Abstract: A downhole communication repeater adapted for use on a wired drill pipe that extends from a surface to a bottom hole assembly that includes downhole communication equipment, and the surface has surface communication equipment located thereon. The repeater includes memory adapted: to store segments of logging-while-tripping data received from said downhole communication equipment and a microprocessor adapted to receive said logging-while-tripping data; to store said logging-while-tripping data in said memory while said repeater is deployed along a drill string in a well; and to re-transmit segments of said logging-while-tripping data while said repeater is cut off from downhole communications during a tripping operation.

Abstract: A wired pipe joining system for joining wired pipe segments having first end, a second end, a first coupler in the first end, a second coupler in the second end, and a transmission medium in communication with the first and second couplers. The system includes: a lower clamp configured to hold a top pipe segment; a top rotation arm to guide a first end of a new pipe segment into a second end of a top pipe segment; a top coupler measurement device configured to connect to a second end of the new pipe segment and receive a signal from a second coupler in the second end of the new pipe segment; and a controller that causes the top rotation arm to move the new pipe segment to cause the signal received by the top coupler measurement to be maximized.

Abstract: A downhole communication repeater adapted for use on a wired drill pipe that extends from a surface to a bottom hole assembly that includes downhole communication equipment, and the surface has surface communication equipment located thereon. The repeater includes memory adapted: to store segments of logging-while-tripping data received from said downhole communication equipment and a microprocessor adapted to receive said logging-while-tripping data; to store said logging-while-tripping data in said memory while said repeater is deployed along a drill string in a well; and to re-transmit segments of said logging-while-tripping data while said repeater is cut off from downhole communications during a tripping operation.

Abstract: A downhole communication system has a plurality of repeaters adapted to store segments of logging-while-tripping (LWT) data during tripping. The LWT data are transmitted to the repeaters during tripping and then read out from the repeaters at the surface. The segments and repeaters are read using one or more surface communication devices, such as a rack board, a stand verifier, a box cap, or a pin cap, each adapted to access and test segments of wired drill pipe each having one or more repeaters. The rack board includes an array of communication couplers that are each adapted to exchange signals with a pin coupler of a pipe segment. In turn, each communication coupler is connected with communication equipment adapted to process and display data stored in the one or more repeaters of the pipe segments during tripping.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for downhole wired-pipe communication and/or power transmission. The system includes first and second couplers each comprising a dielectric substrate, an electric dipole arranged on the dielectric substrate, a dielectric encapsulation surrounding the dielectric substrate and the electric dipole, and an electric shield surrounding the dielectric encapsulation. In operation, the electric dipoles are adapted to exchange radiofrequency signals and/or electrical power at radiofrequencies with each other by means of near-field dipole-dipole interaction. The one or more electric dipoles may be of the quarter-wavelength dipole type or of the half-wavelength dipole type. In a first embodiment, the dielectric substrate may form a generally circular ring and the coupler may be adapted to be rotatably movable against another coupler.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A high-frequency data and/or power transmission system suitable for downhole use including signal/power couplers, transmission line segments and signal repeaters. Signals and power are/is transmitted between couplers and/or between couplers and repeaters by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling. In at least a portion of the system, the transmission line segments form parallel data paths and the repeaters provide crossover capability between the data/power paths, thereby significantly improving reliability. The invention also includes methods of transmitting data and/or distributing high-frequency power through a downhole transmission system including multiple data/power paths and multiple crossovers wherein a fault location in one data/power path is bypassed by routing data and/or power to a parallel data/power path by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling.

Abstract: A wired pipe joining system for joining wired pipe segments having first end, a second end, a first coupler in the first end, a second coupler in the second end, and a transmission medium in communication with the first and second couplers. The system includes: a lower clamp configured to hold a top pipe segment; a top rotation arm to guide a first end of a new pipe segment into a second end of a top pipe segment; a top coupler measurement device configured to connect to a second end of the new pipe segment and receive a signal from a second coupler in the second end of the new pipe segment; and a controller that causes the top rotation arm to move the new pipe segment to cause the signal received by the top coupler measurement to be maximized.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for downhole wired-pipe communication and/or power transmission. The system includes first and second couplers each comprising a dielectric substrate, an electric dipole arranged on the dielectric substrate, a dielectric encapsulation surrounding the dielectric substrate and the electric dipole, and an electric shield surrounding the dielectric encapsulation. In operation, the electric dipoles are adapted to exchange radiofrequency signals and/or electrical power at radiofrequencies with each other by means of near-field dipole-dipole interaction. The one or more electric dipoles may be of the quarter-wavelength dipole type or of the half-wavelength dipole type. In a first embodiment, the dielectric substrate may form a generally circular ring and the coupler may be adapted to be rotatably movable against another coupler.

Abstract: A downhole communication system has a plurality of repeaters adapted to store segments of logging-while-tripping (LWT) data during tripping. The LWT data are transmitted to the repeaters during tripping and then read out from the repeaters at the surface. The segments and repeaters are read using one or more surface communication devices, such as a rack board, a stand verifier, a box cap, or a pin cap, each adapted to access and test segments of wired drill pipe each having one or more repeaters. The rack board includes an array of communication couplers that are each adapted to exchange signals with a pin coupler of a pipe segment. In turn, each communication coupler is connected with communication equipment adapted to process and display data stored in the one or more repeaters of the pipe segments during tripping.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A high-frequency data and/or power transmission system suitable for downhole use including signal/power couplers, transmission line segments and signal repeaters. Signals and power are/is transmitted between couplers and/or between couplers and repeaters by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling. In at least a portion of the system, the transmission line segments form parallel data paths and the repeaters provide crossover capability between the data/power paths, thereby significantly improving reliability. The invention also includes methods of transmitting data and/or distributing high-frequency power through a downhole transmission system including multiple data/power paths and multiple crossovers wherein a fault location in one data/power path is bypassed by routing data and/or power to a parallel data/power path by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling.

Abstract: A high-frequency data and/or power transmission system suitable for downhole use including signal/power couplers, transmission line segments and signal repeaters. Signals and power are/is transmitted between couplers and/or between couplers and repeaters by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling. In at least a portion of the system, the transmission line segments form parallel data paths and the repeaters provide crossover capability between the data/power paths, thereby significantly improving reliability. The invention also includes methods of transmitting data and/or distributing high-frequency power through a downhole transmission system including multiple data/power paths and multiple crossovers wherein a fault location in one data/power path is bypassed by routing data and/or power to a parallel data/power path by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.

Abstract: A nuclear magnetic resonance well logging tool, where some embodiments comprise two, oppositely oriented magnets separated by a pole piece to guide static magnetic flux into a sensitive volume, and another pole piece serving as a core for several antennas. For some embodiments, the antennas are solenoids. Two of the antennas serve as transmit and receive antennas, where they are driven to generate an elliptically polarized magnetic field, and their antenna responses are combined so that the combined response is sensitive to elliptically polarized magnetic fields, but with zero gradient in the z-direction. A third antenna serves as a receive antenna sensitive to magnetic field vectors having a sinusoidal spatial variation in the z-direction of period equal to the length of the third antenna. A fourth antenna serves as a receive antenna sensitive to sinusoidal magnetic field vectors with the same spatial-frequency as the third antenna, but phase shifted by 90 degrees.

Abstract: A downhole signal transmission system provides electric radiofrequency signals that are coupled to electrically conductive or non-conductive fluids through electrical insulators. A plurality of signal repeaters are tuned to the frequencies of the radiofrequency signals, and a plurality of transmission lines terminated by resonance circuits are also provided such that the terminating resonance circuits resonate on the frequencies of the electric radiofrequency signals. The plurality of signal repeaters and plurality of transmission elements are arranged to be redundant such that a failure of one or more of the signal repeaters or a failure of one or more of the transmission elements does not substantially affect the operation of the data transmission system. The signal repeaters and transmission elements also are arranged such that a failure of any of the signal repeaters or a failure of any of the transmission elements is communicated to the surface.