MX2012014486A - Use of wired tubulars for communications/power in an in-riser application. - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for controlling a subsea valve assembly includes connecting a subsea riser between a wellhead and a surface vessel. An in-riser control unit is attached to a wired pipe string and disposed within the subsea riser, resulting in the in-riser control unit being deployed in-riser. The wired pipe string is connected to a surface control unit and a communication signal is transmitted through the wired pipe string between the surface control unit and the in-riser control unit to control the subsea valve assembly.

Description

USE OF WIRED TUBULARS FOR COMMUNICATIONS / ENERGY IN AN APPLICATION IN OUTLET PIPES CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUESTS The present application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application 61 / 355,439, filed on June 16, 2010.

ANTECEDENTS OF THE DESCRIPTION A typical subsea drilling production system has a wellhead and an underground valve assembly, such as a blowout preventer ("BOP") or a connection tree, installed therein. An outlet tube extends from the connection shaft, and together with the shaft and the mouth of the well, forms a gap. Various components of the drilling, such as a chuck for pumping pipe, a tool for running pipe, and a test shaft, are positioned in the hole and must be operated to perform their corresponding function. In conventional subsea drilling production systems, these components are hydraulically driven through passages, which extend upwards into the recess towards the surface. The hole may be housed within an outlet pipe that extends from a surface vessel to the bottom of the sea. A fluid reservoir and a pump on the surface provide hydraulic pressure to the components.

Conventional systems need long hydraulic umbilical lines to pass from the surface to the bottom of the sea. The deeper the submarine gap, the longer the umbilical lines must be, and the more flexion is introduced into the hydraulic system as the lines flex from the hydraulic pressure. This bending reduces the precision at which the components can be operated. Also, there is a large distance between the regulating pump and the component that is being operated, which increases the response times to operate the components. In some cases, because the fluid in the long umbilical lines must travel a great distance, these fluids are easily contaminated.

COMPENDIUM In general, in one or more embodiments, the invention relates to a method for controlling an underwater valve assembly, comprising connecting an underwater outlet pipe between a wellhead and a surface vessel; joining a control unit in the outlet pipe with a column of wired pipes; placing the column of wired pipes inside the submarine outlet pipe, causing the control unit in the outlet pipe to deploy in the outlet pipe; connect the column of wired pipes to a surface control unit; transmit, through the column of wired pipes, a communication signal between the surface control unit and the control unit in the outlet pipe to control the underwater valve assembly.

In general, in one or more embodiments, the invention relates to a control system for an underwater valve assembly, said system comprises an underwater outlet pipe connected between a wellhead and a ship, a regulator placed in a column of wired pipes where the column of wired pipes is placed in the submarine outlet pipe and configured to control the underwater valve assembly, a surface control unit placed on the ship and configured to communicate with the regulator through the pipe column wired.

Brief description of the drawings.

The present description is better understood from the detailed description below when read together with the attached figures. It is emphasized that, according to standard practice in the industry, several features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the different features can be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity in the description.

Figure 1 shows a wired pipe according to one or more embodiments of the invention.

Figure 2 is a system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a process according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 shows a computing device according to one or more embodiments of the present description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It will be understood that the following description provides many different modalities or examples for implementing different features of various modalities. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These, of course, are merely examples and are not intended to be exhaustive. In addition, the present description can repeat numbers and / or reference letters in the different examples. The repetition provides simplicity and clarity and does not impose a relation in itself between the different modalities and / or configurations described.

In general, the embodiments of the invention relate to a method and a system for electronic communication in production systems. Specifically, the present application describes an apparatus and method for using a wired pipeline to transmit communications / power for production applications. More specifically, the embodiments of the invention relate to an apparatus and a method for the communication of wired pipes in an application in an outlet pipe. In one or more embodiments of the invention, an outlet pipe and / or pipe column may be wired to allow signals and / or energy to be transmitted from a sounding platform on the surface to a location close to the mouth of the well and associated drilling control equipment.

Now, with respect to Figure 1, a wired pipe 100 (also referred to in the present wired drill pipe or wired pipe column) according to one or more embodiments of the invention is shown. The wired tubing 100 may include one or more segments of the wired tubing 102, each segment being connected to the adjacent segments by a threaded connection. For example, Figure 1 shows three segments (102) of the wired pipe. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the segments of the wired pipe 102 may include a coaxial cable 104 positioned along an internal diameter of the segments of the wired pipe 102. The coaxial cable 104 may extend along the length of the cable. the length of the wired pipe 100, and, alternatively, it can be any other data transfer facility or high speed data cable known in the art.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, narrow coupling inductor coils and magnetic field containment strategies can be used to transfer data through the threaded connections. Narrow-coupling inductor coils and magnetic field containment strategies can be configured to avoid losses and maintain data transfer of high bandwidth and low power.

Alternatively, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, to allow data transfer between the adjacent segments of the wired pipe 102, the threaded connections of each segment 102 may be configured with a non-contact coupler 106. The The coaxial cable 104 may be interconnected with the non-contact couplers 106 to allow the transfer of high speed data through the joints and / or threaded connections, as described herein. The data must be transferred through the coaxial cable 104 at a rate in the order of one million bits per second or more.

Alternatively, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the joints between the adjacent segments of the drill pipe may include telemetry systems. The telemetry systems in the joints can have electrical conductors inside the adjacent pipes and can be electrically coupled by low-power, high-efficiency transmitters that send the data through the joints.

Still alternatively, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, each of the segments of the wired pipe 102 may be electrically coupled by a high efficiency, low power transmitter configured to send data through each Threaded pipe connection to the next segment. As such, whether using non-contact couplers 106 or transmitters, the connection of the elements of the pipe column is not perfectly aligned to adapt specific connectors between two segments of a pipe column.

In addition, wired tubing 100 may have different sensors, amplifiers and / or transmitters distributed in all segments of the wired tubing together with other electrical components known in the art. For example, as shown in Figure 1, a transmitter 110 may be electrically configured with the coaxial cable 104 to transmit electrical signals from one section of the wired pipe 102 to another section of the wired pipe 102, such as from a control unit in the outlet tube to a surface control unit, as described below. An amplifier and / or repeater 108, such as a signal amplifier, may also be connected to the coaxial cable 104 and may be configured to increase the signal strength of the communication signal that is being transferred through the wired pipe 100. Additionally, the sensors 112 or other data collection elements may be distributed along the length of the wired pipe 100. The sensors 112 may be electrically connected to the coaxial cable 104 and configured to send data from the sensors. 112 to other elements within and / or connected to wired tubing 100.

For example, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the amplification joints may be placed at 1,000-foot intervals within the column of pipes to increase the electrical signal. In addition, the amplification joints may be configured to accommodate sensors such that measurements can be made at the amplification joints. The sensors in the amplification joints can be configured to measure the temperature, pressure, seismic vibrations and / or other attributes and / or characteristics of the wired pipe and / or outlet pipe. Alternatively, the sensors may be placed at other locations along the pipe column without deviating from the scope of the present invention. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any range of amplification and / or sensor can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, sensors, amplifiers and transmitters are known in the art and will not be described further.

An example of commercially available wired tubing is Intellipipe ™, marketed by Grant Prideco (Houston, TX). Intellipipe ™ uses repeater stations positioned at regular intervals in the wired tubing to increase the communication / data signal.

In view of the above, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the data transferred by a wired pipeline as described in Figure 1, may be data and / or digital signals that can be transmitted at high speeds without losses or with a low bit error rate, providing high efficiency data collection and / or transfer. The data and / or digital signals can be used to control the electrical components placed inside and / or connected to the wired pipe. In addition, the digital data may include sensory data collected on various sensors and / or detectors placed within the wired pipeline and / or inside and / or connected to various other components that may be configured with the wired pipeline.

Figure 2 shows a system including a column of wired pipes deployed according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. More concretely, Figure 2 shows, in one or more embodiments, an example of a system for using the wired tubing described above in Figure 1. In one or more embodiments of the invention, Figure 2 refers to a production system to carry Perform production / completion of drilling applications using a wired pipeline such as the one described above.

With respect to Figure 2, the configuration 200 includes a surface vessel 201 which may include electronic and / or hydraulic control elements 202 located on the surface vessel 201. The control elements 202 may include any surface elements used in the underground production of minerals. For example, control elements 202 may include surface energy distribution units, control units, chemical injection packs, and / or other hydraulic and / or electrical control consoles. As shown, the surface control unit 204 is installed on the surface vessel 201. The surface vessel 201 may further include an ironing and / or other elements of the sounding platform that may be used during production operations and / or underwater drilling. As such, surface vessel 201 may be a ship, platform or other surface vessel that may be used at sea for drilling and / or underground production of minerals, such as oil and gas.

A production line 210 may be configured to extend from the surface vessel 201 to the sea bottom 205. The production line 210 may include a flow head 212 placed on the surface vessel 201 and may be configured for extraction and production of minerals in the surface vessel 201. The control elements 202 and the surface control unit 204 may be electrically connected to the production line 210.

The production pipe 210 may include a column of wired pipes 214 which may be connected to the flow header 212 and extend to the outlet pipe 216. The column of wired pipes 214 may allow electrical communication between the control elements 202 and the surface control unit 204, and the column of wired pipes and / or electrical elements connected to the column of wired pipes 214. The column of wired pipes as used herein may be a column of production pipes. As such, the pipe column may have an internal diameter greater than or equal to 5 1/8 inches (13.0175 cm) and an outer diameter greater than or equal to 6 5/8 inches (16.8275 cm). The production pipeline can be used to transport fluids, such as oil and gas, from an underground formation to the surface vessel for extraction and production.

The outlet tube 216 may provide protection to the column of wired pipes 214 when placed and / or deployed in the water. Exit tube 216 may extend from surface vessel 201 on the surface of the water to the bottom of the sea 205 and connect to underwater elements 218 such as an underwater valve assembly, blowout preventer, underwater test tree, tree connections, wellhead and / or other elements and / or units known in the art that may be installed at the bottom of the sea for the underwater production of minerals.

At the sea bottom end of the pipe column 214 a control unit can be installed in the outlet pipe 220. The control unit in the outlet pipe 220 can provide control and / or monitoring of elements placed in the pipe. the bottom of the sea. For example, the control unit in the outlet tube 220 can be used to monitor the flow of fluids from an underwater formation. In addition, the control unit in the outlet pipe 220 can monitor the temperature, pressure, tension, torsion, flow velocity, voltages, currents, and / or other aspects of electrical devices and / or fluid flow placed in the bottom. from sea. In addition, the control unit in the outlet pipe 220 can be configured to control and / or actuate the values and / or other elements within the column of wired pipes to control the flow of fluids from the underwater formation. For example, the control unit in the outlet tube 220 can control an underwater valve assembly and the underwater test shaft.

The column of wired pipes 214 may be configured to carry electrical signals from the control unit in the outlet pipe 220 at the bottom of the sea to the surface control unit 204. The electrical signals may be control signals and / or signals measurement. The wired pipe column 214 allows two-way communication between the surface control unit 204 and the control unit in the outlet pipe 220. In addition, as noted above, the wired pipe column 214 may include various amplifiers, transmitters and / or sensors distributed along the length of the column of wired pipes 214 within the outlet pipe 216 (not shown). In one or more embodiments of the invention, the communication signals transmitted through the column of wired pipes and / or outlet pipe, can be used to send control information from the surface control unit 204 to the control unit in the output pipe 220, and / or to receive feedback from the control unit in the outlet pipe 220 in relation to one or more of the monitored parameters.

Control on the surface, from the surface control unit 204 can be performed through a computer interface. Alternatively, the surface control unit may be a remote panel or other electrical control unit known in the art.

Now, with respect to Figure 3, there is shown a flow diagram for controlling an underwater valve assembly using a column of wired pipes as described above in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the process described below may be performed in a different order or may omit certain steps without departing from the invention.

Initially, in step 302, an outlet pipe is provided between the surface vessel and the production equipment at the bottom of the sea. That is, the outlet pipe may be connected between a surface vessel and a wellhead, underwater valve assembly, BOP, and / or other production equipment at the bottom of the sea. For example, according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the outlet tube may extend from the surface vessel to the blowout preventer. The outlet pipe provides protection for the pipe column that may be deployed inside the outlet pipe, extending from the surface vessel to underwater equipment. Submarine outlet tubes, as well as methods for connecting an outlet tube as described above, are known in the art, and therefore, are not described in detail.

In step 304, a pipe column can be provided to deploy within the outlet pipe. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the pipe column may be a column of wired pipes as described above. As such, the pipe column can be configured to have amplification joints and / or amplification elements placed at intervals along the length of the pipe. In each interval, the amplifiers can be used to amplify the electrical signals that can pass through the installation of the wired pipe.

In step 304, a control unit in the outlet tube can be attached to the column of wired pipes. The control unit in the outlet tube may be configured to control an underwater valve assembly, a blowout preventer, a test shaft and / or other element (s) located at the bottom of the sea, at a point where the outlet tube connects to the bottom of the sea unit, such as at the mouth of the well (that is, in a blowout preventer). The control unit in the outlet pipe may be installed in the pipeline column as part of a segment of the pipe column or attached to a segment of the pipeline pipeline, and may be deployed inside the pipeline. outlet in step 106. The control unit in the outlet pipe and the column of wired pipes can be lowered through the outlet pipe to the unit installed at the bottom of the sea, such as an underwater valve assembly, preventer blowouts or other unit, in step 308.

When the control unit in the outlet pipe and the column of wired pipes are fully deployed in the outlet pipe, a surface control unit may be connected to the column of wired pipes in the surface ship in step 310. That is, the opposite end of the column of pipes wired from the end to which the control unit is attached in the outlet pipe, can be connected to the surface control unit. The surface control unit may be configured to communicate with the control unit in the outlet pipe through the installation of the wired pipe column. The surface control unit may be configured to both transmit and receive instructions and / or data / information from the control unit in the outlet pipe and / or any sensor incorporated in the installation of the wired pipe column, such as described above.

Finally, in step 312, the surface control unit and the control unit in the outlet tube can communicate with each other through the installation of the wired pipe column. The surface control unit can provide user control over the underwater valve assembly, test shaft and / or other elements installed in the pipe column inside the outlet pipe.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while Figure 3 refers to the communication using a wired pipe for applications in the outlet pipe, the process of Figure 3 can also be performed for any production system or production application, and those modalities of the invention are not limited to applications in the outlet tube.

Figure 4 shows a computing device 400 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, a networked computer system 410 that can be used in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein includes a processor 420, an associated memory 430, a storage device 440, and many other elements and typical features of today's computers (not shown). The network computer system 410 may also include input means, such as a keyboard 450 and a mouse 460, and output means, such as a monitor 470. The networked computer system 410 is connected to a local area network (LAN) ) or a high-amplitude network (eg, Internet) (not shown) via a network interface connection (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these means of entry and exit can take many other forms. Additionally, the computer system may not be connected to a network. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that one or more elements of the aforementioned computer 410 can be located at a remote location and connected to the other elements by a network. As such, a computer system, such as the networked computer system 410 and / or any other computer system known in the art, may be used in accordance with the embodiments described herein, such as having a computer system coupled to it. / or included in a cutter of the present description.

The network computing system 400 of Figure 4 can be used in one or more embodiments of the invention, such as a remote work station operatively connected to the surface control unit described in Figure 2 above. The data collected in the surface control unit can be transmitted to said remote workstation for further processing and analysis. Alternatively, the network computer system 400 may represent the surface control unit in the surface vessel.

The embodiments of the invention provide communication signals to be transmitted for applications in the outlet pipe by a column of wired pipes and / or outlet pipe from a sounding platform on the surface to a wellhead or a pipeline monitoring device. Wellhead For example, signals can be transmitted in wired drill pipes (eg, IntelliPipe ™) for use with drilling equipment. To facilitate said communication of the application in the outlet tube, the embodiments of the invention provide superior communications and / or a modified power distribution / production distribution unit for long-hop communications / power transmission, communication repeaters. and / or energy, and / or wired tubular interface for a control system in the outlet tube.

The above description presents several modalities so that those skilled in the art can better understand the aspects of the present description. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that they can readily use the present disclosure as a basis for the design or modification of other processes and structures to accomplish the same ends and / or achieve the same advantages as the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that such equivalent constructions do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions and alterations in the present without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the invention will only be limited by the appended claims.

Claims (17)

1. A method for controlling an underwater valve assembly, comprising: connect an underwater outlet pipe between a wellhead and a surface vessel; joining a control unit in the outlet pipe with a column of wired pipes; placing the column of wired pipes inside the submarine outlet pipe, causing the control unit in the outlet pipe to deploy in the outlet pipe; connect the column of wired pipes to a surface control unit; transmit, through the column of wired pipes, a communication signal between the surface control unit and the control unit in the outlet pipe to control the underwater valve assembly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a cable of the wired pipe column comprises a coaxial cable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the column of wired pipes comprises a column of production pipes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the underwater test tree through the column of wired pipes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of pressure, temperature, tension, torsion, flow rate, voltage, and current is monitored.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used for communication during the completion of the perforation in the outlet tube.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used for communication during the completion of production in the outlet tube.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing one or more amplifiers along the column of wired pipes, resulting in a signal amplification of the signals communicated along the column of wired pipes.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing one or more sensors along the column of wired pipes, resulting in detection along the column of wired pipes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of pressure, temperature, voltage, torsion, flow rate, voltage, and current is monitored by the sensor (s).

11. A control system of an underwater valve assembly, said system comprises: an underwater outlet pipe connected between a wellhead and a ship; a regulator placed in a column of wired pipes where the column of wired pipes is placed in the submarine outlet pipe and configured to control the underwater valve assembly, a surface control unit placed on the vessel and configured to communicate with the regulator through the column of wired pipes.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein a wire of the wired pipe column comprises a coaxial cable.

13. The control system of claim 11, wherein the column of wired pipes comprises a column of production pipes.

14. The control system of claim 11, wherein the regulator is configured to monitor at least one of pressure, temperature, voltage, torque, flow rate, voltage, and current.

15. The control system of claim 11, further comprising one or more amplifiers placed along the column of wired pipes configured to amplify signals communicated along the column of wired pipes.

16. The control system of claim 11, further comprising one or more sensors positioned along the column of wired pipes.

17. The control system of claim 16, wherein at least one of pressure, temperature, voltage, torsion, flow rate, voltage, and current is monitored by the sensor (s). SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method for controlling an underwater valve assembly that includes connecting an underwater outlet pipe between a wellhead and a surface vessel. A control unit in the outlet pipe is attached to a column of wired pipes and placed inside the submarine outlet pipe, resulting in the deployment of a control unit in the outlet tube in the outlet tube. The column of wired pipes is attached to a surface control unit and a communication signal is transmitted through the column of wired pipes between the surface control unit and the control unit in the outlet pipe to control the assembly of underwater valve.