Wired Drill Pipe Telemetry with Expandable Cable Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wellbore telemetry systems face challenges in providing a reliable, easily manufacturable, and maintainable wired drill pipe telemetry system that minimizes electrical faults and ensures good contact between adjacent pipes, with a need for redundant components and backup systems.
Innovation Solution
A wired drill pipe system incorporating a drill pipe with slots for transformers, a cable extending through the pipe, and a wire retainer to secure the cable, using expandable tubular sleeves and elongated pads to protect and secure conductive wires, and redundant circuit configurations to enhance reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wire is positioned in a tube inside a drill collar for wired drill pipe telemetry, then signal transmission between surface and downhole tool is enabled, but the system becomes complex and difficult to manufacture with potential electrical faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cable protection function from the drill pipe structure itself by using a separate expandable tubular sleeve that can be inserted and expanded within the drill pipe. This separates the telemetry wiring function from the drill pipe structural function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability through dedicated protection mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing the cable inside an expandable tubular sleeve that is itself inserted within the drill pipe. This nested arrangement (cable within sleeve within drill pipe) provides multiple layers of protection and organization, reducing electrical faults while maintaining a compact integrated structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If expandable tubular sleeves are used to protect cables in drill pipe, then cable protection and electrical fault reduction are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing instructions for inserting and expanding the tubular sleeve after the drill pipe is manufactured. This allows the protective sleeve to be installed as a separate step, enabling standard drill pipe manufacturing processes to remain unchanged while adding protection functionality through a subsequent assembly operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a dynamic expandable tubular sleeve that can be inserted in a compressed state and then expanded to its full protective diameter within the drill pipe. This dynamic transformation allows the sleeve to be installed through the drill pipe's internal diameter and then expand to provide optimal cable protection, balancing manufacturing ease with protective effectiveness.
3Reliability
If wired drill pipe telemetry is implemented, then communication between surface and downhole tool is established, but the system requires precise contact between adjacent pipes which is difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary expandable tubular sleeve that acts as a mediator between the cable and the drill pipe internal structure. This sleeve provides a consistent interface that compensates for variations in pipe contact quality, ensuring reliable electrical connection between adjacent pipes without requiring extremely precise manufacturing tolerances on the drill pipe itself.
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 provides a reliable and efficient means of transmitting signals between the surface and downhole tools, reducing electrical faults and ensuring consistent communication links, while being adaptable to various drill pipe configurations and easy to manufacture.
Implementation Method 1
The slots are adapted to receive at least one transformer
Data Source
AI summary
A wired drill pipe for a drill string of a downhole tool positioned in a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation is provided. The wired drill pipe includes a drill pipe, a cable and a wire retainer. The drill pipe has a slot at each end thereof. The slots are adapted to receive at least one transformer. The drill pipe has an inner surface defining a passage for the flow of mud therethrough. The cable extends from the transformer into the passage of the drill pipe. The wire retainer is positioned on the inner surface of the drill pipe. The wire retainer is adapted to secure the cable therein.