Drillable Conduit Pore Pressure Sensor Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Accurate measurement of pore pressure in subsurface formations is challenging due to wellbore influences and low permeability of formations like shale, which affects sensor operation, data collection, and fluid communication, and existing methods often rely on expensive tools or explosive charges, posing safety and complexity issues.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor disposed in a channel extending from the wellbore into the formation, which measures and stores pressure and temperature data for a predetermined period, allowing for processing to determine pore pressure free from wellbore influences, using a control processor and power source with energy harvesting capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pressure sensor is disposed inside a shell forced into the formation using explosive charges, then the sensor can measure formation pressure after well completion, but the method introduces safety hazards and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful explosive charge system from the measurement process. Instead of using explosives to force the shell into the formation, the patent uses a drillable conduit that is mechanically advanced through the casing and cement into the formation, eliminating the need for explosive charges while maintaining the ability to position the sensor in the formation for pressure measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a drillable conduit as an intermediary element that facilitates sensor deployment. The conduit serves as a protective and guiding structure that can be mechanically advanced through the wellbore, casing, and cement into the formation, providing a safe and controlled path for the pressure sensor without requiring explosive charges
2Measurement precision
If formation pressure logging tools are used, then accurate formation pressure measurements can be obtained, but the tools are large, expensive, and cannot be left in the wellbore for extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a disposable pressure sensor system that is deployed through the drillable conduit into the formation. The sensor is designed to be left in the formation indefinitely for continuous monitoring, eliminating the need to retrieve it. The drillable conduit and sensor assembly can be discarded after use, providing a cost-effective solution for long-term monitoring without the expense of reusable expensive tools
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by deploying the pressure sensor into the formation during the well completion process itself, before the well is fully operational. The sensor is installed through the drillable conduit while the well is being completed, allowing the sensor to be in place and collecting data from the moment the well starts production, maximizing the duration of useful measurement
3Duration of action of stationary object
If sensors are mounted on the outside of the casing with explosive charges, then long-term monitoring is enabled, but the method requires explosive charges and may damage the sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the explosive charge from the system entirely. The pressure sensor is deployed through a drillable conduit that is mechanically advanced into the formation, eliminating the harmful explosive charge that could damage the sensor. The sensor is positioned in the formation through a controlled mechanical process rather than an explosive event
Solution Approach 2:
The drillable conduit serves as a protective cushion for the pressure sensor during deployment. The conduit protects the sensor from damage during the drilling and advancement process, and the sensor is positioned in the formation where it is protected from wellbore influences, providing beforehand protection against potential damage sources
4Measurement precision
If a channel is drilled from the wellbore into the formation to position sensors, then sensors can be isolated from wellbore influences, but the process requires drilling through casing and cement
Solution Approach 1:
The drillable conduit is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both the drilling tool and the protective housing for the pressure sensor. The same conduit that drills through the casing and cement into the formation also protects the sensor and provides a flow path for formation fluids, eliminating the need for separate drilling and sensor deployment operations
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the drilling function and sensor deployment function into a single integrated process. The drillable conduit combines the drilling mechanism with the sensor housing, allowing the sensor to be deployed through the same channel that is created by drilling, rather than requiring separate operations for channel creation and sensor installation
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for accurately determining a pore pressure of a subsurface formation (20) penetrated by a wellbore (40). The systems and methods provide for measuring pressure and temperature at a measuring location proximal to the wellbore for a predetermined amount of time, storing the measurements, communicating the measurements and processing the pore pressure from the pressure and temperature measurements. The measuring location may be a location in a channel (50) drilled from the wellbore into the formation.