Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Teleco Oilfield Services Inc.

Pushkar N Jogi

Volker Krueger

Hanno Reckmann

John D Macpherson

Thomas G Dahl

Jianyong Pei

Gerald Heisig

Douglas J Patterson

Vladimir Dubinsky

James V Leggett, Iii

Andrew G Brooks

Alexei Bolshakov

Michael Neubert

Joachim F Oppelt

James Albert Hood

William A Zoeller

Thomas A Nagelhout

John D MacPherson

John Kingman

A method and apparatus for predicting a formation parameter at a drill bit drilling a formation is disclosed. A vibration measurement is obtained at each of a plurality of depths in the borehole. A formation parameter is obtained proximate each of the plurality of depths in the borehole. A relationship is determined between the obtained vibration measurements and the measured formation parameters at the plurality of depths. A vibration measurement at a new drill bit location is obtained and the formation parameter at the new drill bit location is predicted from the vibration measurement and the determined relation. Formation type can be determined at the new drill bit location from the new vibration measurement and the determined relationship.

Synthetic formation evaluation logs based on drilling vibrations

A system for determining at least one of a lithology of a formation traversed by a borehole and an operational condition of a component of a drill string disposed in the borehole is disclosed. The system includes a drill string with a high speed wired pipe telemetry system for transmitting downhole measurements made by a sensor to a computer processing system in real time. The computer processing system is external to the drill string and includes a model that models operation of the drill string and/or a formation that is being drilled. The model receives the downhole measurements and surface measurements of a drilling parameter and provides as output detection of the lithology of the formation and/or the operational condition of the component.

High speed data transfer for measuring lithology and monitoring drilling operations

A method of acoustic telemetry in a drill string in a wellbore, comprises; transmitting an acoustic signal related to a parameter of interest from a transmitting location into the drill string; detecting signals propagated through the drill string at a receiving location, where the detected signals including noise; determining a drill string transfer matrix defining the propagation of signals through a transfer interval between the receiving location and the transmitting location; and using the detected signals and the drill string transfer matrix for obtaining an estimate of the acoustic signal.

Method of detecting signals in acoustic drill string telemetry

A drilling system provides indications of the lithology of the formation being drilled by dynamically measuring at least one parameter of interest that is affected by the lithology of the formation being drilled. Suitably positioned sensors make dynamic measurements of parameters such as downhole weight on bit, bit torque, bit revolutions, rate of penetration and bit axial acceleration. One or more processors use the sensor measurements in conjunction with predetermined lithological models to determine whether the measurements indicate a change in formation lithology. Suitable models can be on derived expressions such as rock drillability, drilling response, dynamic drilling response, normalized or dimensionless torque; and formation shear strength. The lithological indications provided by the processor can be used to adjust drilling parameters, steer the BHA, monitor BHA health, and provide depth locations for bed boundaries and formation interfaces.

Use of the dynamic downhole measurements as lithology indicators

A system for drilling a well comprises a tubular member having a bottomhole assembly at a bottom end thereof disposed in a wellbore. A first sensor is disposed in the bottomhole assembly at a predetermined axial location for detecting bending in a first axis and generating a first bending signal in response thereto, where the first axis is substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the bottomhole assembly. A second sensor is disposed in the bottomhole assembly at the predetermined axial location for detecting bending in a second axis and generating a second bending signal in response thereto, where the second axis is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. A processor receives the first bending signal and the second bending signal and relates the first bending signal and the second bending signal to a borehole curvature according to programmed instructions.

Method and apparatus for enhancing directional accuracy and control using bottomhole assembly bending measurements

Determination of the rate of penetration (ROP) of drilling has usually been based upon surface measurements and may not be an accurate representation of the actual ROP. This can cause problems in Logging While Drilling (LWD). Because of the lack of a high-speed surface-to-downhole communication while drilling, a conventional method of measuring ROP at the surface does not provide a solution to this problem. However, the instantaneous ROP can be derived downhole with a certain degree of accuracy by utilizing an accelerometer placed in (or near) the tool to measure acceleration in the axial direction. When three-component accelerometers are used, the method may be used to determine the true vertical depth of the borehole.

Use of axial accelerometer for estimation of instantaneous ROP downhole for LWD and wireline applications

A method for determining the existence of a whirling condition during drilling of a borehole provides real time determination of destructive conditions of a bottom hole assembly during drilling. The method measures the acceleration of the bottom hole assembly to determine one or more acceleration values. Sensors also measured with rotation speed of the bottom hole assembly to determine at least one rotation of speed value. Based upon this information calculations are performed to determine a radius or diameter of rotation in the time domain which will indicate and identify the whirling condition within the bottom hole assembly. Types of whirl conditions identifiable are forward and backward whirl with and without slip. The method assumes forward whirl and backward whirl and creates a plot for each then overlaps the plot which provides an accurate representation of the condition of the bottom hole assembly while drilling. The method further provides rapid determination of whether further calculation is necessary by allowing the operator to locate the drill call at any given time and only if it is touching then completely balance the calculation to determine the whirling condition existing.

Method for determining drill collar whirl in a bottom hole assembly and method for determining borehole size

The operating speed of a rotor in a progressive-cavity Moineau-type pump is determined on a real-time basis using frequency analysis of vibration or pressure data to ultimately compute the rotor speed. Vibration and pressure or bending moment and axial acceleration data can be used to compute the rotor rotational frequencies. A high-amplitude peak in the frequency domain in any of the data sets which corresponds to the motor whirl frequency given by .omega..sub.m N.sub.r, where .omega..sub.m represents the motor frequency in radians per second and N.sub.r represents the number of lobes in the rotor, can be isolated. The motor rpm therefore equals .omega..sub.m /2.pi..60. In addition, modulated frequency peaks such as N.sub.r (.omega..sub.m +n.omega..sub.s) and N.sub.r (.omega..sub.m -n.omega..sub.s), where the modulating frequency is the pump stroke frequency .omega..sub.s, can also be observed. There is a coupling between the two measurements, such as a linear coupling between the bending moment and axial acceleration, as well as between fluid and the motor. Using dual-channel analysis of the data, and employing a known technique of computing the coherent output power of the two signals, the method causes an enhancement of common frequencies in the two signals and an elimination of noise. The whirl frequency and the modulated frequency components are isolated so that the motor speed can be easily computed from the isolated whirl or modulated whirl frequencies on a real-time basis.

Downhole motor speed measurement method

A method for evaluating formations and bit conditions is presented. The present invention processes signals indicative of downhole weight on bit (WOB), downhole torque (TOR), rate of penetration (ROP) and bit rotations (RPM), while taking into account bit geometry to provide a plurality of well logs and to optimize the drilling process. Drilling operations are monitored and adjusted in response to these processed signals and logs. The processed signals may include the following signals: drilling response, differential pressure, pore pressure, porosity, porosity compensated for formation effects, drilling alert, bit wear factor, abnormal torque, and bearing wear. The logs may include a drilling response log, a differential pressure log, a porosity log, a porosity log compensated for formation effects, a drilling alert log, a wear factor log, a torque analysis log and a bearing wear log.

Method for evaluating formations and bit conditions

A method is presented for designing a bottomhole assembly whose tendency to build/drop or hold angle is independent of borehole inclination. This method comprises the adjustment of the location of any one of the first three stabilizers of an arbitrarily selected bottomhole assembly while the location of the remaining stabilizers is left in position. In accordance with the present invention, at one particular location of the stabilizer which has been selected to be moved, the resulting build/drop or hold rate of the bottomhole assembly is independent of borehole inclination.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Pushkar N Jogi