Wired Drill Pipe Leak-Off Test Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional leak-off tests in well drilling rely on surface measurements, which can be inaccurate due to hydrostatic and frictional pressure gradients, and lack real-time control capabilities, as they filter high frequencies and do not effectively utilize downhole sensors for precise fracture initiation pressure determination.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a wired drill pipe infrastructure within the drill string to communicate downhole measurements in real-time to the surface, allowing for accurate and timely control of the leak-off test through embedded wire segments and repeaters, enabling faster sampling rates and higher resolution measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surface measurements are used for leak-off tests, then the testing process is simple, but the measurement precision is poor due to hydrostatic and frictional pressure gradients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional surface-based mechanical pressure measurement system with an electrical/electronic measurement system. Sensors deployed downhole through the wired drill pipe infrastructure directly measure bottom hole pressure and communicate it to the surface, eliminating the need to rely on surface pressure readings that are distorted by hydrostatic and frictional gradients. This substitution of measurement methodology dramatically improves fracture initiation pressure determination accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The wired drill pipe infrastructure acts as an intermediary communication channel between downhole sensors and surface equipment. This infrastructure enables direct transmission of measurement data from the bottom hole region to the surface, serving as a mediator that bypasses the distorted pressure transmission path through the drilling fluid column and allows for accurate real-time monitoring of formation integrity test parameters.
2Ease of operation
If conventional surface measurements are used, then the equipment is simpler, but real-time control capability is lost due to filtering of high frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The wired drill pipe infrastructure enables real-time feedback by continuously transmitting bottom hole pressure measurements to the surface during the leak-off test. This real-time data flow allows operators to immediately observe pressure changes, detect formation fracture initiation, and adjust pumping rates or test parameters on the fly, providing true real-time control capability that was impossible with conventional surface measurements that filtered high-frequency signals.
3Measurement precision
If downhole sensors are deployed with wired drill pipe infrastructure, then measurement precision and real-time control improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wired drill pipe infrastructure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for the drill string, enables real-time communication of measurement data from downhole sensors to the surface, and facilitates potential stimulation operations. By making the drill pipe system multi-functional, the patent justifies the increased device complexity through the delivery of multiple valuable capabilities from a single integrated infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique that is usable with a well includes deploying at least one sensing device in the well and during a leak off test, communicating a signal that is indicative of a measurement that is acquired by the sensing device(s) over a wired infrastructure of a drill string. The technique includes controlling the leak off test based at least in part on the communication.