Magnetic tool position determination in a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797238-B2
Application number	US-201314647058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2013
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A magnetic system for determining an operating position of a downhole tool. The system includes an array of magnets operable to produce a magnetic field that is operably associated with a stationary component of the downhole tool. A moveable component of the downhole tool has at least first and second positions relative to the stationary component. In the first position, the moveable component has a first degree of interference with the magnetic field. In the second position, the moveable component has a second degree of interference with the magnetic field. A magnetic field detector is operable to be run into the wellbore and moved relative to the downhole tool such that the position of the moveable component relative to the stationary component is determined by detection of a magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic system for determining an operating position of a downhole tool positioned in a wellbore, the system comprising:
an array of magnets operably associated with a stationary component of the downhole tool, the array of magnets including a digital address identifying array of magnets and a position determining array of magnets each operable to produce a magnetic field;
a moveable component of the downhole tool having at least first and second positions relative to the stationary component of the downhole tool; and a magnetic field detector operable to be run into the wellbore and moved relative to the downhole tool;
wherein, in the first position, the moveable component has a first degree of interference with the magnetic field of the position determining array of magnets;
wherein, in the second position, the moveable component has a second degree of interference with the magnetic field of the position determining array of magnets;
wherein the magnetic field of the digital address identifying array of magnets is significantly unchanged by the position of the moveable component; and
wherein, the position of the moveable component relative to the stationary component is determined by detection of a magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets with the magnetic field detector, thereby determining the operating position of the downhole tool.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the moveable component moves axially relative to the stationary component.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the moveable component moves circumferentially relative to the stationary component.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the array of magnets further comprises an axially distributed array of magnets.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the array of magnets further comprises a circumferentially distributed array of magnets.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the array of magnets further comprises an axially and circumferentially distributed array of magnets.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the digital address identifying array further comprises a circumferentially distributed array of magnets having a single axial layer and wherein the position determining array of magnets further comprises an axially distributed array of magnets.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the moveable component further comprises a plurality of positions relative to the stationary component between the first and second positions and wherein a different degree of interference with the magnetic field is produced in each of the plurality of positions.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the magnetic field detector further comprises at least two magnetic field detector elements each operable to detect the magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets.

10. A magnetic method for determining an operating position of a downhole tool positioned in a wellbore, the method comprising:
providing the downhole tool in the wellbore, the downhole tool including a stationary component having an array of magnets operably associated therewith and a moveable component having at least first and second positions relative to the stationary component;
producing a magnetic field with the array of magnets;
generating a first degree of interference with the magnetic field when the moveable component is in the first position relative to the stationary component;
generating a second degree of interference with the magnetic field when the moveable component is in the second position relative to the stationary component;
running a magnetic field detector into the wellbore;
moving the magnetic field detector through at least a portion of the downhole tool;
detecting a magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets with the magnetic field detector;
determining a position of the moveable component relative to the stationary component based upon the magnetic signature; and
identifying a digital address of the downhole tool based on a portion of the magnetic signature that is significantly unchanged by the position of the moveable component.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising axially shifting the movable component relative to the stationary component.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising rotatably shifting the movable component relative to the stationary component.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein producing the magnetic field with the array of magnets further comprises producing the magnetic field with an axially distributed array of magnets.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein producing the magnetic field with the array of magnets further comprises producing the magnetic field with a circumferentially distributed array of magnets.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein producing the magnetic field with the array of magnets further comprises producing the magnetic field with an axially and circumferentially distributed array of magnets.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the portion of the magnetic signature that is significantly unchanged by the position of the moveable component is generated by a circumferentially distributed array of magnets having a single axial layer and wherein determining the position of the moveable component relative to the stationary component based upon the magnetic signature further comprises detecting a portion of the magnetic signature generated by an axially distributed array of magnets.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprises generating a plurality of degrees of interference with the magnetic field when the moveable component is moved to a plurality of positions relative to the stationary component.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein detecting the magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets with the magnetic field detector further comprises detecting the magnetic signature with at least two magnetic field detector elements.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Frosell Thomas J
• Fripp Michael L
• Murphree Zachary R

Classifications

• E21B47/024 Primary

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• E21B47/092 Primary

  by detecting magnetic anomalies · CPC title

• G01V3/081

  the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures (characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00) · CPC title

• G01V3/38

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

• E21B47/0905 Primary

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic