Modular Measurement Housing for Drill-String Calibration Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Calibration of measurement devices for drilling tools is time-consuming and often impossible at the drill site, making efficient and accurate measurements of borehole and formation properties challenging in oil and gas exploration.
Innovation Solution
A modular measurement system with a housing that includes sensors and electronics, allowing for calibration to be performed once and transferred between different drilling collars without the need for recalibration, using a calibration apparatus to account for housing-to-housing and source-to-source variations, ensuring consistent measurement accuracy across different collar sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If measurement devices are calibrated at the drilling site for each drilling tool, then measurement accuracy is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement device is calibrated in advance in a controlled laboratory environment before being deployed to the drilling site. The calibration data is stored in memory within the device, allowing it to be transferred to different drilling tools without requiring recalibration at the drilling site, thus eliminating time-consuming on-site calibration while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process creates a digital copy of the measurement device's response characteristics, which is stored in memory. This calibration copy can be replicated and transferred across multiple devices or tools, eliminating the need to perform physical recalibration each time the device is moved, thereby saving time while preserving measurement precision
2Measurement precision
If measurement devices are calibrated for each specific drilling tool, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement device is designed with universal calibration that can be used across multiple different drilling tool types and sizes. The device contains memory storage that holds calibration data applicable to various tools, allowing a single calibration to serve multiple functions and tools, thereby simplifying operations while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement device automatically applies stored calibration data without requiring manual recalibration when transferred to different drilling tools. The device self-adjusts using its internal memory, eliminating the need for complex operator intervention or specialized calibration procedures at the drilling site, thus improving ease of operation while preserving measurement precision
3Measurement precision
If calibration is performed at the drilling site, then measurement accuracy for specific tools is improved, but productivity and operational efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Calibration is performed in advance in a laboratory setting before the measurement device is deployed to the drilling site. This preliminary calibration eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site calibration procedures, allowing the device to be quickly transferred between tools and immediately used for measurements, thereby maintaining accuracy while significantly improving operational efficiency and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention skips the time-consuming on-site calibration step by using pre-stored calibration data. The device can be rapidly transferred from one drilling tool to another without pausing for recalibration, effectively rushing through the deployment process while maintaining measurement accuracy, thus enhancing productivity and operational efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus, methods for forming the apparatus, and methods for operating the apparatus provide a modular unit of hardware to make measurements in a well. The modular unit may include a housing arranged for placement in a drill-string element, where the housing includes a sensor and is structured such that the housing is transferable to another drill-string element without a calibration of the sensor during or after the transfer. The drill-string elements associated with the transfer may be of different sizes.