Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Apple Inc.

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Research in Motion Corporation

Nortel Networks Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Xact Downhole Telemetry, Inc.

Blackberry Corporation

Rockstar Bidco, LP

Xact Downhole Telemerty, Inc.

John-Peter Van Zelm

Peter Zahariev Rashev

David M Tholl

John Holt

Celine J Martineau

Andrew Hawthorn

John Godfrey McRory

Andy Hawthorn

Xiaojun Xiao

Volker Peters

Andreas Peter

Lei Fang

Damon G Holmes

John Macpherson

Duncan Groves

Dave Whalen

Systems and methods for communicating information acoustically through a plug in a temporarily or permanently abandoned well. The disclosed embodiments use an acoustically transmissive well plug, where an acoustic transmitter coupled to a measurement tool below the plug is coupled to the plug In a manner that is intended to maximize the coupling of the generated acoustic signals to the plug. These signals are then transmitted through the acoustically transmissive plug to an acoustic receiver that is coupled to the upper end of the plug. The acoustic receiver converts the acoustic signals to another form if necessary and forwards the signals to equipment at the surface of the well, or to intermediate transceivers that can relay the signals to the surface.

Permanent well monitoring with acoustically transparent plugs

A hybrid telemetry system includes a plurality of telemetry networks configured to communicate a modulated signal representing digital data along adjoining sections of a pipe string. The plurality of telemetry networks may each be optimized or particularly suitable for the configuration of the pipe string, the well, and/or the environment of the well occurring in each of the adjoining sections. Some of the plurality of telemetry networks may overlap to provide redundancy of the communication of the digital data.

Serial hybrid downhole telemetry networks

A combined telemetry system that can be used while drilling a wellbore consists of a multi-hop telemetry method and a single-hop telemetry method combined in parallel. The multi-hop and single-hop methods can be operated in parallel, for example, so that each telemetry method caries data concurrently from the Measuring-While-Drilling tool located in the Bottom-Hole-Assembly. The multi-hop and single-hop methods can also be operated in series, for example, so that data from the Measuring-While-Drilling tool located in the Bottom-Hole-Assembly are first carried with the single-hop telemetry method and then transferred to the multi-hop telemetry method at one or more node(s) close to the surface. Preferably, the multi-hop telemetry method can also carry data from along-string sensors. Another combined telemetry system that can be used while drilling a wellbore consists of two single-hop telemetry methods combined in parallel.

Telemetry system combining two telemetry methods

A downhole acoustic transmitter has a piezoelectric transducer, an enclosure in which the piezoelectric transducer is housed, a transducer preload means which applies a selected compressive force against the transducer such that a mechanical preload is applied to the transducer, and an acoustic tuning element which has a first end coupled to the transducer preload means or the transducer, and an open second end. The acoustic tuning element is not coupled to anything but the transducer preload means or transducer, so the transducer preload means effectively has a second open end and thus can maintain the same preload compressive force on the transducer even when the transmitter is subjected to tension and compressive forces during operation.

Method and apparatus for pre-loading a piezoelectric transducer for downhole acoustic communication

A robust network telemetry repeater system exploits the repeater structure of data propagation and transmission and reception bi-directionality to increase network robustness. For example, multiple perceived receive attempts are created with no additional overhead. The system can be configured whereby nodes 'hear' the transmissions of both adjacent and non-adjacent nodes forming implicit acknowledgement ('Acks'), and originating nodes can retransmit until implicit acknowledgments (&#x201c;Acks&#x201d;) are &#x201c;heard,&#x201d; indicating a successful link relay. Implicit acknowledgment can be applied to bidirectional networks, and bidirectional action can enable all nodes in the network to know the status of all other nodes.

Robust telemetry repeater network system and method

A downhole repeater network timing system for a drilling rig including a drillstring extending subsurface downwardly from a surface wellhead. The system includes a node located at the drillstring lower end and including a sensor adapted for providing a signal data set output corresponding to downhole drilling conditions. Multiple nodes are located downhole between the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) and the wellhead and are associated with the drillstring. The nodes are adapted for receiving and transmitting the signals. The timing control system is adapted for controlling all times within a timeframe according to pre-configured constants known to all nodes. A downhole low rate linear repeater network timing method uses the system.

Downhole low rate linear repeater relay network timing system and method

A downhole acoustic transmitter has a piezoelectric transducer, an enclosure in which the piezoelectric transducer is housed, a transducer preload means which applies a selected compressive force against the transducer such that a mechanical preload is applied to the 5 transducer, and an acoustic tuning element which has a first end coupled to the transducer preload means or the transducer, and an open second end. The acoustic tuning element is not coupled to anything but the transducer preload means or transducer, so the transducer preload means effectively has a second open end and thus can maintain the same preload compressive force on the transducer even when the transmitter is subjected to tension and 10 compressive forces during operation.

A device and method to adapt a model in a underdetermined adaptive system that provides an output in response to an input. A controller provides parameters to the model in a transceiver system, composed of linearizers, equalizers, or estimators as a function of an error signal. The controller and the model parameters are manipulated to allow agnosticism with respect to input signals or model complexity, enabling robust operation and efficient implementation.

Adaptive sample-by-sample controller for under-determined systems

A radio transmission system comprising: a first Volterra Engine (VE) linearizer; a second VE linearizer coupled to the first VE linearizer; and a power amplifier (PA) coupled to at least one of the VE linearizers. Each VE linearizer compensates for a different distortion or nonlinearity aspect of an output signal from the PA.

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

John-Peter Van Zelm