Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Wireless Instrumentation Systems As

Honeybee Robotics, Ltd.

Abubaker Saeed

Rafael Adolfo Lastra

Jarl André Fellinghaug

Jeffrey Shasho

Shazad Sadick

Jinjiang Xiao

Vegard Fiksdal

Narmeen Khan

Michael John Black

Arno Willem Frederik Volker

Jason Herman

Henrik Wanvik Clayborough

Anton Kulyakhtin

Stian Marius Hansen

John Wilson

Mohannad Abdelaziz

Jonathan Bohren

Michael Maksymuk

Boleslaw Mellerowicz

Isabel King

Joey Palmowski

Juanpablo Rodriguez

Lonnell Ahiyya

Elijah Pivo

Anthony Musco

Ahmed Alalouni

Sergey Kulyakhtin

Alexey Prusakov

Jeff Shasho

An autonomous downhole robot tool string configured for navigating and collecting information in a downhole environment comprises a sensor head having a cylindrical housing positioned at a distal end of the tool string which includes a wobbler ultrasonic transducer with a tubular structure housing an ultrasonic transducer wherein the tubular structure is tiltable about the shaft, and wherein the distal end of the sensor head is mounted for panned movement about the longitudinal axis providing two degrees of freedom for the wobbler ultrasonic transducer. First and second caliper ultrasonic transducers are positioned on the cylindrical housing facing the downhole environment, each caliper transducers is configured to pan about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tool string. An electronics bay section coupled to the sensor head includes electronic circuits for controlling components of the sensor head.

Autonomous downhole robot tool string

An apparatus for detecting and determining geometric features inside a borehole comprises a body section coupled to and deployable in the borehole by a conveyor, a head section having a first end pivotably coupled to the body section via a joint and a second end having an array of ultrasonic transducers. The array of transducers comprises, for example, a multiplicity of individual actuator elements and a multiplicity of individual sensor elements. An electronic control unit controls the timing of emission of ultrasonic radiation from the actuator elements of the array, receives signals generated by the sensor elements of the array, and controls movement of the head section via an actuator coupled to the joint. A method for reconstructing a geometry and detecting and identifying features in a borehole is also provided.

Methods and apparatus for downhole geometry reconstruction and feature detection and classification

A modular mobility platform has extendable and retractable tractor treads for engaging the walls of a downhole environment. The extendable and retractable tractor treads allow the platform to successfully navigate longitudinally through the downhole environment. The platform is composed of a plurality of different modules removably interconnected together longitudinally. Each module has at least one specific function, such as sensing, navigation, mobility, control, communication, power, or a combination thereof. The platform has longitudinally-directed detectors for detecting the forward or reverse direction through which the platform is to travel. A front end of the platform having a sensor at the forward end thereof articulates to navigate the mobility platform laterally through splits in the downhole environment. A system and method use the modular mobility platform.

Autonomous downhole robotic conveyance platform

Some methods of scale and corrosion monitoring of a well include receiving information from a plurality of transducers disposed in a ring on a circumference of a tubing of the well, the received information including frequency domain information representing a first longitudinal ultrasonic wave and a first torsional ultrasonic wave to arrive at the plurality of transducers; determining arrival times for the first longitudinal ultrasonic wave and the first torsional ultrasonic wave to arrive at the plurality of transducers based on the received information; comparing the determined arrival times with a range of predetermined arrival times from a model that accounts for wave refraction using a ray tracing scheme to determine a wall thickness of the tubing, a scale thickness of scale within the tubing, and a scale shear wave velocity of the scale; and identifying a material of the scale based on the determined scale shear wave velocity.

Monitoring wellbore scale and corrosion

A modular mobility platform has extendable and retractable tractor treads for engaging the walls of a downhole environment. The extendable and retractable tractor treads allow the platform to successfully navigate longitudinally through the downhole environment. The platform is composed of a plurality of different modules removably interconnected together longitudinally. Each module has at least one specific function, such as sensing, navigation, mobility, control, communication, power, or a combination thereof. The platform has longitudinally-directed detectors for detecting the forward or reverse direction through which the platform is to travel. A system and method use the modular mobility platform.

Mobility platform for efficient downhole navigation of robotic device

There is disclosed a system for automatically detecting an irregularity on a pipe. The system includes a camera arranged at an external surface of the pipe, the camera being configured to capture a Red, Green and Blue (RBG) image of a region of a pipe. One or more hardware processors are in communication with the camera and are configured to: convert the RGB image to a modified image; split the modified image into a plurality of components; generate a binary image via performing a thresholding operation which utilizes the plurality of components; and detect the irregularity on the pipe via performing a feature extraction process on the binary image. Also disclosed and described is a related method.

Spot detection algorithm for external pipeline inspection applications

An assembly and a method for entering a lateral branch of a main wellbore through a lateral window with an assembly are described. The assembly includes an arm coupled to a body. The arm positions the body to enter the lateral branch. The assembly includes an actuator to actuate the arm relative to the body. The assembly includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a controller. The first sensor senses a condition of the arm and transmit the condition of the arm to the controller. The second sensor senses when the assembly is located in the main wellbore or the lateral branch transmits the location to the controller. Responsive to either the first signal or the second signal, the controller actuates the arm relative to the body to position the body to enter the lateral window and determines when the assembly has entered the lateral branch.

Entering a lateral branch of a wellbore with an assembly

Downhole equipment and surface equipment communicate wirelessly with each other. A signal wirelessly transmitted at a first frequency from a downhole controller disposed within a wellbore is received at a surface location. The received signal is demodulated to a demodulated digital value. The demodulated value is added to an end of a buffer string. The buffer string is processed to determine whether the buffer string contains a message that is valid. In response to determining that the buffer string contains the message that is valid, the message is decoded. A command signal is wirelessly transmitted at a second frequency different from the first frequency to the downhole controller to adjust a state of the downhole controller.

Downhole wireless communication

A system includes a surface sub-system and a downhole sub-system. The surface subsystem includes a pump and a surface valve sub-assembly. The pump is configured to pump a fluid from a container, downhole into a wellbore. The surface valve sub-assembly is fluidically coupled to the pump and configured to receive a first portion of the fluid pumped by the pump. The surface valve sub-assembly includes a dump valve, a surface controller, and a return line. The surface controller is configured to adjust fluid flow through the dump valve, and the return line is configured to flow fluid from the dump valve to the container. The downhole sub-system includes a turbine-generator and a downhole controller coupled to the turbine-generator. The turbine-generator is configured to generate an output in response to receiving a second portion of the fluid pumped by the pump.

A robotic device and mobility module for navigating through a passageway whose diameter may vary comprises a central support member, a first casing coupled to the elongate support member via a first expandable and collapsible linkage, the first casing having an external surface including a first movable track, and a second casing coupled to an opposite side of the elongate support member from the first casing, the second casing coupled to the elongate support member via a second expandable and collapsible linkage and including an external surface including a second movable track.

Downhole mobility module for logging and intervention of extended reach wells

A system and method for providing artificial lift to production fluids within a subterranean well includes loading an electrical submersible pump assembly into an interior cavity of a pump launcher. The electrical submersible pump assembly has a motor and a pump. The pump launcher is releasably secured to a wellhead so that the interior cavity is in fluid communication with an inner bore of a production tubing that extends a length into the subterranean well. A propulsion system is activated to move the electrical submersible pump assembly from the pump launcher and into the subterranean well, wherein the propulsion system includes a self-powered robotic system having a propulsion mechanism. The propulsion system can be communicated with to control the descent of the electrical submersible pump assembly through the subterranean well.

Hydraulically assisted deployed ESP system

A system and method for providing artificial lift to production fluids within a subterranean well includes loading an electrical submersible pump assembly into an interior cavity of a pump launcher. The electrical submersible pump assembly has a motor and a pump and is releasably secured to a piston device. The piston device has an outer diameter profile. The pump launcher is releasably secured to a wellhead so that the interior cavity is in fluid communication with an inner bore of a production tubing that extends a length into the subterranean well. A propulsion system is activated to move the electrical submersible pump assembly from the pump launcher and into the subterranean well. The piston device can be communicated with to control the descent of the electrical submersible pump assembly through the subterranean well.

A dual-type solar power generator comprising a dual capture panel. The dual capture panel comprises a reflective surface configured to reflect solar radiation having a reflecting wavelength and an absorbent surface configured to absorb solar radiation having an absorbent wavelength to create a released electron stream. A thermal transfer unit comprising a receiving zone configured to absorb heat energy, a heat engine that converts the heat energy to mechanical work energy, and a generator configured to convert the mechanical work energy to an electric current, an electric conditioning system comprising an electrical buffer configured to prevent a cross flow of the released electron stream and the electric current, a power converter configured to equalize a released electron stream voltage with an electric current voltage, an electrical connector configured to combine the released stream voltage with the electric current voltage to create a power source.

High efficiency solar power generator for offshore applications

A concentrated solar power (CSP) deliquification system for discouraging the accumulation of liquids in a wellbore includes a CSP heating subsystem, and an injection and recirculation subsystem. A working fluid is heated by the CSP heating subsystem and conveyed down-hole into the wellbore by the injection and recirculation subsystem. Heat is transferred from the working fluid to a production fluid within the wellbore, which facilitates maintenance of the production fluid in a gaseous or phase while in the wellbore.

Method of using concentrated solar power (CSP) for thermal gas well deliquification

A method for lifting fluids within a subterranean well includes lowering an elongated plunger to a lower region of a bore of the subterranean well. The plunger includes a motor assembly operably connected to a propeller. A seal can be created between the plunger and an inner surface of the bore of the subterranean well. A thruster, such as motor assembly connected to a propeller, generates thrust to lift the plunger to a plunger retainer located proximate to a wellhead of the subterranean well.

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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Abubaker Saeed