JPH045392A - Measuring device for use in excavation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce cost by installing an oil-well logging tool with a remote detector at a specified place in a conduit, in which a fluid is circulated, and containing a pressure governor transmitting the indicating signal of a selected parameter. CONSTITUTION: A drive mechanism 16 is mounted on a drilling rig 15 and driving torque is given to a drill string 17, and a drill bit 18 for excavating an underground layer 19 is supported at the lower end of the drill string 17. An oil-well logging tool 21 supporting a tubular mule shoe-stringer 22 with a slender cylindrical curved lower edge 23 to a base section is set up into the hole of the drill string 17. A pointed-end assembly 28 is fitted at the upper end of the tool 21, and a pointed end 28 is released or engaged when the tool 21 is positioned at a specified place. Accordingly, reliability can be obtained at a low cost.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to new or improved fluid communication devices such as oil well logging tools, and in particular to logging-while-drilling or measurement-while-drilling tools. (MWD type) tool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In measurement-while-drilling tools, a sensor or transducer positioned at the lower end of the drill string measures temperature or pressure.
Predetermined drilling parameters, such as orientation parameters, logging parameters, or mechanical parameters, are continuously or intermittently monitored and the tool communicates the appropriate information to surface detectors.

Typically, such MWD tools are positioned as a single cylindrical drill collar close to the drill bit and transmit information through pressure pulses through the drilling fluid, or drilling mud, which is normally circulated under pressure through the drill string during drilling operations. It utilizes a remote control system that transmits signals to detectors on the ground in the form of

Prior art examples of measurement-while-drilling tools include Alps U.S. Pat. No. 2.787.759 and Hampton U.S. Pat.
No. 87.298, No. 3.309.656 of Gottbei, No. 4.078.620 of Westlake et al., No. 4,001.773 of Rammel et al., No. 3.9 of Gearhardt et al.
No. 64.556 and Halaserer's Canadian Patent No. 425
．． No. 996, and No. 959.825 and No. 978.175 to Mobil Oil Corporation.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] The MWD oil well logging tools that have been available so far are:
It was large, complex, and expensive, and had many drawbacks. Thus, known MWD tools are not retrievable through the drill string and it has been necessary to withdraw the drill string from the wellbore in order to retrieve such tools.

Moreover, such tools required complex and expensive power and transmission systems to power the signaling means that conveyed the desired information. It was economically impractical for power supply cables to pass through the drill string, necessitating a large and expensive battery pack or turbine generator to be included in the tool. Such tools also have the disadvantage of being large metal structures that require expensive and large equipment to machine, assemble, test, and transport. These problems can be solved by the improved MWD disclosed here.
Avoided by well logging tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a remote sensing device comprising a tool positioned at a predetermined location within a conduit through which a fluid flow circulates. The tool includes a pressure regulator adapted to transmit an indicative signal of a selected parameter present at the location, such signal being transmitted through a fluid to a remote receiver. said pressure regulator is in the form of a pressure pulse of said positive pressure and said pressure regulator is in the form of a pressure pulse of said tool through which at least a portion of said fluid flow is directed; blocking means continuously movable to and from an actuated position for generating pressure pulses, responsive to and swept by said fluid flow, and moving to and from said actuated position; latching means effective to control and for said latching means selectively energizable so as to release said latching means in a stepwise manner to permit incremental movement of said blocking means to and from an actuated position; actuator means.

The blocking means is rotatably mounted to the tool in the path of the drilling fluid flow so that the drilling fluid flow is rotated incrementally each time it is released by the latching means to block the passageway and generate the desired pressure pulse. Preferably, the rotor element is designed to apply a continuous torque to the rotor element. In order to transmit the recoil torque of the drilling fluid to the rotor,
Preferably, it is directed through angled vanes to the connected impeller. Because of this direct connection, there is no need to convert the mechanical energy of the drilling fluid flow into electrical energy using electro-mechanical devices and power regulator circuits, and therefore the required mechanisms are not complex.

Furthermore, compared to configurations in which the change in passageway restriction is effected by mechanical means driven by generated electrical power, the latching mechanism requires relatively little or no power to cause the state change, thereby increasing the power requirements of the tool. is low compared to prior art tools. Because direct coupling reduces tool complexity and power requirements compared to known positive pressure MWD tools, the tools of the present invention are low cost and highly reliable.

The well logging tool with the detection device is preferably of elongated form and of a width that allows it to be slid within the hole of the drill string from the surface to the desired deployment location, with the lower end of the tool being conventionally This mule shoe stringer supports the mule shoe stringer of
It is centered within a conventional mule shoe sleeve positioned at the lower end of the drill string. Alternatively, the instrument may be mounted on a conventional baffle blade if the orientation parameter is not desired. The tool can also be placed in a diameter-reducing polishing sleeve if desired, which hangs from the edge of the box above the collar into which the tool is inserted. The polishing sleeve is suspended by a large diameter lip and sealed on the outside of the polishing sleeve. The upper end of the tool preferably includes a tip assembly;
This tip assembly can be engaged by a standard oil well "soft release" tool to lower and release within the drill string. For recovery, the top of the tip is designed to be captured and recovered by a standard well "overshot" tool that is lowered into the drill string by a cable that hooks onto the tip.

[Example 1] Referring to FIG. 1, a drilling rig 15 is mounted in a well-known manner with a drive mechanism 16 that applies drive torque to a drill string 17 and that drives the drill string 17.
The lower end of supports a drill bit 18 for drilling a hole in underground formation 19. As a variant, the bit may be rotated by a ``mud motor J'' powered by the action of the pressure or flow of the drilling fluid (such a motor would be at the bottom of the drill string at the bit and would therefore No need to rotate.

This motor mechanism is often used to control the direction of excavation. As is well known, a drill string consists of a series of tubular drill collars which are interconnected one after the other and constitute a continuous bore through which flow fluctuations are smoothed by an accumulator or pulsation damper 11. A flow of drilling fluid from a positive displacement pump lO having a pump or pump (as known in the drilling industry) is delivered to the bottom of the drill hole to cool the drill bit and carry the drilling debris entrained in the drilling fluid; It flows upwardly between the outside of the drill string and the perimeter wall of the drill hole.

In most drilling applications, fundamental parameters of the drilling process, such as temperature direction and orientation at the bottom of the drill hole, strain applied to the drill collar, and various properties of the formation in which the drill is operating, are continuously determined. It is important to monitor regularly or intermittently. For this purpose, a well logging tool 21 is provided in the hole of the drill string. The tool 21 is of generally elongated cylindrical form and supports at its base a generally tubular mule shoe stringer 22 having a curved lower edge 23, the uppermost portion of which is axially It reaches a groove 24 extending in the direction, in which a mule shoe key 25, which is fixed to the wall of the tubular mule shoe sleeve 26, engages. mule shoe sleeve 26
(shown only schematically) is a conventional element having an outer web (not shown) that rests on the edge of the short-oriented sub, and this sleeve 26 is secured by a set screw or the like. has been done. The sleeve 26 is
and supports a key 25 that extends radially inward. When the tool 21 is lowered to the bottom of the drill string, the lower edge 23 of the mule shoe engages the key 25;
The tool is rotated until the key enters the axial groove 24, thereby fixing the orientation of the tool relative to the sleeve 26.

The weight of the tool 21 is supported by the engagement of the key 25 with the upper end of the groove 24. Alternatively, mating shoulders can be provided on the mule shoe and the mule shoe sleeve.

The upper end of the tool 21 is provided with a tip assembly 28 which allows the tool to be adapted to a standard oilfield "soft release"
The tip can be handled by the tool, lowered into the trill string by cable, and the tip released when the tool is positioned in position, or the tip can be attached using an "overshot" when the tool is to be retrieved to the surface. can be engaged. Assembly 28 has an essentially axial shaft 29
This shaft 29 has an enlarged head 30 suitably shaped for engagement by an overshot tool.

Midway along the length of shaft 29 is a radially extending and axially oriented web 31 whose outer end mates with tubular storage sleeve 36 . Sleeve 36 such that a suitable seal (not shown) engages a hole in the drill string collar.
installed on the outside of the

If the difference in these diameters is large, a diameter reducing polishing sleeve 32 is interposed. As shown in FIG. 2A, the upper end of the polishing sleeve 32 includes an annular shoulder 33.
is formed, the shoulder 33 resting on a step (not shown) of the drill collar and supporting a seal 34 on the outside of the drill collar. In this case, the containment sleeve 36 forms a seal 36a to the hole in the polishing sleeve 32.

A stator 37 fixed to the sleeve 36 has a counterbore 39 at its lower end. The configuration of stator 37 is shown more clearly in FIGS. 4 and 7, which show that the stator consists of a cylindrical body from which extends a series of helically arranged vanes 42, the outer edges of which is on the inner surface of the storage sleeve 36 and is fixed to the inner surface,
It can thus be seen that the stator together with the containment sleeve forms an axially and angularly extending passage arrangement for the flow of drilling fluid. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 7, the vanes 42 increase in thickness towards their lower ends, so that the passage therebetween becomes progressively more restricted towards the lower ends of the vanes 42.

Fixed within the lower end of the storage sleeve is a row of radial webs 43 which are connected to the tubular hub 45 of the reducer 45.
4, these webs 43 constitute a passageway for the outflow of drilling fluid from the lower end of the containment sleeve 36. a shaft assembly 46 is rotatably supported relative to the hub 44 and supports a rotating seal 47 at the upper end of the hub;
This seal is used to prevent drilling fluid from entering the rotor 4.
It is held down by the lower end of 9. An upper portion 48 of the shaft assembly 46 projects into the stator counterbore 39 and supports a rotor element 49, shown more clearly in FIG. 8, adjacent the lower end of the stator. A compression spring 47a on the shaft portion 48 below the rotor 49 presses the seal 47 firmly against the reducer hub 44. Rotor 49 is keyed to shaft portion 48 and shaft assembly 4
fixed by a fastener 50 for rotation with 6;
A series of channels 51 extending generally axially around the rotor 49
The flow path 51 corresponds to the number and clearance of the stator vanes 42, and the flow path 51 has a gradually increasing angle from the upper end to the lower end of the rotor, as clearly shown in FIG. . The flow passage 51 thus defines ribs 55 spaced apart around the rotor 49, and as can be seen from FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the angle of the upper end 56 of the rib 55 is
This is sufficient to effectively close the lower ends of the passages between the stator vanes 42 when the rotor is rotated to bring the ribs 55 into line with these passages. 0-ring seal 52
prevents fluid flow between rotor 49 and shaft portion 48.

The rotor 49 is supported by an annular shoulder 53 on the shaft portion 48 .

The reducer 45 flares outwardly in a conical manner below the hub 44 and forms a seat connected to the upper end of a tubular upper latch sleeve 57a, which is connected to a lower latch sleeve 57b. 57
The lower end of b is connected to a cylindrical solenoid housing 58, below which a compensator housing 59 is connected. The lower end of the compensator housing 59 is connected to a cylindrical barrel 60 containing electronic and power components (not shown), the bottom end of which is connected to the mule shoe 2.
I support 2.

The shaft assembly 46 is supported by spaced apart upper and lower bearings 61 and 61, which are mounted on the upper latch sleeve 57a. A damper assembly 62 is mounted near the upper end inside the upper latch sleeve 57a and includes a damper driver 63 in the form of a cylindrical collar, which damper driver 63 is keyed for rotation with the shaft assembly 46. but can slide axially relative to the shaft assembly 46. Collar 63 forms one end of a cylindrical assembly 64 that cooperates with an annular piston 65 fixed relative to shaft assembly 46 .

A pin 66 is fixed to the wall of the latch sleeve 57a, the pin 66 projecting radially inwardly and being received in a groove 67 in the collar 63. As shown more clearly in FIG. 10, the groove 67 extends around the collar 63 in an oscillating manner, ie, its axial position changes. Thus, as the damper assembly rotates with the shaft 46, the interaction of the pin 66 in the groove 67 causes the damper assembly 62 to swing axially, and this rocking (and hence rotational movement of the shaft assembly 46) is damped by the movement of hydraulic fluid within cylinder 64 from one side of piston 65 to the other. Thus, damper assembly 62 operates in the manner of a hydraulic damper.

The shaft assembly 46 is attached to the latch sleeve 57 by the bearing 61.
a, and is positioned axially with respect to the latch cage 57a by a pair of collars 68 positioned adjacent to each bearing 61 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. .

The lowermost ends of the two bearings 6e are connected to the lower latch sleeve 57b.
It rests on the top flange 7o. A lower extension 71 of shaft assembly 46 projects downwardly into lower latch sleeve 57b and is connected to a torsional drive assembly 72, which in turn is connected to a latching device 73, which will be described in more detail below. There is.

The shaft extension 71 is surrounded by a compression drive spring 74;
This compression drive spring 74 is compressed between the shoulder of the shaft and the upper side of the torsion drive element 75. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 9, the torsionally driven elm, Mendoor 5,
It is of generally cylindrical form with a central hole 76 traversed by a diametrical groove 77. Lower shaft extension 71 is received in hole 76 and is received in pin 78 or slot 77 of shaft extension 7I. Torsional drive element 75 is received clearance-wise within lower latch sleeve 57b and is constrained by the interaction of pin 78 and slot 77 to follow rotational movement of shaft assembly 46, but not axially relative to shaft assembly 46. is not fixed.

Latching device 73 includes a latch cage formed by a cylindrical housing 79 that is received within lower latch sleeve 57b directly below torsional drive assembly 72. A pair of diametrically opposed lugs 8o project downwardly from the lower surface of the torsional drive element 75. A second pair of diametrically opposed lugs 81 project upwardly from latch housing 79. A flat elastic spring element 82 of hard rubber is positioned between the torsional drive element 75 and the latch housing 79 and is connected to the four radially projecting arms 8
3, each of the arms being positioned between a pair of lugs 80.81, so that the rotation of the torsional drive element 75 is caused by the rotation of the spring arm 83 between the pair of lugs 80 and 81.
is transmitted to the housing 79 via the grip of the housing 79 . Spring element 82 is of approximately 55 to 70 durometer and is neoprene or other rubber suitable for use at the operating temperatures encountered.

Latching device 73 will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 2B, 3, 6, and 11. As mentioned above, the cylindrical housing or latch cage 79 is constrained to follow the rotation of the shaft assembly 46 by the torsional drive 72.

As seen in FIG. 6, the cylindrical housing 79 of the latching device includes a tubular wall 84 having a pair of spaced apart annular upper rings 85 and lower rings 86, respectively, with the lugs 81 intersecting with the upper rings. It is formed in one piece. FIG. 6 shows housing 79 with parts removed to show the interior in detail. The housing 79 is a hollow cylindrical cage and has four downwardly projecting pins 87 secured to the upper ring 85 that are equiangularly spaced about the longitudinal axis of the tool.

Similarly, four equiangularly spaced pins 88 project upwardly from the lower link 86, the lower pins being angularly offset by 45 degrees relative to the upper pin.

A solenoid 9o supported in the hole 91 is mounted within the solenoid housing 58 and is pushed upward by a compression spring 92. An axially disposed rod 93 projects upwardly from the solenoid plunger and is slidably guided in a bore that opens into an enlarged counterbore 95 opening in the upper end of the solenoid housing 58. ing.

The cross piece 96 (Fig. 11) is the solenoid rod 93.
A helical compression spring 97 fixed to the upper end and surrounding the rod 93 engages under the crosspiece 96 and forces the rod constantly upwardly. Crosspiece 96 supports bearings 103 for cross-arranged latch shafts 99 (see FIGS. 3 and 11).

The shaft 99 is positioned within a diametrically disposed axially extending cross-guide slot 100 that is connected to the sleeve extension 101 at the upper end of the solenoid housing 58.
is formed. A roller 102 is installed on the wall of the guide slot.
are engaged and the shaft 99 is movably guided by the roller 102 in the axial direction of the tool, and the interaction between the roller and the guide slot prevents the shaft 99 and the solenoid rod 93 from rotating about the axis of the tool. ing. axis 99
One end projects radially beyond the sleeve 101 to form a catch 99a, which is in the path of movement of the pins 87, 88 of the latch cage 79. This shaft 99 freely rotates within the roller 102 and bears a bearing 103.
can be rotated relative to the crosspiece 96 of.

A spring 97 surrounding the solenoid rod 93 forces the shaft 99 upwardly placing the catch 99a in the path of movement of the upper pin 87 of the latch cage 79.

In this position, when one top pin 87 engages the catch, rotation of the latch cage 79, and therefore the rotor 49 coupled via the shaft assembly 46, is prevented. When the solenoid 90 is energized, it pulls the rod 93 downward,
The catch 99a is moved out of the path of the top pin 87 and into the path of the bottom pin 88, thereby causing the latch cage 79, and therefore the rotor 49, to rotate until one of the bottom pins engages the catch. and this rotation is equal to 45°.

When the solenoid 90 is demagnetized, the shaft 99 is moved upwardly by the spring 97 to disengage the lower pin 88 and latch to allow rotation in additional 45° increments until the next upper pin 87 is engaged. Free cage 79.

The solenoid housing 58 protects the solenoid from the drilling fluid and is threaded into the lower end of the lower latch sleeve 57b and is fixed therein in a constant rotational orientation relative to the stator 37, thus intervening between the various parts in a constant rotational orientation. Thus, the rotor 49 is in a predetermined rotational direction relative to the stator 37 when the solenoid 90 is demagnetized. This predetermined orientation corresponds to substantial alignment between the flow passages 51 of the rotor 49 and the passages between the vanes 42 of the stator 37, thus minimizing flow resistance of drilling fluid through the rotor 49. do.

The flow of drilling fluid through the upper end of the tool in a generally axial direction as shown by the arrows in FIG. Torque is sometimes applied to the rotor 49. However, as expected from the foregoing description, the rotor 49 does not rotate freely, but its rotation is strictly controlled by the latch device 73, so that the catch 99a is connected to one of the pins 87, 88 of the latch cage 79. Rotation is prevented when in contact.

When the solenoid 90 is energized, the catch 99a is pulled downwardly and off the upper pin 87, causing the latch cage 79, and hence the rotor 49, to be pulled downwardly so that one of the lower pins 88 is removed from the catch 99a.
Rotate freely through a 45° angle until it engages. Thus, the rotor 49 is attached to the wide upper end 56 of the rib 55.
is restrained in a position completely occluding the lower end of the flow path through stator 37, and this occlusion causes an increase in pressure pulses that are transmitted through the drilling fluid and can be detected at the surface.

In order to prevent premature erosion of the pressure regulator parts due to high-velocity impact of particles suspended in the drilling fluid, the pressure regulator parts should be made of a hard material or this pressure regulator part should be coated with a hard material such as titanium carbide and diffused. Alternatively, this material is sintered.

Areas of particular interest are the bottom of the stator vanes 42, the top and sides of the rotor vanes 55, and the inside of the containment sleeve 36 surrounding these parts.

It is necessary to protect internal components of oil well logging tools from the action of drilling fluids. (Then, the reducer, the upper latch sleeve 57a and the lower latch sleeve 57b1
The solenoid housing and containment housing are filled with oil. The compensation housing 59 has a compensation device that increases the pressure of this oil in response to the pressure of the surrounding drilling fluid as the tool 21 is lowered progressively into the drill hole. This purpose For this reason, the compensating housing includes a cylindrical bore 110, the lower end of which has an opening 111 communicating with the outside of the tool 21 and the drilling fluid surrounding the tool 21.
It's within 10. As the pressure of the drilling fluid surrounding the tool 21 increases, the piston 112 is forced above the borehole and the pressure of the oil therein and of the tool communicating with the borehole 110 through suitable passage means (not shown). This causes a compensatory increase in the pressure of the oil admitted into the internal space.

A barrel assembly 60 containing a power supply and electronic controller (not shown) utilized to control the operation of the latch assembly 73 is coupled below the storage housing 59. A suitable passageway 113 is provided in the storage housing 59 to connect a control cable (not shown) between the solenoid 90 and the electronic controller; this passageway also conducts oil through the barrel 6 to the bulkhead connector.
This bulkhead connector directs hydraulic pressure away from the power supply electronics module to ensure that the hydraulic pressure within the barrel 60 is equal to the external drilling fluid pressure.

The compensator thus compensates for pressure changes exerted on the tool by the drilling fluid due to changes in the operating depth of the tool. As the tool is lowered, the increased pressure of the surrounding drilling fluid moves the piston 112 to similarly pressurize the oil within the tool. If there is air in the tool, this air is also compressed.

We will now explain how the tool works. Barrel 60 includes coupling devices and various transducers for downhole parameters to be measured. The barrel also includes a pressure transducer so the tool can receive pressure signals from the surface.

The barrel also contains the measurement control electronics and power supply for the device. These components are not shown or described in detail herein, except with respect to the schematic diagram of FIG. 15. These components are well known and do not form part of the present invention. Therefore, referring to FIG. 15, the desired downhole parameters are measured by a suitable transducer 120 and the signal from this transducer 120 is transmitted via a multiplacer 121 to a CPU 122 which controls the operation of the solenoid 9o. The device is powered by a power source 123 created by a suitable storage battery or generator turbine assembly.

Actuation of the solenoid controls the pressure regulator 125 (i.e. the positioning of the rotor surface 56 with respect to the stator passage).
, the pressure regulator connects the pressure transducer 1 of the drilling rig 15 upwardly through the drill hole as represented by line 126 in FIG.
27, the signal from pressure transducer 127 is connected to a strip chart recorder 128 or other suitable recording device. Readings from the strip chart recorder indicate the value of the downhole parameter being measured and allow downhole conditions to be monitored on a continuous or intermittent basis as desired.

As mentioned above, the tool 21 is relatively simpler and less complex than other known tools for the same purpose, and these advantages include the fact that the drive power for the pressure regulator 125 is derived directly from the drilling fluid itself, and thus , mainly derived from the fact that for this purpose it is not necessary to provide such a tool with the conventional power supply and drive transmission. Instead, the pressure regulator is controlled solely by actuation of the latching device 73;
This is done by solenoid 90. Because of this configuration, there is no need to convert the mechanical energy of the drilling fluid flow into electrical energy using an electro-mechanical device and power regulator circuit. Due to the reduced complexity, this tool 21 therefore has improved reliability compared to those previously used.

Damper assembly 62 and torsion spring 82 cooperate together to control the rotation of rotor 49 and latch cage 79 to prevent damage to the latch assembly components during operation thereof. Depending on the angle of the stator blades 42 and the speed and density of the drilling fluid, the torque applied to the rotor 49 can be very high. Because the moment of inertia of rotor 49 and its associated shaft assembly 46 and latching device 73 is relatively small, the torque exerted by the flow of drilling fluid will, if unrestricted, create a very large angular acceleration of these components. , this is a component of the latching device 73, in particular the catch 9.
This will cause premature wear and damage to the interacting parts of 9a and latch bins 87 and 88. If the angular acceleration applied to the assembly is left uncontrolled, the latch cage 79 will reach a large angular velocity when released by the catch 99a, even though only 45 degrees of rotation will result in the next pin 87
．． Even a collision with 88 would generate stresses large enough to cause damage. This of course causes tool failure and signal loss, so such stresses must be reduced to avoid possible damage or failure of the various components.
Even small levels can create dents in the pins of the latch cage that can prevent the detent 99a from smoothly disengaging from these pins when activating the solenoid 90.

Damper assembly 62, the operation of which has been described above, has the effect of limiting the angular velocity achieved by rotor-spindle assembly 46 so that pins 87, 88 of latch cage 79
Significantly reduce the speed of engagement with 9a. Damper assembly 62
Alternatively, - once the initial contact is made with the catch 99a and the appropriate pin 87
．． 88 serves to minimize or reduce vibrations in the assembly.

Most of the remaining shock from the collision between the stopper 99a and the pins 87 and 88 is absorbed by the spring 82;
is positioned between latch cage 79 and torque drive element 75 as described with respect to FIG. This torsion spring 82 is elastically deformed when compressed between the lugs 80 and 81, and the clasp 99a and the pin 87.
88. Provides a rubber joint that absorbs peak load stresses applied during 88. - Once the peak stress is absorbed, the spring 82 relaxes slightly and the total deflection of the spring during operation is relatively small, within about 2° to 5° of rotation. Therefore,
The desired orientation between rotor 49 and latch cage 79 is still precisely maintained.

Because the pump stroke from positive displacement pumps commonly used in drilling causes variations in instantaneous flow rate, the rotor assembly tends to resonate at the pump stroke rate, or harmonically, or subharmonically. This is somewhat damped in the damper assembly 62, but the pin 66 is inserted into the slot 67 of the damper collar 63.
There is a backlash play. In order to limit this vibration to an acceptable level (i.e. less than about lθ° from peak to peak), there is a one-way ratchet mechanism with stops every IO8 or so, as shown in FIG. so that this mechanism does not latch impact torque and retains the peak torque between pin 87.88 and catch 99a.
This mechanism must be aligned with the direction of rotation. This means that the solenoid 90 does not have enough compression force or the spring 97 does not have enough tension force to separate the catch 99a from the pin 87.88.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet ring 130 secured to the lower latch sleeve 57b by a key 131, and the ratchet mechanism includes a series of inwardly directed teeth.
32 is formed. There are a total of 40 teeth 132, although a reduced number of teeth is shown in FIG. 12 to simplify the drawing.

With 40 teeth, the stops are spaced at 9° angular spacing.

The ratchet ring 130 cooperates with a pawl 133, and this pawl 1
33 is pivoted to the top surface of the torsion drive element 75 and is urged outwardly into engagement with the teeth by a torsion spring 134 supported on the lower shaft extension 71. Drive element 75 is rotated at 45° (successive pins 87 and 88
is rotated stepwise in the direction of arrow 135 in angular increments of (corresponding to the spacing between) each increment moving pawl 133 past five of the forty ratchet teeth 132.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in the rotor-stator arrangement shown in FIGS. 2, 7, and 8, fluid flow generates Bernoulli forces that force rotor 49 into a closed position with respect to stator vanes 42. and tends to prevent rotation of the rotor away from this closed position. In the illustrated configuration, Bernoulica is overcome due to the large torque in the desired direction of rotation generated by the tilting of the stator vanes 42. This is because high-speed fluid passes through the outer diameter of the rotor vane 55 in the gap between the rotor vane 55 and the storage sleeve 36 which pulls the vane by friction, and
This is because it causes a reaction force when redirecting the fluid as a result of striking another blade. The area 55a at the trailing edge of the rotor 49 is minimized to reduce Bernoulli forces, straighten the flow displacing the rotor blades, and reverse the backward motion caused by fluid jetting onto the leading edge of the top of the rotor and striking the leading vane. Shaped to minimize reaction forces. However, in order to ensure sufficient force to move the rotor from the closed position to the open position, a fairly high angle is required in the stator components, resulting in an extremely high angle in the desired direction when the rotor is in the open position. This causes the latch control components to be stronger than desired.

These parts include the actuator (solenoid or motor mechanism), shaft 99 and its bearings, pin cage 73, shock absorbing spring 82, and hydraulic damper 62. Moreover, the reaction forces that hold the rotor in the closed position against a suitable stop in the latch cage tend to be relatively weak due to design optimization, and the rotor is subject to fluctuations in flow velocity that are common in conventional devices. tends to vibrate the stop in the closed position. This reduces the average size of the pressure pulse. This problem is overcome by the use of the one-way ratchet mechanism of FIG. 12 to allow movement in only the desired direction.

The problems described above are also overcome by another embodiment of the rotor-stator configuration shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. In this embodiment, the storage sleeve 36 shown in FIG. 2A is modified by reconfiguring the stator, rotor, and impeller arrangement to further reduce the diameter of the logging tool so that the tool can be retrieved in more situations. I've lost it. 2nd A
13, which is a longitudinal cross-sectional view corresponding to the upper part of the figure.
Referring to the figure, although the containment sleeve around the impeller is not within the polished or reduced diameter sleeve 232, the tip assembly 228 has axially spaced threads 228 at its lower end.
29, which has an internal thread at the upper end 33 of the spindle assembly 246.
It is screwed together with 0. An impeller 202 is positioned on the shaft assembly below the tip assembly and is coupled for rotation with the shaft assembly 246 by a key 206 . The impeller includes a series of protruding, angled, angled vanes 203.

Below the impeller, a shaft assembly 246 passes through a hub 248 of a rotor or throttle valve 249, which is coupled for rotation with the shaft assembly by a key 250. The configuration of throttle valve 249 is shown more clearly in FIG. 14 and can be seen to include a series 255 of upwardly sloping, radially projecting hubs separated at equal angular distances by flow passages 256. As shown in FIG. 14, these ribs 255 gradually increase in angular radial area below the hub 248 and have a land surface 257 on the front side thereof.
is narrowed to minimize the Bernoulli forces as previously discussed with respect to FIG. The lower surface of rib 255 is flat.

Referring to the embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 1-12, the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14 includes a stator arrangement 237 that is a two-piece construction. Top end with screw 2
At the upper end of reducer 245 is a tubular hub 245a having 45b. The reducer has a series of radially projecting and axially extending vanes 242b fixed to the reducer below the hub 245a, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the reducer sleeve 232. The upper edges of these vanes 242b have a sharp inverted V-shape as seen in FIG.
b constitutes the lower portion 237b of the stator. The upper portion 237a of the stator, best shown in FIG. 14, includes a tubular hub having a series of radially projecting and axially oriented vanes 242a corresponding to the number and spacing of vanes 242b. , the upper portion 237a of the bracket has a flat upper end positioned proximate the flat underside of the rib 255 that is angled downwardly and is angled downwardly to form the vane 24.
The lower end of vane 242a has a V-shaped recess or notch designed to receive the upper edge of vane 242b. A short tubular spigot 238 is above the upper stator section 237a, and the holes in the stator section 237a and spigot 238 extend past the tubular reducer hub 245a so that when the upper vane 242a and the lower vane 242b are in engagement, the hub 245a The upper end of the screw village is spigot 23
Stick it out on top of 8.

Tubular seal holder 2 with lower internally threaded bone portion 239a
39 is positioned above the stator assembly and its lower female threaded portion 239a is threadedly engaged with the upper end of the reducer hub 245a such that the lower end of this seal holder 239 pushes against the spigot 238 and the upper stator portion 23
7a is fixed to the lower portion 237b and the reducer 245. As shown in FIG. 13, the shaft assembly 246 passes through the upper stator portion, the lower stator portion, and the seal holder 239, and the gap between the seal holder 239 and the shaft assembly is
A suitable rotary seal 24, such as in the form of an O-ring seal.
0 is supported. It should be noted that due to the pressure compensation described with respect to FIG. 2B, a low pressure seal is only needed for this application because the differential pressure across seal 240 is small. Shaft 246 rotates in a gap between reducer 245 and seal holder 239 (as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A).

As seen in FIG. 13, seal holder 239 is received within large counterbore 251 of throttle valve 249.

It will be appreciated that in the configuration described and shown in connection with FIGS. 13 and 14, for a given flow area, the diameter of the tool can be reduced compared to the embodiment of FIGS. 2-12. It will be. In the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14, the tip assembly 228 threaded onto the spindle assembly 246 means that the front weight of the tool is supported by the spindle assembly 246 during retrieval.

Moreover, although there is no seal between the stator vanes 242a, 242b and the reducer sleeve 232, a small bypass flow of fluid passing around the stator through such gaps can be significant to the magnitude of the pressure signal. No effect. 13 and 14, stator vanes 242a, 2
42b is entirely radial in configuration and does not form an angle with axis 246.

In operation, with components configured as shown in FIG. 13, the flow of drilling fluid passing downwardly through the reducer sleeve 232 interacts with the angled impeller blades 203 to apply a torque to the shaft assembly 246.

The value of this torque depends on the flow conditions encountered, and the impeller 202 is designed for such flow conditions to generate a sufficient but not excessive torque.

In practice, a series of differently shaped impellers 202 are provided whose vanes 203 have different pitches and lengths. For a given application, an impeller is chosen that generates sufficient but not excessive torque. The excessive torque generated by impeller 202 causes too high an angular acceleration to be applied to shaft assembly 246 when released by latching device 73, thus preventing precision shock absorption as described with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B.・Requires a damping device. Another way to limit the torque applied to the shaft assembly 246 by the impeller 202 is to include a slip clutch device (not shown) between these two elements, thereby reducing the torque value once selected. If you exceed
Slip occurs between the impeller and the shaft assembly so that the latch 73 is not overloaded.

2A and 1 by limiting the torque applied to the shaft assembly 246, either by the means described above, or by redesigning the shock absorption system of the tool.
The hydraulic damper described with respect to Figure 0 can be eliminated. The apparatus thus modified is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. As seen in FIG. 16, the lower extension 71 of the shaft assembly 46 passes through a bearing 61 located between the upper latch sleeve 57a and the lower latch sleeve 57b, and the lower end of the extension 71 has a modified torsion. It supports a pin 78 that engages a drive element 75a, and this torsion drive element 7
5a is connected directly to the latch cage 79 without the intervening spring 82 shown in FIG. 9, for example. For this purpose, the interengaging lugs 80 and 81 only need to be enlarged in angle. Alternatively, other means may be provided for direct engagement between the torsional drive element and the latch cage 79. In this embodiment, a modified spring damper element 82a is provided below the latch structure. 1st
The solenoid housing 58a of FIG. 6 has an enlarged hole 94a in which the tubular component 114 is received;
This tubular component 114 has a hole 94b (through which the solenoid rod 93 passes) and a counterbore hole 95a for receiving the spring 97 at the upper end. Upper extension 101a of tubular component 114 is formed with a slot 100a into which roller 102 of shaft 99 engages, as described with respect to FIG. A lower tubular part 115 is secured to the lower end of the hole 94a by a key 116. A spring damper 82a is positioned between the opposing ends of the upper and lower tubular parts, the shape of which is more clearly shown in the exploded view of FIG. As mentioned above, the damper 82a
has a cross-shaped appearance with four protruding arms 83a. It also has a hole 82b through which the solenoid shaft 93 passes. Upper tubular part 114 and lower tubular part 1
The opposite ends of 15 each have projecting lugs 117,118 which are adapted to place the opposite pair into the recess between the arms 83a. Thus, the lower tubular part 115 is connected to the solenoid housing 58a.
and because the upper tubular part 114 supports the shaft 99, the impact applied to the shaft 99 through engagement with the successive pins 87, 88 of the latching structure is applied as a compressive load to the arm 83a of the damper 82a. You will see that it can be added to Due to the appropriate design of this damper 82a, all the impact energy generated is absorbed and thus the second
The hydraulic damper assembly 62 as shown and the ratchet assembly as shown in FIG. 12 can be eliminated.

Thus, the composition of damper 82a must be such that it is not elastic and is capable of absorbing and dissipating energy. Rubbers of many compositions are suitable for this purpose, and particularly preferred rubbers have a durometer hardness of 55 to 70, which gives a torsion spring spring constant along the width of the arm of 82a (i.e. 82). Determine, thereby, the 1 1°5 to 34.6 kg-cm (10 to 30
The angular position of the rotor is moderately controlled when latched to a torque range of f-in). The rubber should be able to dissipate at least 75% of the input energy due to deformation, act as a shock vibration damper and spring, and eliminate the need for hydraulic dampers and one-way ratchet assemblies in most applications. .

Such a material is neoprene, which can be molded to a suitable durometer range and heated from 125°C to 1
Up to a moderate temperature of 50° C., about 80 to 90% of the impact energy is dissipated due to deformation.

The rotor drive device shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.
It has important advantages over the structures described with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8. In particular, stator 237 is straight and streamlined, thus reducing resistance to the flow of drilling mud. The rotor is of short axial length to reduce return reaction forces, and both the leading and trailing edges of the rotor ribs 255 are narrow to reduce Bernoulli forces in both directions. The impeller blades are designed to provide sufficient torque to the rotor at a minimum flow rate of drilling mud to overcome any forces generated and generate the required signal strength. These torque requirements are compared to the torque of the first example.
The design of rotor 249 has been reduced, and thus the strength and complexity of other elements of the control mechanism can be reduced considerably.

For normal mud flow conditions, the ratcheting device of FIG. 12 is similar to that of FIGS. Not necessary for the illustrated embodiment.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drilling equipment for drilling a hole in an underground layer, and FIGS. 2A and 2B both show the length of a first embodiment of a logging tool used in the drilling equipment of FIG. 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line ■-■ in Figure 2B, and Figures 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views along line IV-■ and v-■ in Figure 2A, respectively. FIG. 6 is a partially sectional enlarged perspective view showing details of the tool shown in FIG. 2B, and FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively show the stator and rotor used in the tool shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the tool; FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing details of the tool; FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway portion showing further details. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a ratchet device that can be used in the tools shown in FIGS. 1-11; FIG. Figure 14 is an exploded view showing the individual components of the embodiment of Figure 13; Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing the functions performed by the well logging tool; , FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to the upper part of FIG. 2B showing another configuration, and FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of some components of FIG. 16. 15--Drilling rig, 21--Tool, 37...
Stator, 45... Reducer, 46... Shaft assembly, 49... Rotor, 57a... Upper latch sleeve, 57b... Lower latch sleeve, 58... Snout/Solenoid housing, 59... Storage Housing, 60... Barrel, 62... Damper assembly, 72
... Torsional drive assembly, 73... Latch device, 202... Impeller, 237... Stator, 246... Shaft assembly. FIG. 16

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A pressure regulator adapted to transmit a signal in the form of a positive pressure pulse in a flowing fluid to a remote receiver, comprising passage means through which at least a portion of said fluid flow is directed; , continuously movable to and from an actuated position for rapidly, temporarily, at least partially restricting the passageway means to generate the positive pressure pulse, responsive to and swept away by the fluid flow; blocking means for moving into and out of said activated position; latching means effective to control movement of said blocking means; and releasing said latching means in a stepwise manner to move said blocking means into and out of said activated position. Actuator means for said latching means selectively energized for incremental movement from position. 2. said blocking means is rotatably mounted in said fluid flow path and thereby rotated to and from said operative position in sequential steps in a single direction of rotation when released by said latching means; 2. A pressure regulator according to claim 1, characterized by a moving rotor element. 3. The pressure regulator of claim 2, wherein the rotor element is in the form of a turbine having circumferentially spaced angular blades adapted to be driven by the fluid flow. 4. The passage means is configured between radially extending webs of the stator having flow passages extending from an upstream end to a downstream end to receive a portion of the fluid flow, and the blocking means is arranged at one end of the stator. a rotor rotatably mounted adjacent to the rotor, the rotor having ribs at a spacing corresponding to the ribs in the stator passage, and in the operating position the ribs at least partially occlude the passage. such that the rotor is arranged to be swept in a predetermined direction by the fluid flow, and the latching means is operative to hold the blocking means in an inoperative position against such sweeping; 2. A pressure regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein each energization of said actuator means is effective to disengage said latching means to allow incremental movement of said blocking means to and from said actuated position. 5. further characterized in that damper means is operatively coupled to said blocking means to prevent excessive acceleration when disengaged by said latching means.
The pressure regulator according to any one of items 1 to 4. 6. The damper means comprises a hydraulic damper having a piston, the piston sliding in a cylinder fixed to a shaft connected to the block means and mounted to rotate with the shaft; When the shaft rotates, it vibrates in the axial direction of the shaft, and such vibration is
producing a flow of damping fluid within the cylinder from one side of the piston to the other side through at least one throttle valve;
6. A pressure regulator as claimed in claim 5, thus damping such movements. 7. A shock absorbing spring device operatively connected between said blocking means and said latching means to substantially absorb the impact energy of engagement of said latching means. The pressure regulator according to any of paragraph 6. 8. The blocking means is characterized by a rotor element and an impeller, the rotor element being rotatably mounted within the path of motion of the fluid flow, and rotation of the rotor element in one direction moves the rotor element into the operating position. successively positioned in and out of the rotor element, the impeller being positioned in the path of fluid flow and thereby being swept away during rotation; The pressure regulator according to claim 1, which is connected to the pressure regulator. 9. A pressure regulator according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein said actuator means is a solenoid-operated reciprocating rod supporting a catch projecting into said latching means. 10. The latching means is characterized by a cage fixed for rotation with the blocking means, the cage having a series of equiangularly spaced joints, one of the joints being connected to the catch. said catch is engaged by said latching means to support said blocking means against rotation under the action of a torque supplied by said fluid flow, when said latching means is in an actuated position. 10. A pressure regulator as claimed in claim 9, positioned within the rotational path. 11. The cage includes a first set of joints and a second set of joints, the second set of joints being opposite to and relative to the first set of joints. the clasps are disposed angularly offset, and when the clasps are moved by actuation of the rod to release one set of joints, the clasps are moved into the path of a second set of joints; 11. A pressure regulator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the incremental angular movement of said blocking means is limited by. 12. The first and second sets of joints are provided in the form of axially extending protrusions disposed on annular rings on opposite sides of the cage, and the catch is supported on the solenoid-operated reciprocating rod. 12. Pressure regulator according to claim 11, which is in the form of crossed shafts and has a protruding shaft adapted to engage said projection. 13. The pressure regulator according to any one of claims 2 to 12, further comprising a one-way ratchet mechanism connected to the blocking means to prevent rotation in a direction opposite to the single direction. 14. The pressure regulator is housed in a retrievable oil well logging tool in the form of an elongate, adapted to be lowered through the interior of the drill string and supported at the lower end of the drill string. The pressure regulator according to any one of items 1 to 13. 15. A pressure regulating method adapted to transmit a signal in the form of a positive pressure pulse in a flowing fluid to a remote receiver, comprising: positioning a pressure regulator in a conduit through which said fluid flows; comprising blocking means continuously movable to and from an actuated position for providing a rapid, temporary, at least partial restriction of fluid flow; and utilizing the force of the fluid flowing through said conduit to actuate said blocking means. Swept away, rotated angularly, at controlled intervals,
releasing said blocking means for angular rotation to and from said operating position, thereby generating a series of positive pressure pulses transmitted through said fluid, said positive pressure pulses being received at said remote receiver; A pressure regulating method. 16. further characterized in that said blocking means is stopped in an inoperative position by latching means, and release of said blocking means for angular rotation is by a selectively actuable actuator coupled to said latching means; 16. The method according to claim 15. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the force of a flowing fluid is utilized by positioning a bladed impeller wheel within the fluid flow and coupling the impeller wheel to the blocking means. 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising: damping the angular rotation of the blocking means to reduce acceleration when released. 19. said blocking means comprises a series of angularly spaced vanes and is mounted for rotation adjacent one end of a stator, said stator having a series of passageways corresponding to said vanes; 16. A method as claimed in claim 15, in which the passageway is substantially occluded by the vane when the blocking means moves into its operative position, thereby generating the pressure pulse. 20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the pressure regulation is performed during oil well drilling or oil well logging operation.