Coiled Tubing Spool Angular Position Sensor Depth Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wellbore service operations using coiled tubing lack accurate and efficient methods for determining the depth of reference points, leading to potential errors and safety issues due to the reliance on contact sensors prone to slippage and other inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a sensor coupled to a coiled tubing spool, a processor, and memory with an application that determines the depth of a reference point by analyzing angular position data from an angular position sensor, correlating it with contact sensor inputs, and adjusting for sag and collar locations, providing precise depth calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If contact sensors are used to determine coiled tubing depth, then the system is simple to implement, but measurement precision deteriorates due to slippage and inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary angular position sensor that measures the rotational position of the spool as a mediator between the spool's physical motion and the depth calculation. This intermediary measurement allows the system to calculate depth based on spool rotation rather than direct contact with the tubing, eliminating slippage errors while maintaining system simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If angular position sensor data is used to determine depth, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the spool's own rotational motion to generate the measurement data. The angular position sensor simply measures the spool's rotation, which inherently contains the depth information through the known relationship between spool rotation and tubing payout. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex external measurement systems.
3Ease of operation
If contact sensors are used for velocity measurement, then the system is easy to operate, but reliability deteriorates due to slippage errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses angular position data from the spool rotation as an intermediary to determine velocity. Instead of directly measuring tubing motion with contact sensors that can slip, the system measures the spool's rotational velocity and converts it to tubing velocity through the known geometric relationship, eliminating slippage-related reliability issues.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for determining a depth in a wellbore of a reference point associated with a coiled tubing. The system comprises a sensor coupled to a coiled tubing spool, wherein the sensor coupled to the coiled tubing spool is configured to determine an angular position of the spool, a processor coupled to the sensor, a memory coupled to the processor, and an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, determines the depth in the wellbore of the reference point of the coiled tubing based on an input from the sensor coupled to the coiled tubing spool.