Baker Hughes Corporation

Western Atlas International, Inc.

Dresser Industries, Inc.

James E Brewer

Randy Gold

Borislav J Tchakarov

Richard R Pemper

Paul G Junghans

Arnold M Walkow

Raymond E Roesner

James C Hunziker

Albert A Alexy

Izhar Ahmad

A device to monitor and quantify the tension and compression forces acting on a well logging instrument string during deployment. The device eliminates the undesirable effects of downhole hydrostatic pressure on the sensors, and eliminates the need for a costly, complex, and high maintenance hydraulic pressure equalizing system in the force gage assembly. The device provides improved measurement accuracy, provides enhanced reliability and longer life of the sensors, and allows lower cost of manufacture and maintenance.

Apparatus and method for measuring forces on well logging instruments

A universal joint between adjacent, electrically connected instrument housings for downhole well operations allow the connected housings to bend longitudinally as required to traverse an arced section of a well bore but does not permit relative elongation or twisting about the longitudinal axis of the housings. In one embodiment, a fluid impermeable open passage space at atmospheric pressure surrounds electrical signal carriers linking the instrument circuitry within the two housings. The passage is constructed as a high-pressure flexible bellows or as a braided or spiral wound high-pressure fluid hose. In another embodiment, a fluid impermeable sheath surrounds the signal carriers and encapsulates the signal carriers by a resilient solid. The articulation structure comprises a Cardan-type of universal joint wherein two fingers project longitudinally from the end of each of the housings. The fingers are meshed and pivotally joined to respective spindles projecting radially from the open center of a ring spyder. The protective bellows, hose or resilient compound filled sheath is secured at opposite ends to bore plugs in the respective instrument housings. Between the instrument housings, the hose, bellows or filled sheath passes through the open center of the spyder ring.

Flexible joint for well logging instruments

Apparatus for measuring forces on well logging instruments

A well logging instrument string including a first section adapted to be operated substantially in contact with a wall of a wellbore, a coupling connected at one end to one end of the first section. The coupling includes first and second flexible joints for enabling relative angular deflection between the first section and a second section. The coupling includes a biasing mechanism for urging at least one of either the first or the second flexible joints, or both, to assume their positions of maximum angular deflection. The instrument string includes a second section connected to the other end of the coupling. The second section is adapted to be operated spaced apart from the wellbore wall.

Well logging instrument string having flexibly coupled segments and a

An apparatus and method for detecting the location of subsurface markers in a formation proximate to a borehole. The apparatus includes marker detectors in a housing having at least two housing sections attached in an initial orientation. The distance between the detectors is measured under controlled conditions with a calibration bar. The initial attached orientation between the housing sections is identified with a calibrator, and deviations from the initial attached orientation are identified by the calibrator after the housing sections are detached and reattached. The calibrator permits well site corrections to be made to the housing sections without recalibration. Gauges permit corrections for temperature and pressure fluctuations, and the corrected distances between the housing detectors is computed. Detectors in the housing generate signals when each detector is proximate to a marker in the formation, and such signals can be processed to identify the elevation of a marker in the borehole, or the distance between markers in the borehole, to determine formation compaction or settlement. In an apparatus having two detectors separated by a spacer, flexible retainers can be positioned between each detector and the spacer to permit thermal expansion or contraction of the detectors relative to the spacer.

Compaction monitoring instrument system

An earth borehole instrument has a plurality of wear link members adapted to engage the borehole walls which are pivotally attached through articulated mechanical arms both to a fixed collar and to a spring-loaded slidable collar on the instrument. The articulated arms for each wear link member consist of a pair of power arms which are each pivoted at a center point on the wear link adapted to engage the borehole wall and a pair of sensing arms which are pivotally connected, respectively, to the ends of the wear link. In an alternative embodiment, a bow spring is mounted on the underside of the power arms for maintaining the wear link flat against the borehole wall.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

James E Brewer