Baker Hughes Corporation

Western Atlas International, Inc.

Other

John M Michaels

Jaedong Lee

Michael J Moody

Volker Krueger

Matthias Meister

Than Shwe

Stanley C Jones

Houman Michael Shammai

Per-Erik Berger

Michael Yesudas

John T Leder

Phillip Wills

Rocco DiFoggio

Daniel T Georgi

James Cernosek

Saeed Rafie

John C Anderson

James T Cernooek

John L Leder

A method for forming and sealing a hole in a sidewall of a borehole may include conveying a bit and a sealer into the borehole using a carrier, forming a hole in the sidewall using the bit, and introducing a sealant from the sealer to the hole along a surface portion of the bit. An apparatus for forming and sealing a hole in a sidewall of a borehole includes a carrier conveyable into the borehole, a bit disposed on the carrier that forms the hole in a sidewall, and a sealer operable to introduce a sealant to the hole along a surface portion of the bit.

Method and apparatus for forming and sealing a hole in a sidewall of a borehole

Apparatus and methods for forming and sealing a hole in the sidewall of a borehole are provided. The method may include conveying a carrier into the borehole, forming the hole in the sidewall using a bit, and sealing at least a portion of the hole by leaving at least a portion of the bit in the hole. An apparatus includes a carrier conveyable into the borehole, and a bit disposed on the carrier that forms the hole in a sidewall, the bit including a sealing portion that seals at least a portion of the hole.

Method and apparatus for sealing a hole made with a cased hole formation tester

A method and apparatus for maintaining the single phase integrity of a deep well formation sample that is removed to the surface comprises a vacuum jacket insulated single working cylinder divided by two free pistons into three variable volume chambers. The intermediate chamber is pre-charged with a fixed quantity of high pressure gas. Wellbore fluid freely admitted to one end chamber bears against one free piston to further compress the gas. The formation sample is pumped into the other end chamber to first, displace the wellbore fluid from the first end chamber and, sequentially, to further compress the gas to preserve the sample phase state upon removal to the surface.

Dual piston, single phase sampling mechanism and procedure

The present invention provides an objective bubble point pressure determination method enables new applications of downhole PV (Pressure Volume) test results such as in situ measurement of the bubble point pressure for use as a quality control parameter for sampling. The present invention provides a method and apparatus to fit data points to a curve and to smooth these points over an interval of N points. The derivative of the curve is determined to obtain peak acceleration. The peak acceleration represents the bubble point pressure. This bubble point pressure is verified by comparison to changes in fluid compressibility and visual observation of a pressure volume plot history.

Downhole PV tests for bubble point pressure

A minimum volume apparatus and method is provided including a tool for obtaining at least one parameter of interest of a subterranean formation in-situ, the tool comprising a carrier member, a selectively extendable member mounted on the carrier for isolating a portion of annulus, a port exposable to formation fluid in the isolated annulus space, a piston integrally disposed within the extendable member for urging the fluid into the port, and a sensor operatively associated with the port for detecting at least one parameter of interest of the fluid.

Apparatus and method for formation testing while drilling with minimum system volume

An apparatus and method capable of incrementally decreasing the borehole pressure at a variable rate by controlling a test volume within the borehole. The system includes an incrementally controllable pump, closed loop feedback and a controller for drawing down the pressure of a test volume to a level just below formation pressure. This incremental drawdown system will significantly reduce the overall measurement time, thereby increasing drilling efficiency and safety.

Closed-loop drawdown apparatus and method for in-situ analysis of formation fluids

An apparatus and method for determining permeability of a subterranean formation is provided. The apparatus and method comprise a work string, at least one selectively extendable member mounted on the work string to isolate a portion of the annular space between the work string and borehole. A predetermined distance proportional to the radius of a control port separates at least two ports in the work string. A sensor operatively associated with each port is mounted in the work string for measuring at least one characteristic such as pressure of the fluid in the isolated section.

Formation testing while drilling apparatus with axially and spirally mounted ports

An apparatus and method for obtaining samples of pristine formation or; formation fluid, using a work string designed for performing other downhole work such as drilling, workover operations, or re-entry operations. An extendable element extends against the formation wall to obtain the pristine formation or fluid sample. The apparatus includes at least one extendable gripper element for anchoring the apparatus during testing and sampling operations.

Modified formation testing apparatus with borehole grippers and method of formation testing

An apparatus and method for evaluating formation damage proximate to the surface of a rock. The invention is applicable to surface tests and to tests downhole in a borehole. A first hollow probe sealingly contacts the rock surface to define a first surface area, and the pressure within the hollow probe is decreased to monitor resulting pressure changes. A second hollow probe contacts the rock surface to define a second surface area having a different size than the first surface area, and the pressure within the hollow second probe is decreased to monitor resulting pressure changes. Differences in the observed pressure changes can be analyzed to evaluate formation damage to the rock surface and near surface. In particular, the thickness of formation damage, and permeability losses caused by such damage, can be assessed. Alternatively, fluid pressure can be injected into the first and second volumes to evaluate the subsequent pressure reduction.

Variable diameter probe for detecting formation damage

A method of determining an amount of dissolved gas in a fluid sample is disclosed. The method includes hydraulically confining and expanding the sample while measuring pressure and volume. A first volume and pressure are determined at which the rate of change in pressure with respect to volume deviates from a linear relationship. A second volume and pressure at which continued expansion of the fluid causes substantially no change in pressure is determined. The first pressure and volume are extrapolated by the linear relationship to intersect an extrapolation from the second volume and pressure at no change in pressure, thereby determining a bubble point comprising a bubble point pressure and a bubble point volume. A third pressure corresponding to measured pressure of the fluid sample at the bubble point volume is determined. An extrapolated sample volume is determined at the third pressure by extrapolating the linear relationship from the bubble point to a sample volume along the linear relationship corresponding to the third pressure. A volume of gas dissolved in the fluid sample is determined by linearly scaling a difference between the bubble point volume and the extrapolated sample volume with respect to a difference between the second volume and the bubble point volume. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sample is withdrawn into a sample chamber in an electric wireline formation test tool having a means for measuring pressure and volume of the sample chamber.

Determining fluid properties from pressure, volume and temperature

A method of determining the volume of a fluid sample withdrawn from an earth formation penetrated by a wellbore is disclosed. The method includes the step of positioning a formation testing tool adjacent to the earth formation. The tool includes a probe which can be selectively placed in hydraulic communication with the formation and excluded from hydraulic communication with the wellbore. The probe can be in hydraulic communication with a pressure transducer. The tool includes a sample chamber selectively placed in hydraulic communication with the probe. The chamber includes means for measuring the volume of the chamber and means for selectively controlling the volume of the chamber. The method further includes the steps of placing the probe in hydraulic communication with the formation, placing the sample chamber in hydraulic communication with the probe and selectively increasing the volume of the chamber while measuring the volume of the chamber and the pressure, determining the volume of the chamber when a fluid from the wellbore disposed within the probe at the start of withdrawal of the sample ceases to expand, by determining an expansion volume at which the pressure decreases less rapidly with respect to an increase in chamber volume, and determining the volume of the fluid sample by subtracting the expansion volume from a total volume of fluid withdrawn into the sample chamber.

Formation fluid flow rate determination method and apparatus for

The present invention is a sample tank for storing and transporting a fluid sample withdrawn from an earth formation by a formation fluid sampling tool. The sample tank includes a storage cylinder adapted to withstand high internal pressure. The storage cylinder is selectively hydraulically connected to the sampling tool for conducting the fluid sample into the storage cylinder. A fusible metal substantially surrounds the storage cylinder. The fusible metal has a melting temperature not more than the temperature of the fluid sample, so that solidification of the fusible metal maintains the fluid sample substantially at the melting temperature of the fusible metal during solidification of the fusible metal as the tool is withdrawn from the wellbore and cooled. The fusible metal is surrounded by an outer housing which contains the fusible metal when it is in a liquid state.

Electric wireline formation testing tool having temperature stabilized

An apparatus for withdrawing fluid from an earth formation comprising an elongated housing, a first inflatable elastomeric seal adapted to expansively fill an annular space between the housing and the wall of a wellbore. The seal includes axially spaced seal lips protruding from a surface of the seal. The seal lips circumscribe the seal and define a flow channel therebetween. The flow channel includes radially spaced filler blocks which divide the channel into radial segments. Each segment further includes a flow port. The apparatus includes means for inflating the seal. The apparatus includes valves connected to each of the flow ports for connecting selected flow ports to an intake of a fluid pump and connecting selected other flow ports to a discharge port of the pump. The pump is operable in conjunction with the valves to withdraw fluid from selected flow ports and to discharge fluid into other flow ports. The apparatus includes a fluid discharge port connected to the valves, and in hydraulic communication with the wellbore so that fluid withdrawn from the flow ports can be discharged into the wellbore, and fluid withdrawn from the wellbore can be discharged through the flow ports. The apparatus includes a pressure transducer connected to the pump intake so that a pressure of the fluid withdrawn is determined. A preferred embodiment includes a second pressure transducer connected to the pump discharge and differential pressure transducers interconnected between adjacent flow ports to measure radial differences in pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Cypress, TX, United States of America

John M Michaels