (G01V1/393 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F42D1/04

  Arrangements for ignition {(ignition systems for shaped charge perforators E21B43/1185; ignition devices for seismic energy generators G01V1/06)} · CPC title