Retrievable Acoustic Mud Level Detector for Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drilling operations face challenges in maintaining hydrostatic pressure when penetrating loss zones, leading to uncertain hydrostatic overbalance and potential well control incidents, which often require costly increases in mud weight based on experience rather than quantitative measurements.
Innovation Solution
A retrievable acoustic mud level detector is deployed on a bottom hole assembly to estimate the fluid level depth in the wellbore using acoustic waves, allowing for precise adjustments to the kill mud weight based on quantitative information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mud weight is increased by 5-10 pcf to compensate for fluid level drop, then hydrostatic pressure is maintained, but chemical costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical/chemical approach of increasing mud weight with an acoustic measurement system. Acoustic waves are transmitted through the air column in the wellbore, and the reflected waves from the fluid interface are analyzed to determine fluid level depth, enabling precise hydrostatic pressure control without unnecessary chemical additions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces acoustic waves as an intermediary to measure fluid level depth. The acoustic wave source generates sound waves that travel through the air medium in the wellbore, reflect off the fluid interface, and are detected by the receiver, providing quantitative information about fluid level without directly interacting with the mud or requiring chemical adjustments.
2Measurement precision
If fixed detectors with separate source and receivers are used, then fluid level can be measured, but device mobility and installation flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the acoustic wave source and receiver into a single integrated tool assembly that can be deployed with the bottom hole assembly. This merging maintains measurement precision while significantly improving device mobility and ease of installation, as the integrated tool can be easily deployed and retrieved compared to fixed detectors requiring separate source and receiver installations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables more accurate and economical adjustments to the mud weight, reducing the frequency of well control incidents and minimizing chemical costs by providing a precise estimate of the fluid level and required mud weight.
Implementation Method 1
Acoustic waves are propagated using an acoustic wave source in the tool. The acoustic waves propagate constantly through an air medium in a wellbore of the well and partially reflect waves when meeting a fluid interface in the wellbore.
Implementation Method 2
The acoustic waves propagate constantly through an air medium in a wellbore of the well and partially reflect waves when meeting a fluid interface in the wellbore.
Implementation Method 3
A signal including a reflected wave reflected from the fluid interface is received using an acoustic wave receiver on the tool.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include increasing a kill mud weight based on information from a downhole tool. A tool is deployed on a bottom hole assembly (BHA) near a surface of a well being drilled. The tool is a retrievable acoustic mud level detector configured to send and receive acoustic waves during drilling. Acoustic waves are propagated using an acoustic wave source. The acoustic waves propagate constantly through an air medium in a wellbore of the well and partially reflect waves when meeting a fluid interface in the wellbore. A signal including a reflected wave reflected from the fluid interface is received using an acoustic wave receiver. An estimate of a fluid level depth of the fluid interface is determined using the tool. A kill mud weight of mud in the wellbore is increased in response to determining the estimate and using a current mud weight of mud in the wellbore.