Laser-Marked Sucker Rod Threads for Durable Wellbore Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking and monitoring sucker rods and tubulars in oil and gas operations are prone to failure due to environmental conditions, and existing RFID solutions are cumbersome, prone to damage, or require physical modifications that can create stress areas, limiting the ability to track run times and monitor post-manufacture information effectively.
Innovation Solution
The application of an optically-coded, machine-readable indicium, such as a QR code, to the pin end of sucker rods and tubulars using non-contact processes like laser annealing, ensuring the code is protected from environmental exposure and can be read using optical readers, combined with RFID devices on thread protectors for enhanced tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If forged stamps are applied to the sucker rod to track manufacturing information, then manufacturing information can be recorded, but stress areas are created and fatigue failures may be initiated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical stamping processes with non-contact laser marking technology. The laser beam creates permanent markings on the sucker rod surface without physical contact, thereby avoiding the creation of stress concentrations and fatigue initiation sites that occur with traditional forged stamps while still achieving permanent manufacturing information tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces laser-marked codes as an intermediary system between the rod material and tracking requirements. Instead of directly stamping the rod body, the system uses optically-readable codes that can be applied to the surface, allowing information storage without compromising the underlying material structure.
2Loss of information
If RFID tags are affixed to the sucker rod to provide tracking information, then more comprehensive tracking data can be obtained, but the tags are prone to damage and loss in downhole conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking information function from vulnerable electronic RFID tags and implements it directly through optically-readable laser-marked codes on the rod surface. This eliminates the need for separate electronic tracking devices that can be damaged or lost in harsh downhole environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a permanent optical copy of tracking information directly on the rod surface through laser marking. This permanent marking system serves as a reliable alternative to electronic RFID tags, providing durable tracking capability that withstands downhole conditions without requiring additional protective measures.
3Loss of information
If cold-working or machining is performed on the sucker rod to apply markings, then tracking information can be added, but the rod structure is altered and stress areas are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical cold-working and machining processes with non-contact laser marking. The laser beam selectively modifies the surface material through vaporization or phase change without requiring mechanical force, thereby preserving the rod's structural integrity and avoiding stress concentration zones that would result from mechanical deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the rod surface material through laser-induced thermal parameters. By controlling laser power, pulse duration, and scanning speed, the system creates permanent visual markings through controlled surface modification without altering the bulk material properties or creating structural weaknesses.
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
Provides durable, readable tracking information on sucker rods and tubulars, reducing the risk of fatigue failure and enabling efficient inventory management by encoding unique serial numbers and usage history, while maintaining the structural integrity of the rods.
Implementation Method 1
The indicium can be applied by non-contact processes such as laser annealing
Data Source
AI summary
Identification and tracking of sucker rods, tubulars, and other threaded wellbore components uses a coded indicium or a distinctive marking adjacent threaded areas, such as on the pin ends of the endpieces for the sucker rods or on the counterbore of a tubular coupling. The coded indicium can be applied to a surface of an undercut area located on the pin end between a threaded area and a shoulder of the endpiece. The coded indicium is applied with a non-damaging process, such as laser annealing, laser marking, or another comparable technique. When the endpieces are connected together with a coupling, the coded indicium in the undercut area is covered by the coupling, which threads to the pin ends and engages the shoulder of the endpieces. Secondary tracking can also be achieved using an electronic device, such as an RFID device, disposed on a thread protector for the threaded wellbore component.