Rotary Mud Pulser Actuator for High-Speed Telemetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mud pulsing systems in wellbore operations require significant force to operate, limiting the speed of data transmission and data density due to the use of plungers or disk actuators, which restricts the efficiency of mud pulse telemetry.
Innovation Solution
A mud pulser system with a rotary member having multiple ports that selectively registers with inlet and exit passages to generate pressure pulses in the drilling fluid, allowing for faster and more discrete data transmission, and includes a controller for modulating frequency, phase, or amplitude of the pulses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If plungers or disk actuators are used to create mud pulses, then the system can generate pressure pulses in drilling fluid, but the force required to move the actuators limits the operating speed and data transmission rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional plunger or disk actuators with a voice coil actuator that uses electromagnetic fields to generate motion. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical contact and large forces, allowing for faster actuator response times and higher operating speeds while maintaining the ability to generate mud pulses for data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the actuation mechanism from mechanical force-based systems to electromagnetic field-based systems. By altering the fundamental operating parameter from mechanical force to electromagnetic force, the system achieves higher speeds without being constrained by the large forces required by traditional mechanical actuators.
2Loss of information
If plungers are used to block and release mud flow, then pressure pulses can be generated, but the large force required limits the data density that can be relayed uphole
Solution Approach 1:
The voice coil actuator replaces the plunger mechanism, using electromagnetic forces instead of mechanical forces to control mud flow. This allows for faster switching between blocked and open states, increasing the rate at which data can be encoded and transmitted, thereby increasing data density without being limited by large mechanical forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic opening and closing of the mud flow path through the voice coil actuator to encode data. By rapidly switching the flow state in response to encoded data signals, the system can transmit higher density information uphole, limited only by the actuator's response speed rather than mechanical force constraints.
3Speed
If disk actuators are rotated to move openings in and out of registration, then pressure pulses are introduced into drilling fluid, but large shear forces resist their rotational speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical disk rotation system with a voice coil actuator that uses electromagnetic fields to control the opening and closing of the flow path. This eliminates shear forces between rotating disks and allows for faster actuation speeds, directly improving the rotational speed equivalent of the flow control mechanism without being constrained by mechanical friction and shear forces.
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
The system enables higher data density and faster data transmission by generating multiple pulses per rotation, overcoming the limitations of existing systems and improving the efficiency of mud pulse telemetry.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator can be a voice coil actuator that generates an electromagnetic force
Implementation Method 2
when the rotary member is selectively rotated to register an end of one of the ports with the inlet, an opposing end of the one of the ports registers with the exit, so that the drilling fluid flows between the inlet and exit and through the one of the ports
Implementation Method 3
so that when the rotary member is selectively rotated to move all of the ports out of registration with the inlet, a pressure pulse is generated in the drilling fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A mud pulser system for use in a wellbore includes a pulser assembly disposed in a drill string and through which drilling fluid is metered in order to generate pressure pulses in the drilling fluid. The pulser assembly includes a pulser body having an inlet and an exit. Included in the pulser body is a rotary member having multiple ports formed through the member. The rotary member can be spherically shaped. The ports are formed so that selectively rotating the rotary member registers opposing ends of a one of the ports with the inlet and exit in the body to provide communication between the inlet and exit. An actuator couples with the rotary member for its selective rotation.