WELL SENSORS
A wellhead is provided having a port or ports about the external periphery of the wellhead. The center bore of each port is generally directed at a point within the wellhead having a location where a portion of a tool or an object is expected. Each port does not provide fluid access from the exterior to the interior of the wellhead and preferably has a flat bottom. Each port is fitted with a sensor and preferably the sensor contacts the bottom of the port. And ultrasonic a sensor emits an ultrasonic waveform which proceeds through the bottom of the port and a portion of the ultrasonic waveform is reflected back to the ultrasonic receiver. A comparison is then performed to compare the predicted value versus the received value to determine whether or not the expected tool or object is in place or partially in place within the wellhead.
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When drilling an oil or gas well, initially a large diameter borehole is drilled. At some point it becomes necessary to case the initial large diameter borehole. A length of appropriately sized pipe is positioned in this vertical hole and cement is forced downward into the interior of the pipe and thereafter to flow upwardly in the annular area exterior of the pipe. Anchoring the pipe solidly in the earth. Thereafter, successively smaller boreholes are drilled, cased and cemented until the formation or formations are reached. In order to prepare the cased well for production, a production tubing string is run into the cased borehole. Other tubulars may be placed within the casing and not cemented.
In general, each successively smaller borehole requires a smaller diameter tubing. In order to firmly anchor a smaller diameter tubing within a larger diameter tubing a tubing hanger is installed. The tubing hanger will have a larger diameter portion to act as a shoulder that cooperates with a decreased diameter portion within the larger diameter tubular within which the tubing hanger is being fitted to act as a stop or landing for the tubing hanger.
Generally a precise fitting of the tubing hanger shoulder within the larger diameter shoulder is required due to subsequent tubulars, seals, tools, other tubing hangers, etc. that will later be landed on or fit to the current tubing hanger. Unfortunately, misalignment or improper landing of the tubing hanger onto the shoulder is an all too common occurrence. In some instances the misalignment is due to the initial preparation of the well site where the well pad is not particularly level resulting in a drilling rig that may not be normal to the surface when it begins to drill therefore the wellbore is angled as it penetrates the surface. In other instances the landing shoulder of the previous tubular may be contaminated with rock, steel shavings, or other debris so that when the subsequent tubing hanger is lowered into place the tubing hanger cannot land precisely on the shoulder. In such an event the tubing hanger may be cocked or may be high. In other instances the location of the landing shoulder may not be precisely known or the measuring instruments are imprecise. For instance some operators may use a 5 foot tally stick to tally the drill pipe over 30 or 40 feet where the intent is to locate a shoulder within half of an inch. In such a case the tubing hanger may be lowered onto what is thought to be the landing shoulder and the locking ring set but is later found to be improperly landed. In the past, tubing hangers may have had a port that penetrated the pressure vessel of the previously installed tubulars that would allow a rig worker to crawl down into the cellar underneath the wellhead and physically look into the pressure vessel as the tubing hanger was landed in order to get a visual indication of the tubing hanger being landed. However, placing a person in the cellar as tubing is being landed is precarious at best and having a penetration from the exterior into the interior of the pressure vessel is no longer desired.
Today, the only way that an operator may be certain that a tubing hanger is latched into place is to do an over pull on the tubing hanger. Unfortunately, even in over pull is not precise in that it largely depends upon the operator performing the over pull added to the possibility of damaging the rig, the wellhead or other equipment in the bore during an over pull.
SUMMARYIn an embodiment of the current invention a sensor port is formed, usually by drilling, in the bowl of the wellhead or previously placed tubular or other tool. The port is usually formed so that it has a flat bottom and does not penetrate the bowl or other pressure vessel. Generally the port is aligned such that the centerline of the port points to the landing shoulder, preferably with no occlusions or intervening spaces. Additionally, it is preferred that the bottom of the port is flat and that the ultrasonic receiver or transmitter is placed against the flat bottom port. In certain instances a second material may be placed between the bottom of the whole and the ultrasonic receiver or transmitter the second material may be a liquid or solid. It is envisioned that the sensor consists of an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver although in some instances one port may have an ultrasonic transmitter while another port has an ultrasonic receiver. The ultrasonic transmitter will transmit an ultrasonic waveform in the direction of the bowl shoulder. A portion of the ultrasonic waveform will be reflected by the interruption in the material at the edge of the bowl shoulder. The reflected ultrasonic waveform is then picked up by the ultrasonic receiver. The remainder of the ultrasonic waveform will travel on through whatever medium may be present. In some cases, in particular where the tubing hanger is improperly landed, the initial media may be air. In this case the ultrasonic waveform travels through the air and then a portion of the ultrasonic waveform will be reflected back to the ultrasonic receiver. In other instances, for instance when the tubing hanger is properly landed, immediately at the interruption in the bowl is the metal or other material of the tubing hanger. In such an instance the ultrasonic waveform enters the material of the tubing hanger and continues on until it is reflected off of the next surface. A processor having a memory and power source will then analyze the ultrasonic waveforms and compare the ultrasonic waveform returns to returns in the memory to determine whether or not the tubing hanger was landed or at least the tubing hanger shoulder was adjacent to the bowl shoulder at the point being measured.
In certain instances the ultrasonic sensor may simply give an indication, such as a light or flag, as to whether or not the tubing hanger is landed at the location being tested. In other instances multiple ultrasonic sensors may be arranged around the periphery of the wellhead. In such an instance it may be the amalgamation of all sensors to give an indication as to whether or not the tubing hanger is landed or is cocked within the wellhead. For instance in a case where you may have four sensors around the periphery of the wellhead where a 1st sensor is located at 0°, a 2nd sensor is located at 90°, a 3rd sensor is located at 180°, and a 4th sensor is located at 270° the 1st sensor may indicate that the tubing hanger is on the landing shoulder within the wellhead at the 0° location. The 2nd sensor may indicate that the tubing hanger is off of the landing shoulder within the wellhead by some distance X. The 3rd sensor may indicate that the tubing hanger is off of the landing shoulder within the wellhead by some distance Y. The 4th sensor may indicate that the tubing hanger is off of the landing shoulder within the wellhead by some distance Z. Each of the indications may then be used to determine how much and in which direction is the tubing hanger off of the shoulder.
In other instances other types of sensors may be utilized for instance strain gauges may be utilized in place of or with ultrasonic sensors. A strain gauge may be placed in the sensor port to determine whether or not a predicted load is present. If the load is either not present or differs from the predicted amount the tubing hanger may not be landed or may be set at an angle within the wellhead. If multiple strain gauges are utilized such as multiple strain gauges around the periphery of the wellhead to predicted load can be measured against the measured load to determine whether or not the tubing hanger is landed or whether the tubing hanger is set in an angle within the wellhead and at what angle it may be set.
The description that follows includes exemplary apparatus, methods, techniques, or instruction sequences that embody techniques of the inventive subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. When referring to the top of the device or component top is towards the surface of the well. Side is radially offset from a component but minimally longitudinally offset.
As depicted in
In certain instances, as depicted in
While a wellhead and tubing were referenced in the description above it is understood that wellhead and tubing hanger were used only as examples and any device landing in a second device may utilize this method.
The nomenclature of leading, trailing, forward, rear, clockwise, counterclockwise, right hand, left hand, upwards, and downwards are meant only to help describe aspects of the tool that interact with other portions of the tool.
Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter.
Claims
1. A well sensor system comprising:
- a first tubular having a throughbore,
- wherein the throughbore has a first landing shoulder,
- a second tubular having a second landing shoulder,
- wherein the first landing shoulder and the second landing shoulder cooperate to support the second tubular within the throughbore,
- a bore within the first tubular and adjacent to the first landing shoulder,
- wherein the bore does not penetrate to the throughbore, and
- a sensor within the bore capable of detecting the second landing shoulder.
2. The well sensor system of claim 1 wherein, the sensor transmits and receives an ultrasonic pulse.
3. The well sensor system of claim 1 wherein, the sensor is magnetic.
4. The well sensor system of claim 1 wherein, the sensor is a strain gage.
5. A well sensor system comprising:
- a first tubular having a throughbore,
- wherein the throughbore has a first landing shoulder,
- a second tubular having a second landing shoulder,
- wherein the first landing shoulder and the second landing shoulder cooperate to support the second tubular within the throughbore,
- at least two bores within the first tubular and adjacent to the first landing shoulder,
- wherein the at least two bores do not penetrate to the throughbore, and
- a sensor within each of the at least two bores are capable of detecting the second landing shoulder.
6. The well sensor system of claim 5 wherein, the sensor transmits and receives an ultrasonic pulse.
7. The well sensor system of claim 5 wherein, each sensor within a bore is either a magnetic, ultrasonic, or strain gage sensor.
8. The well sensor system of claim 5 wherein, the sensors is magnetic.
9. The well sensor system of claim 5 wherein, the sensor is a strain gage
10. The well sensor system of claim 5 wherein, the sensor within each of the at least two bores are capable of detecting the distance between the first shoulder and the second shoulder.
11. A well sensor system comprising:
- a first tubular having a throughbore,
- wherein the throughbore has a first landing shoulder,
- a second tubular having a second landing shoulder,
- wherein the first landing shoulder and the second landing shoulder cooperate to support the second tubular within the throughbore,
- at least two bores within the first tubular and adjacent to the first landing shoulder,
- wherein the at least two bores do not penetrate to the throughbore, and
- a sensor within each of the at least two bores are capable of detecting the second landing shoulder;
- wherein, the sensor within each of the at least two bores are capable of detecting the distance between the first shoulder and the second shoulder;
- further wherein the signals from the sensors are provided to a logic controller.
12. The well sensor system of claim 11 wherein, the sensor transmits and receives an ultrasonic pulse.
13. The well sensor system of claim 11 wherein, each sensor within a bore is either a magnetic, ultrasonic, or strain gage sensor.
14. The well sensor system of claim 11 wherein, the sensors is magnetic.
15. The well sensor system of claim 11 wherein, the sensor is a strain gage
16. The well sensor system of claim 11 wherein, the logic controller determines the orientation of the second tubular within the throughbore.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 11, 2020
Publication Date: Mar 17, 2022
Applicant: Patriot Research Center, LLC (Houston, TX)
Inventors: Brandon Cain (Houston, TX), Manish Agarwal (Houston, TX)
Application Number: 17/019,104