Disclosure of Invention
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a near-bit data transmission device that is capable of efficiently transmitting data.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a near-bit data transmission apparatus comprising: a first portion proximate the drill bit, the first portion comprising data acquisition means configured to detect a profile at a location proximate the drill bit and generate data in the form of corresponding electrical signals, the first portion further comprising data transmission means configured to receive data from the data acquisition means and convert the data into acoustic form for transmission; and a second portion relatively remote from the drill bit and closer to the surface, the second portion comprising data receiving means configured to receive data in the form of sound waves from the data transmitting means and to convert the data into electrical signals, the second portion further comprising data processing means configured to receive data from the data receiving means, process the data and transmit the data to the surface.
The device can effectively collect information near the drill bit and transmit the information back to the ground for reference by operators. At the same time, the structure of such a device is relatively simple, with high reliability, and therefore can have a low cost.
In one embodiment, the data acquisition mechanism and the data transmission mechanism are disposed at a lower end of the power drill to be proximate to the drill bit.
In one embodiment, the power drill is cylindrical, at the lower end of the power drill at least two radially outwardly extending projections are configured spaced apart from each other, the data acquisition means and the data transmission means being disposed within two adjacent projections, respectively.
In one embodiment, a communication hole is configured in the body of the power drill between the two adjacent bosses, the communication hole being capable of being penetrated by a data transmission cable connected between the data acquisition mechanism and the data transmission mechanism, wherein the communication hole includes a first hole section extending from the data acquisition mechanism toward the data transmission mechanism but being biased radially outward, and a second hole section extending from the data transmission mechanism toward the data acquisition mechanism but being biased radially outward, the first and second hole sections being relatively smoothly communicated.
In one embodiment, the first portion further comprises a power supply disposed in the other boss, the power supply configured to supply power to the data acquisition mechanism and the data transmission mechanism.
In one embodiment, the data transmission mechanism comprises a truncated cone type transmitting cylinder for transmitting sound waves, a front cover plate covering the front end of the transmitting cylinder, and a rear cover plate covering the rear end of the transmitting cylinder, wherein the front end of the transmitting cylinder faces the data receiving mechanism, the front cover plate is configured to facilitate the sound waves to be transmitted from the front end of the transmitting cylinder, and the rear cover plate is configured to avoid the sound waves to be transmitted from the rear end of the transmitting cylinder.
In one embodiment, the data transmission mechanism further comprises a converter for converting data in the form of electric signals into the form of sound waves, the front cover plate, the transmitting cylinder, the rear cover plate and the converter are sequentially arranged in a cavity on the drilling tool, the front cover plate abuts against the upper end face of the cavity, and the converter abuts against the lower end face of the cavity.
In one embodiment, the data receiving means is provided at the upper end of the power drill, there being no joint of the drill nipple between the data receiving means and the data transmitting means.
In one embodiment, the data receiving mechanism is embedded in an outer wall of a bypass valve located at an upper end of the power drill.
In one embodiment, a data transmission nipple is connected at the upper end of the power drill, the power drill can rotate relative to the data transmission nipple, the data processing mechanism is embedded in the outer wall of the data transmission nipple, a first conductive ring is constructed on the upper end face of the power drill, a first transmission cable connected between the data receiving mechanism and the first conductive ring is embedded in the wall of the power drill, a second conductive ring is constructed on the lower end face of the data transmission nipple, and a second transmission cable connected between the data processing mechanism and the second conductive ring is embedded in the wall of the data transmission nipple, wherein when the power drill and the data transmission nipple are connected, the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring are in contact.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that: the device can effectively collect information near the drill bit and transmit the information back to the ground for reference by operators. At the same time, the structure of such a device is relatively simple, with high reliability, and therefore can have a low cost.
Detailed Description
The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 schematically shows the structure of a near-bit data transmission device (hereinafter, simply referred to as "device") 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the apparatus 100 includes a data acquisition mechanism 140, a data transmission mechanism 130, a data reception mechanism 170, and a data processing mechanism 180. The data acquisition mechanism 140 is disposed near the drill bit so as to be operable to acquire geological information, drilling operation related information, etc. near the drill bit and convert the information into corresponding data. The data transmission mechanism 130 receives data from the data acquisition mechanism 140 and transmits the data in the form of sound waves. The data transmission mechanism 130 is still located close to the drill bit. The data receiving mechanism 170 is far away from the drill bit toward the surface and is capable of receiving data in the form of sound waves emitted by the data transmitting mechanism 130. The data processing mechanism 180 receives data from the data receiving mechanism 170, processes the data, and transmits the data to the surface.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a radially outward eye projection 111 may be provided at the lower end of the generally cylindrical power drill 110. For example, a plurality of protrusions 111 spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction may be provided. Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of 3 protrusions 111 spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. However, it should be understood that 1,2, 4, 5 or more bosses 111 may be provided as desired. The data collection mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130 may be provided in the above-described boss 111. For example, the data acquisition mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130 may be disposed in different (preferably adjacent) bosses 111.
In a preferred embodiment, the raised portion 111 may be formed by a centralizer of the power drill 110 itself. Thus, the apparatus 100 of the present application can be incorporated by lightly machining an existing standardized power tool 110.
The data acquisition mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130 may be connected together by a data transmission cable (not shown). To this end, as shown in FIG. 2, a first bore section 162 may be configured on the power drill 110 extending from where the data acquisition mechanism 140 is located toward the data transmission mechanism 130. The first bore section 162 preferably does not extend directly toward the data transmission mechanism 130, but rather has a certain radially outward bias angle. Correspondingly, a second bore section 161 is also formed in the power drill 110 extending from the data transmission means 130 toward the data acquisition means 140. The second hole section 161 preferably does not extend directly toward the data acquisition mechanism 140, but rather has a certain radially outward bias angle. The first and second bore sections 162, 161 are in communication with each other, thereby allowing a data transfer cable to pass through the first and second bore sections 162, 161 to connect the data acquisition mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130 together. Preferably, at the portion where the first hole section 162 communicates with the second hole section 161, the first hole section 162 and the second hole section 161 intersect at an obtuse angle. More preferably, at the portion where the first hole section 162 and the second hole section 161 communicate, the first hole section 162 and the second hole section 161 communicate smoothly, relatively smoothly. The first and second bore sections 162, 161 themselves may be straight bores.
In addition, the apparatus 100 may further include a power supply 150 (see fig. 2). The power supply 150 may be a battery. The power supply 150 may be disposed in the boss 111 described above, preferably in a different but adjacent boss 111 than the data acquisition mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130. Thus, the power supply 150 may supply power to the data collection mechanism 140 and the data transmission mechanism 130 through the corresponding cables to allow the normal operation thereof. For example, structures similar to the first and second bore sections 162, 161 described above may be provided between the power supply 150 and the data acquisition mechanism 140 and/or between the power supply 150 and the data transmission mechanism 130 for the passage of cables.
Fig. 1 also shows a specific structure of the data transmission mechanism 130. The data transmitting mechanism 130 includes a transducer 131 for converting data from the data collecting mechanism 140 into an acoustic wave form, and a transmitting barrel 132 for transmitting the acoustic wave form of data. The converter 131 may be a circuit board. Which can be mounted on the circuit skeleton of the recess. Transducer 131 may include a node 131A for receiving data, for example in the form of electrical signals, emitted by data acquisition mechanism 140. Converter 131 may also include a node 131B for receiving electrical energy provided by power supply 150. Transducer 131 may also include a node 131C for receiving a drive circuit that may be used to drive an acoustic transducer to generate an acoustic wave signal. The converter 131 is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail herein.
The data in the form of sound waves converted by the converter 131 may be transferred to the transmitting cylinder 132, and the transmitting cylinder 132 may transmit the data in the form of sound waves. The barrel 132 may be formed, for example, in a truncated cone shape. One end thereof having a larger cross section is provided as a front end, i.e., an end toward the data receiving mechanism 170; the end thereof having a smaller cross section is provided as the rear end, i.e., the end facing away from the data receiving mechanism 170.
Preferably, the front end of the barrel 132 is covered by a front cover plate 133. The front cover plate 133 may be fabricated to facilitate the propagation of sound waves so that most of the energy generated by the sound wave transducer may be efficiently radiated from the front end of the barrel 132. For this, the front cover 133 may be made of a light metal such as an aluminum alloy, an aluminum magnesium alloy, and/or a titanium alloy.
Preferably, the rear end of the barrel 132 is covered by a rear cover plate 134. The back cover plate 134 may be made to be detrimental to the propagation of the acoustic wave, thereby ensuring that the energy generated by the acoustic transducer is not radiated as far as possible from the rear end of the barrel 132. To this end, the back plate 134 may be manufactured from some heavy metal. For example, the piezoceramic transducer may be fabricated from 45 gauge steel to form the back plate 134.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the front cover plate 133, the barrel 132, the rear cover plate 134, and the transducer 131 are disposed in the cavity formed by the boss 111 in this order from top to bottom. The front cover plate 133 abuts against the upper wall of the cavity and the transducer 131 abuts against the lower wall of the cavity. This arrangement is very compact and saves space. Meanwhile, the arrangement mode is beneficial to effective transmission of sound waves.
In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the data receiving mechanism 170 may be provided at an upper end of the power drill 110, for example, may be provided in an outer wall of a bypass valve at the upper end of the power drill 110. Thus, the apparatus 100 of the present application may be incorporated into existing, standardized power tools 110 by lightly machining them.
The data receiving means 170 is preferably provided in the same sub as the data transmitting means 130. That is, there is no short joint between the data receiving mechanism 170 and the data transmitting mechanism 130. By the arrangement, the attenuation of the sound wave in the transmission process can be greatly reduced, so that the effectiveness and reliability of data transmission can be improved.
In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the data receiving mechanism 170 is configured with a receiving cylinder 171 having a substantially truncated cone shape. The front end (i.e., the end with the larger cross section) of the receiving cylinder 171 faces the emitting cylinder 132; the rear end (i.e., the smaller cross-section end) of the receiving cylinder 171 faces away from the emitting cylinder 132.
The data receiving mechanism 170 receives data in the form of acoustic waves and converts it into the form of electrical signals. The data in the form of the electric signal is transferred to the data processing means 180, and is subjected to noise reduction, amplification, filtering, and the like by the data processing means 180. The processed data can be directly transmitted to the ground, or can be transmitted to a hard connection and an electrical interface of a downhole computer module or an MWD device or other instruments, and then transmitted to the ground after corresponding processing.
The data processing mechanism 180 may be on a different nipple than the data receiving mechanism 170. For example, in FIG. 1, a data transfer nipple 120 (e.g., an existing communication nipple, including an upper instrument such as a MWD) is connected at the upper end of the power drill 110. The data processing mechanism 180 is embedded within the wall of the data transfer nipple 120. In order to ensure electrical connection between the data processing mechanism 180 and the data receiving mechanism 170, the following arrangement may be made. As shown in fig. 1, a first transmission cable 191 may be configured between the signal receiving mechanism 170 and the upper end surface of the power drill. The first transmission cable 191 is embedded in the wall of the power drill. Accordingly, a second transfer cable 192 is configured between the signal processing mechanism 180 and the lower end face of the data transfer nipple 120. A second transfer cable 192 is embedded within the wall of the data transfer nipple 120. As shown in fig. 3, a first conductive ring 193 is provided on the upper end surface of the power drill 110, and the first conductive ring 193 is connected to the first transmission cable 191. Accordingly, a second conductive ring (not shown) is provided on the lower end face of the data transfer nipple 120, which is connected to a second transfer cable 192. When the data transfer nipple 120 is connected to the power drill 110, the first conductive ring 193 and the second conductive ring are in contact. Thus, upon rotation of the power drill 110 relative to the data transfer nipple 120, an efficient electrical connection between the signal processing mechanism 180 and the data receiving mechanism 170, and thus an efficient data transfer, can be achieved.
It should be understood that two first transfer cables 191 and two second transfer cables 192 may be provided in parallel with each other as shown in fig. 1. Accordingly, two concentric first conductive rings 193 and two concentric second conductive rings are provided. Thus, the transmission of power and data can be achieved separately.
However, preferably, only one first transfer cable 191, one second transfer cable 192, one first conductive ring 193, and one second conductive ring may be provided. Thereby enabling the transfer of both power and data. This arrangement is very advantageous for downhole structures of limited size.
As shown in fig. 3, a first insulating ring 194 and a second insulating ring 195 are concentrically provided inside and outside the first conductive ring 193, respectively. The two insulating rings can play a role in sealing, so that on one hand, electric leakage at the conducting ring can be avoided, and on the other hand, the conducting ring can be prevented from being corroded by cement paste in the ring. This is very advantageous to ensure efficient transmission of data.
The device 100 can effectively realize near-bit data acquisition and data transmission. At the same time, the device 100 has low cost, high reliability and very high practicability.
It should be understood that, in this document, terms such as "upper," "lower," and the like are relative terms. As defined herein, "up" is the direction relatively closer to the wellhead and "down" is the direction relatively closer to the bottom of the well, unless otherwise defined or clearly contradicted.
It should also be understood that the structures and manners in which the devices for signal transmission, signal processing are provided to enable signal transmission, signal processing are known in the art. The present invention relates only to improvements in the peripheral structures thereof (e.g., front and rear cover plates), and improvements in the arrangement of the devices and the like.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, various modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the respective embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but encompasses all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.