CA1128641A - Transmitting well logging data - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
The accuracy of well logging data transmitted from a downhole location to the surface of the earth is verified by generating the data at the downhole location, storing the data in a subsurface assembly in the well, transmitting sig-nals corresponding to the data to the surface through a first transmission system while keeping the data stored in the sub-surface assembly, and recording the signals transmitted to the surface through the first transmission system. There-after, the subsurface assembly is transferred to the surface, and signals corresponding to the stored data are transmitted through a second transmission system from the assembly to an electronic processing system. The signals transmitted through the second transmission system are then compared with the signals transmitted through the first system.
To increase the effective transmission rate of data from the downhole location to the surface, a first set of signals corresponding to the magnitude of a downhole condition as a function of time during a discrete time interval are gene-rated and transmitted through a first transmission system to computer means at the downhole location. The first set of signals are analyzed in the computer to determine properties of the function selected from the group consisting of mean value, positive and negative peak values, standard deviation value, and fundamental and harmonic frequencies and ampli-tudes. A second set of signals corresponding to the selected values are generated and transmitted to the surface through a second transmission system.

Description

TRANSMITTING WELL_LOGGIN(; DA~A
Background of the Invention This invention relates to a method for verifying data transmitted from a downhole location in a well to the surface of the earth and to apparatus for use in -th~ method.

Prior Ar~
: It has long been the practice to log wells, that is, to sense various downhole conditions within a well and transmit the acquired data to the surface through wireline or cable-type equipment. To conduct such logging operations, drill-ing is stopped, and the drill string is removed from the well.
Since it is c05tly to stop drilling operations, the advanta-ges of logging while drilling have long been recognized. How~
ever, the lack of an acceptable telemetering system has been a major obstacle to successful logging while drilling.
15Various telemetering methods have been suggested for logging while drilling. For example, it has been proposed to transmit the acquired data to the surface electrically.
Such methods have in the past proved impractical because of the need to provide the drill pipe sections with a special insulated conductor and means to form appropriate connections for the conductor at the drill pipe joints. Other techniques proposed include ~he transmission of acous~ical signals through the drill pipe. Examples of such telemetering sys-tems are shown in U. S. Pa~. Nos. 3,015~801 and 3,205,477.
In those systems, an acoustic energy signal is sent up the :`drill pipe and frequency modulated in accordance with a sen~ed downhole conditionO Other telemetering procedures proposed for logging while drilling use the drilling liquid within ~he well as the transmission medium. U. S. Pat. No. 2,925i251 30 discloses a system in which the flow of drilling liquid through ~ .

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the drill string is periodically restricted to cause positive pressure pulses -to be transmit-ted up the column of drilling liquid to indicate a downhole condition. U.S. Patent No.
4,078,620 discloses a system in which drilling liquid is periodically vented from th~ drill string interior to the annular space between the drill string and the bore hole of the well to send negative pressure pulses to the surface in a coded sequence corresponding to a sensed downhole condition.
A similar system is described in the Oil and Gas Journal, June 12, 1978, at page 71.
Wireless systems have also been proposed using low-frequency electromagnatic radiation through the drill string, borehole casing, and earth's lithosphere to the surface of the earth.
Although the wireless transmission sys-tems just discussed have the potential for increasing the efficiency of drilling operations to offset high operating costs, they are all subject to the disadvantages of transmitting information at a relatively slow rate compared to conventional wireless systems, and are subject to inaccuracies because of the high level of noise usually present in drilling operations.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method for transmitting data from a downhole location in a well to the surface of the earth, the method comprising the steps of:
circulating a drilling liquid through the well;
stopping the circulation of the drilling liquid through the well;
genera-ting the data at the downhole location while 3a circulation of the drilling liquid is stopped;

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storing the data in a subsurface assembly in the well while the circulation of the drilliny liquid is stopped;
resuming the circulation of the drilling liquid in the well; and thereaEter transmitting signals corresponding to the data stored in the subsurface assembly through the drilling liquid by al-tering the rate of flow of the drilling liquid through the well in a coded sequence corresponding to -the signals.
The method may include the step of transferring the subsurface assembly to the surface after the signals are transferred through the drilling liquid, and comparing the data stored in the subsurface assembly with the signals transmit-ted to the surface through the drilling liquid.
Summary of the Invention Thus, this invention provides an improved wireless tele-metering system which can be checked for reliability during drilling ~2~

12311 1 operations and corrected, if required. The invention also in-creases the amount of useful information which can be trans~
mitted with wireless systems in a given amount of time.
This invention eliminates uncertainties which may arise from using wireless systems for telemetering downhole data to the surface of the earth. For example, in using pressure pulses transmitted through the drilling liquid, the valve which creates the pulses may become inoperative intermittently, or one or more of the jets in the drill bit may become tempo-10 rarily plugged, creating a false signal or failing to generatea signal when one is required.
To verify the accuracy of data transmitted from a down-hole location in a well to the surface of the earth, this in-vention includes the steps of generating the data at the down-hole location and storing it in a subsurface assembly in the well. Signals corresponding to the stored data are transmit-ted to the surface through a first transmission system while keeping the data stored in the subsurface assembly. The sig-nals transmitted to the surface through the firs~ transmis-sion system are recorded~ Thereafter, ~he subsurface assemblyis transferred to the surface, and signals corresponding to the stored data are transmit~ed through a second transmission system from the assembly to an electrvnic processing system, ` which compares the signals transmitted through the second transmission system with the signals transmitted through the first system.
In one embodiment of the invention, the first transmis-sion system is the drilling liquid in the well, and the sig-nals are sent to the surface by varying the flow conditions .

12311 1 of the liquid. The second transmission system is of the "hardwire" type and nat subject to the typical "noise" which can interfere with or destroy signals transmi~ted through the drilling liquid.
Preferably, means are provided for synchronizing the signals when they a~e compared. For example, a downhole clock records when ~he signals are stored in the subsurface assem-bly, and a clock at the surface records when ~he signals are received there. Thereafter, the times are matched to ensure synchronous comparison of appropriate signals~ Thus, when the subsurface assembly is brought to the surface, say when the drill bit is to be changed, it can be interrogated to confirm ~he accuracy of the data sent to the surface earlier through the wireless transmission system. If there is a dis-crepancy, this can be analyzed to determine the source of theproblem so that corrective measures can be taken immediately to improve the reliability of the wireless system during sub-sequent drilling.
This invention has another advantage when used in those wireless transmission systems which rely on the flow of drill-ing liquid either to power downhole energy supplies, such as turbine generators, or to transmit information. There are times when measurements can and should be made of a downhole condition, but if the drilling liquid is not circulating, either power is not available to operate the transmitter, or the transmissions may not be sent because the communication link is broken. However, using the storage capacity in the subsurface assembly of this invention, such data can be stored and transmitted after flow of the drilling liquid is resumed.

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12311 1¦ ~hus, downhole measurements made during a period when the - ¦ real-time transmission link is broken can be stored and sub-¦ sequently sent through the wireless transmission system when ¦ that communication link is restored. Alternatively, the 51 logged information can be recovered from the subsurface as-sembly after it is raised to the surface.
One of the disadvantages of sending information to the l surface with pressure pulses developed in the drilling liquid ¦ is that only a limited number of pulses can be formed in a 10¦ given time, thus severely restric~ing the rate at which infor-¦ mation can be transmit~ed. To increase the effective trans-¦ mission rate of such systems, this invention includes the ¦ steps of genera~ing a first set of electrical signals corres-¦ ponding to the magnitude of a downhole condition as a function 15 ¦ of time during a discrete time interval. The first set of ¦ signals is transmitted through a first transmission system to ¦ computer means at the downhole location. The first set of ¦ signals are analyzed in the computer to determine properties ¦ of the function selected from the group consisting of mean 20 ¦ value, positive and negative peak values, standard deviation value, and fundamental and harmonic frequencies and amplitudes.
A second set of signals are generated corresponding to the selected values and are transmitted to the surface through a second transmission system. The values represented by the second set of signals can be recombined at the surface to ; synthesize the original function sensed downhole.
To facilitate rapid interrogation and any desired re-programming of the computer in the assembly in the drill string when the drill string is brought to the surface, an electrical conductor is sealed through the wall of the drill ~, . ~ ' 2311 1 string and provided with a connector which fits in a bore ex-tending through the d~ill string wall. The bore is normally closed by a cover held in place by a removable snap ring.
The electrical conductor is connected to the computer in the drill string. Thus, when the subsurface electronics is brought to the surface of the earth (say to change the drill bit), it can be quickly connected to the electronic processing sys-tem al the surface of the earth by simply removing the cover over the electrical plug in the wall of the drill string and making an electrical connection while that section of the drill string stands on ~he derrick floor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows a system for simultaneously drilling and ~' 15 logging a well;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the logging portion of the drill string;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken within the area 3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the downhole elec-tronic processing system and of the surface electronic pro-cessing system; and FIG~ 5 is a plot of weight on the bit during a typical drilling operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, as de-scribed in detail below, pressure pulses are transmitted through the drilling liquid used in normal drilling opera-tions to send information from the vicinity of the drill bit .
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2311 l to the surface of the e~rth. ~s the well is drille~, at least on~ downhole condition within the well is sens~d, and a ~i~nal, usually analog, is generated to represent the sensed condition. The analog signal is converted to a digital sig-nal, which is used to alter the flow of drilling liquid inthe well to cause pulses at the surface to produce an appro-priate signal representing the sensed downhole conllition.
Referring to ~I~. 1, a well 10 is drilled in the earth with a rotary drilling rig 12, which includes the usual der-rick 14, derrick floor 16, draw works 18, hook 20, swivel 22, . kelly joint 24, rotary table 26, and drill string 28 that in-cludes conventional drill pipe 30 secured to the lower end of the kelly joint 24 and to the upper end of a section of drill collars 32, which carry a drill bit 34. Drilling liquid (or mud, as it is commonly called in the field~ is circulated from a mud pit 36 through a mud pump 38, a desurger 40, a mud sup-ply line 41, and into the swivel 22~ The drilling mud flows down through the kelly joint, drill string and drill collars, and through jets (not shown) in the lower face of the drill bit. The drilling mud flows back up through the annular space between the outer diameter of the drill string and the well bore to the surface where it is returned to the mud pit through a mud return line 42. The usual shaker screen for separating formation cuttings from the drilling mud before it returns to the mud pit is not shown.
A transducer 44 is mounted in mud supply line 41 to de-tect variations in drilling mud pressure at the surface. The transducer generates electrical signals responsive to drill-ing mud pressure variations, and these signals are transmitted ~ - 8 -12311 1 by an electrical conductor ~6 to a surface electronic proce~-ing system 48, the operation of whieh is described below in detail with respect to FIG. 3.
Referring to FIG. 2, a logging tool 50 i5 located within S the drill collar nearest the drill bit. The logging tool in-cludes one or more logging transducers for sensing downhole conditions, and a pre~sure pulse generator for imparting pres-sure pulses to the drilling liquid. Ordinarily, the logging tool is provided with transducers to measure a number of down-10 hole conditions, such as natural gamma ray count of the earthformations, torque at the bi~, weight on the bit, drilling liquid pressure inside and outside the drill s~ring, electri-cal resistivity of the drilling liquid inside and outside the drill string, temperature of the drilling liquid inside and 15 outside of the drilling string, electrical resistivity of the adjacent earth formation, inclination and azimuth of the well bore, tool face bearing, tool temperature, drill bit rpm, and drilling liquid flow rate.
As shown best in FIG. 2, the logging tool 50 includes a 20 mud turbine 54 for extracting some energy from the flowing drilling liquid and a generator 56 for converting the rota-tional energy of the turbine 54 into ~lectrical energy to supply the power needs of the subsurface components in the logging tool. The turbine and generator are stabilized in-25 side the drill collar by conventional wings or spiders 58.A mud pulser 60 is supplied power from the generator and is designed to release drilling liquid from inside the drill collar to the annular space between the drill collar o.d. and well bore on command. This is accomplished by changing the - ., . . ...

12311 1 state of a pulser valve 62 ~o allow drilling liquid to vent through an orifice 64 extending through the drill collar wall.
Thus, when the valve is opened, a portion of the drilling liquid is bypassed around the pressure drop normally imposed on the flowing drilling liquid by the jets (not shown) in the drill bit. This causes the mud pressure a~ the surface to decrease below its normal operating value~ When the valve is closed, the drilling liquid pressure at the surface is restored to its normal condition. Thus, opening and closing the valve creates a negative pressure pulse at the surface.
. The pulsing valve an~ its associated driving equipment may be of any suitable type which will cause a pressure pulse in the drillinq liquid of sufficient amplitude for detection at the surface. A suitable mud pulsing valve for use in carry-ing out the present invention is disclosed in the Oil and Gas Journal of June 12, 1978~ on page 71. Another system which may be used for generating pressure pulses in drilling fluid is shown in U. S. Pat. No. 4,078,620. If positive pulsing is desired, the pulser unit may be of the type disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 2,925,251 or 3,958,217. The turbine, genera~
tor, and pulser valve are stabilized concentrically inside the drill collar by the wings or spiders 5~ and are secured from moving axially and rotationally by a bolt 66 threaded through the drill collar wall to fit into a threaded opening (not shown) in the portion of ~he logging tool which houses the pulser valve, A subsurface electronic system 67 for processing and storing data is mounted in a pressure barrel 68, which is bolted against the inside wall of the drill collar by a :. ' ' . , , ' ` ~ .

12311 1 securing bolt 70 and an axially-floating bolt 72, which pre-vents axial strain in the pressure barrel transferred to the barrel from the drill collar. Mechanical and electrical con-nections are made from the pressure barrel to the pulser valve unit by a transi~ion piece 74, which allows a concentric to eccentric connection.
Electrical connection to the subsurface electronic sys-tem when the logging tool is brought to the surface of the earth can be quickly made through an electrical connector B0 mounted in a stepped bore 82 (FIG. 3) extending through the drill collar wall. The bore 82 is of increased diameter at its outer end to form an ou~wardly-facing shoulder 84, which receives a disc or cover 86 held in place by a C-shaped snap ring 88 mounted in an inwardly-facing annular groove 90 in the larger portion of the stepped bore 82. The cover protects the electric~1 connection when the logging tool is downhole.
When the logging tool is physically accessible and not sub-merged in drilling fluid, the snap ring and cover may be re-moved to allow quick connection to the electrical connector 20 80.
Bores 92 and 94 are also provided through the drill col-lar wall for the mounting of transducers 96 and 98 to measure various downhole conditions exterior of the drill string.
Other transducers (not shown) are mounted within the drilling string for sensing internal condition~. Such transducers are well known to those skilled in the art.
Referring to FIG. 4, the subsurface electronic system in the pressure barrel includes a conventional microprocessor 100 which performs functions and makes decisions and computations - ~

2311 1 according to a predetermined sequence controlled hy a compu-ter program maintained in a read only memory (ROM) 102 to aid the microprocessor in its operation. An erasable random ac-cess memory (RAM) 104 i5 provided to serve as a "scratch pad"
S memory. The microprocessor is required by the computer pro-gram to take certain measurements by connecting specific sen-sor inputs from the transducers, which detect various downhole conditions, to a multiplexed analog/digital converter 196.
Typical sensor inputs are shown under reference numeral 108.
The microprocessor is also connec~ed to a subsurface real-. time clock 109, which allows the microprocessor to performits functions in relation to time. The microprocessor is also ; connected to a pulser control interface 110, which allows the microprocessor to control the operation of the pulser valve 62 (FIG. 2). The microprocessor is also connected to a bulk non-volatile storage memory 112 and to a subsurface external interface 114, the output of which is connected to electrical connector 80 for quick communication with the surface elec-tronic processing system 48. This communication can be ef-fected only when the subsurface assembly is physically access-ible and not submerged in the drilling liquid. The signals stored in the non-volatile storage memory are correlated with time by the subsurface real-time clock.
ELectrical power is supplied by an uninterrupta~le power supply 116 connected to a bus 118, which supplies power to and interconnects the microprocessor, the random access memory, the read only memory, the multiplexed analog/digital conver-ter, real-time clock, the pulse control interface, the bulk non-volatile storage memory, and the subsurface external interface. The power supply 116 includes batteries ~not 2311 1 shown) so the logging tool can continue to sense downhole conditions and store them in the bulk non-volatile memory, even when the flow of drilling liquid is stopped.
Still referring to FIG. 4, which also shows the present-ly-preferred embodiment of ~he surface electronic processing system, the transducer 44 in the mud supply line 41 detects the disturbances in the drilling liquid system caused by the operation of the pulser valve. Such disturbances are thus transduced into one or more electrical voltage or current signals, which are fed through the conductor 46 to a signal conditioner 120, which permits operations, such as buffering, filtering, and calibrating, to be performed on the incoming signal. To keep a permanent visible record of the conditioned pressure signals, a strip-chart recorder 122 is connected to the output of the signal conditioner. That output is also connected to the input of a detector/decoder assembly 124, which extracts the digital information from the conditioned signals and decodes from this the downhole values being trans-mitted from the well borehole. An analog/digital readout means 126 is connected to the output of the detector/decoder, and it is used to display that information if desired. In addition, the real-time signals corresponding to the value of the sensed downhole conditions are fed into a surface data processing system 128, which includes a conventional mini-computer, storage memory~ program control (keyboard and videoscreen), and means for entering operating computer programs.
The output of the surface data process system is connected to a display 130, such as a printer, plo~er, or video screen.
A surface real-time clock 132 is connected to the surface 32-lt 2311 1 data processing system for time-dependent unctions and for correlating data retrieved from the subsurface assembly when it is in an accessible location. This data retrieval is per-formed by a surface external interface 134, which has a plug 136 adapted to make a quick connection with electrical con-nector 80 when the logging tool subsurface assembIy is brought to the derrick floor.
The practice of the invention will be explained with re-ference to sensing and transmitting to the surface signals corresponding to weight-on-bit measurements during a typical drilling operation in which drilling liquid is circulated down through the drill string, around the logging tool in the drill collar, and the drill bit, and back to the surface while the drill string and bit are rotated to drill the well. ~IG.
5 shows how the weight on the drilling bit may vary as a function with respect to time. To avoid overloading the wireless transmission system used in this invention, the in-stantaneous signals generated by the transducer which senses the weight on the bit are passed through the multiplexed a/d converter and fed into the microprocessor, which is program-med to analyze the signals over a finite time period, to to t~, say S minutes. During this interval, the signals repre-senting the weight on the bit are processed to derive the mean value, positive and negative peak values, standard devi ation information, and fundamental and harmonic frequencies and amplitudes. The frequencies are determined with relative magnitudes by any suitable method, such as performing a Fast Fourier Transform on the sampled wave form~ The derived values are stored in the bulk non-volatile storage memory ~lZ~641 12311 1 and are also used to generate signals which are fed through v the pulser control'led interface to operate the pulser valve in a binary coded sequence to create pressure pulses in the flowing drilling liquid which correspond to the derived values.
S The pulses are detec~ed at the surface in the mud supply line 41 by the transducer 44, which feeds the developed electrical signals through the signal condi~ioner, the detector/decoder, and the readout means, which presents the downhole informa-tion for immediate interpretation and action. The pulses are recorded on the chart recorder, and the electrical signals from the detector/decoder are fed into the surface data pro-cessing system, where they are correlated with time by the ¦surface real-time cloc~. The signals are stored in the sur-face data processing system and may be displayed when desired 15 ¦by feeding the output of the surface data processing system ¦to the display 130, which prints, plots, or shows the data ¦on a video screen.
¦ Since the most important features of the downhole wave ¦form are known at the surface, a replica of that wave form 20 can be constructed from the selected values, if desired, or ¦that information can be used with o~her information derived at the surface to compute formation drillability and other values of importance to the drilling operation~ Thus~ by performing the downhole analyses of the signals received from 25 the transducer sensing the downhole condition, it is possible to deliver the mo~t significant information through the wire-less transmission system in a relatiYely short time.
In a similar way, the other downhole conditions can be ensed, processed, and transmitted t~ the surface by the ~`

12311 1 operation of the multiplexed a/d converter, the operation of which i5 well-understood by those skilled in the art.
When the drill string must be removed from the well, say to change the drill bit, the logging tool and the subsurface assembly within it are temporarily available at the surface.
During this relatively brief interval, the cover is removed from the bore in which electrical connection 80 is mounted.
Surface plug 136 is quickly connected to the electrical con-nector 80 to permit all of the information stored in the bulk non-volatile storage memory to be transmitted through the sub-. surface external interface and the surface external interfaceto the surface data processing system, where the data recorded through the "hardwire" subsurface system can be compared with that transmit~ed through the wireless system. Any errors which occur can then be detected, because the signals are synchroni~ed by the surface and subsurface real-time clocks.
In this way, the percentage of mistransmissions can be com-puted after each drill bit run and correlated with mud and well conditions to provide for more accurate prediction of transmission accuracies for different conditions during future drill bit runs. Moreover, if there are errors, steps can be taken to eliminate the cause of them. For example, if the pulser valve is intermittently inoperative, it can be repaired or replaced. Alternatively, if some drilling condition cre-ates interfering noise, that can be modified to eliminate thesource of error.
During those periods of the drilling operation when cir-culation of the drilling liquid is interrupted, say when drill string i5 being added or removed at the surface, downhole logging can continue and be stored in the bulk non-volatile ~ 6~L~

2311 1 storage memory for immediate recall once the circulation of the drilling liquid is resumed. This is particularly useful in measuring downhole conditions, such as temperature, which should be monitored even though drilling operations have mo-mentarily ceasedO Thus, by measuring the rise of temperatureof the drilling liquid surrounding the drill bit during static conditions, an accurate estimate can be made of the ad~acent formation temperatureO
When the drill string is being withdrawn from the well, the pressure pulsing system is necessarily inoperative, be-cause circulation of the drilling liquid i5 stopped. Ev~n so, certain downhole conditions can be sensed and stored in ¦the bulk non-volatile storage memory for recall once the log-¦ging tool is brought to the surface. For example, formation lS ¦electrical resistivity may be of one value during the early stages of the drilling operation~ and change significantly due to mud filtrate penetration as drilling continues. By logging formation electrical resistivity when the formation is first drilled, and then later, as the drill bit is with-drawn, valuable information concerning formation porosity andpermeability can be obtained.

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Claims (2)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for transmitting data from a downhole location in a well to the surface of the earth, the method comprising the steps of:
circulating a drilling liquid through the well;
stopping the circulation of the drilling liquid through the well;
generating the data at the downhole location while circulation of the drilling liquid is stopped;
storing the data in a subsurface assembly in the well while the circulation of the drilling liquid is stopped;
resuming the circulation of the drilling liquid in the well; and thereafter transmitting signals corresponding to the data stored in the subsurface through the drilling liquid by altering the rate of flow of the drilling liquid through the well in a coded sequence corresponding to the signals.

2. A method according to claim 1 which includes the step of transferring the subsurface assembly to the surface after the signals are transferred through the drilling liquid, and comparing the data stored in the subsurface assembly with the signals transmitted to the surface through the drilling liquid.