Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Hitoshi Tashiro

Jahir A Pabon

Hitoshi Sugiyama

Murat Ocalan

David Hoyle

Frank Morris

Julio C Guerrero

Daniel Palmer

Kazumasa Kato

David Leslie

Hubertus V Thomeer

Iain Michael Cooper

Kuo-Chiang Chen

Benoit G Froelich

Hiroshi Hori

Juei Igarashi

Brian W Cho

Bartley Patton

Huilin Tu

S Sherry Zhu

Nathan Wicks

Alain Brie

Robin Mallalieu

Pascal Panetta

Paolo Primiero

Sudeep Maheshwari

Hideyuki Kamei

Akira Otsuka

Ryuki Odashima

Joonhyung Bae

Ahmed Tahoun

Techniques for axial vibration control of wireline tools and cables during logging operations. In undesirable cases the axial vibrations may lead to or exasperate the stick-slip problems of the logging tool. Control systems and strategies to minimize vibrations and techniques for identifying and inhibiting the sticking of the cable. A system includes a surface actuator and a sensor. The actuator generates an axial wave on the wireline cable which travels down the cable. If there is sticking of the cable, a reflection can also occur at the location of sticking. This shift in the transmission of the wave on the wireline cable is used to identify the onset and/or presence of sticking.

Reducing axial wave reflections and identifying sticking in wireline cables

In general, the current application relates to degradable composite and blend materials that have accelerated degradation in water in low temperature conditions, and their various industrial, medical and consumer product uses. In some embodiments, the degradable composite composition comprises a degradable polymer mixed with discrete particles of a filler that acts to accelerate the degradation of the degradable polymer. Such materials degrade in 60 C water in less than 30 days, &#x3c;14 days, and even &#x3c;7 days. Various materials are provided that can degrade equally fast at lower temperatures, such as 50 C, or even 40 C.

Degradable composite materials and uses

A downhole tool, having a central axis defined, may selectively include a sensor section including one or more arms connected to the tool body with an open/close mechanism. The open/close mechanism is configured to move in a radial direction with respect to the axis of the tool body. The tool also includes at least one sensor attached to the arm, and the tool may include at least one transmitter section on the tool. The transmitter is configured to transmit acoustic energy to a formation.

Expandable downhole tool

The subject disclosure relates to energy harvesting. More particularly, the subject disclosure relates to harvesting energy from the relative motion between a rotary stabilizer and the drill string. In further embodiments, the subject disclosure relates to harvesting energy from vibrations in the drill string.

Harvesting energy from a drillstring

A mechanism for selectively activating a plurality of downhole pathways including a) a valve having: i) a sleeve coupled for movement between an open and normally closed position; and ii) a valve magnet set mounted to the sleeve; and b) a dart for pumping in hole including a dart magnet set matched to the valve magnet set such that the dart couples to the valve when in close proximity and, in turn, the sleeve moves from the closed position to the open position.

Mechanism for activating a plurality of downhole devices

Methods and related systems are described for downhole positioning of sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, tiltmeters and geophones. The sensor or sensors are mounted within the spherical rotor of a spherical motor such that the device can be actively positioned in one or more orientations by activating the spherical motor.

Active positioning of downhole devices using spherical motors

An underwater operations support system facilitates underwater exploration, monitoring, maintenance and construction operations associated with development of natural resources. The operations support system may include energy generation subsystems, energy accumulation subsystems, communication subsystems, docking stations, repair and maintenance robots, housings for divers, and video subsystems. Supported equipment includes ROVs, HROVs, AUVs, and other autonomous and semi-autonomous mobile robots which move materials, perform manual tasks, and survey the environment. Operational efficiency is enhanced by recharging, repairing and reconfiguring vehicles, and transferring data and commands between vehicles and a control station, without moving the vehicle to and from the surface, and without need for a surface ship to remain on site for the duration of operations.

Subsea operations support system

An apparatus for deploying an instrument usable with a well comprises at least one reversibly expandable structure, at least one actuator operable to change a perimeter dimension of the at least one reversibly expandable structure, at least one instrument disposed interior of the at least one reversibly expandable structure, and having an axial dimension, and tractoring fluid disposed between the at least one reversibly expandable structure and the at least one instrument. The apparatus is operable to perform at least one of exerting thrust to convey the at least one instrument with respect to at least one adjacent surface, creating compensating pressure between the at least one instrument and the at least one adjacent surface, and sealing between the at least one instrument and the at least one adjacent surface.

Wellsite systems utilizing deployable structure

Methods and apparatus for navigating a subterranean tool comprising a body member and a head member steerably associated with the body member. A determining unit is configured to determine a transversal target position of a nose of the head member relative to the body member and a steering unit is configured to steer the head member relative to the body member so that the nose of the head member is located at the transversal target position.

Methods and apparatus for navigating a tool downhole

A formation logging tool having a substantially continuous central mandrel with regularly spaced mass blocks disposed thereon, at least some of the mass blocks carrying sensors such as receivers. By adopting this structure, the tool can be made to behave as a mass-spring structure and its flexural and extensional behaviour controlled such that its dispersion curve does not extend into the dispersion curve of the formation to be logged. The structure can be applied to the whole of the logging tool or just to the receiver section and/or any spacer section between the receiver and the transmitter section.

Sonic logging tool including receiver and spacer structure

A sleeve for an acoustic logging tool has a structure with a window section having fewer bars than a conventional sleeve separated by a slotted region with thin circumferential slots which are stress-relieved at the ends (&ldquo;dumb-bell&rdquo; shaped). Steel receiver mounts are provided for hydrophone pressure sensors and this, together with the axially oriented hydrophones makes the tool less susceptible to interfering vibration.

Acoustic logging tool

A sleeve for an acoustic logging tool having a structure with a window section having fewer bars than a conventional sleeve separated by a slotted region with thin circumferential slots which are stress-relieved at the ends (&ldquo;dumb-bell&rdquo; shaped). Steel receiver mounts are provided for hydrophone pressure sensors and this, together with the axially oriented hydrophones, makes the tool less susceptible to interfering vibration.

A logging tool having a tool body, which can be positioned in a fluid-filled borehole, including a receiver section and a dipole transmitter; wherein the dipole transmitter includes a transducer with a shell having a reaction mass and a motor located therein, the motor operatively connecting the shell and the reaction mass such that only an outer surface of the shell is in contact with the fluid in the borehole. This new type of dipole source for well logging involves shaking all or part (axially) of a dipole tool body to produce a pure, broadband acoustic dipole signal while at the same time coupling as little energy as possible into the tool body. Important variations on this idea include a linear phased array of shaker sources, and active cancellation of tool borne noise.

Growing community of inventors

Kamakura, Japan

Hitoshi Tashiro