Abstract:
A system and method for monitoring a device in a well, according to which a sensor is embedded in the device for sensing a condition of the device, and outputting a signal in response to the condition.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    Downhole packers are commonly used in many oilfield applications for the purpose of sealing against the flow of fluid to isolate one or more portions of a wellbore for the purposes of testing, treating, or producing the well. The packers are suspended from a tubing string, or the like, in the wellbore, or in a casing in the wellbore, and are activated, or set, so that one or more packer elements engage the inner surface of the wellbore or casing. In these arrangements, it is desirable to know how the packer elements react to the packer setting operation and, after the packer is installed, how the various downhole conditions affect the packer.  
           [0002]    Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for monitoring the packer conditions under the above circumstances. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]    The drawing is a diagrammatic view of a packer and a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0004]    Referring to FIG. 1, a downhole tool is referred to, in general, by the reference numeral  10  and is shown installed in a casing  12  disposed in a well. The well can be either a cased completion as shown in the drawing or an openhole completion. The tool  10  is lowered to a predetermined depth in the casing  12  as part of a workstring, or the like, (not shown) which often includes other tools used to perform various oil recovery and completion operations. Since the tool  10  is conventional, it will not be described in detail.  
         [0005]    The tool  10  includes a packer that consists of an annular packer element  14  and an annular slip  16  located downstream and slightly spaced from the packer element  14 . The packer element  14  is located at a predetermined axial location in the casing  12  and is set, or activated, in a conventional manner which causes it to engage the inner surface of the casing  12  to seal against the flow of fluids and thus permit the isolation of certain zones in the well. Also, the slip  16  is set, or activated, so as to “bite” into the inner surface of the casing  12  to anchor the packer to the casing  12 . Since both the packer element  14  and the slip  16  are conventional, they will not be described in further detail.  
         [0006]    A plurality of sensors  20 , four of which are shown in the drawing, are embedded in the packer element  14 . If the packer element  14  is injection molded, the sensors  20  can be formed into the packer element  14  by suspending the sensors  20  in a packer element mold with a mechanical holding device, such as a small diameter rod, or wire, which can be withdrawn after the mold is filled with an elastomeric material, but before the elastomeric material has set. If the packer element  14  is formed by an elastomeric component, such as is the case with inflatable packer elements which are formed in a “lay-up” process, the sensors  20  can be placed into the layered-up structure at the appropriate depth between layers as the construction process progresses.  
         [0007]    As shown in the drawing, the sensors  20  can be placed at various locations in the packer element  14  and can be both axially spaced and radially spaced relative to the packer element  14 .  
         [0008]    The sensors  20  can be fabricated according to one of several high temperature fabrication processes similar to those used in fabricating integrated circuits. For example, a conventional insulated, bulk, complementary metal-oxide-silicon process, using silicon-on-insulator fabrication technologies, can be used. Also, the embedded sensors  20  and their associated circuits can be constructed using known silicon-on-sapphire fabrications processes.  
         [0009]    The sensors  20  can be designed to sense one or more of several parameters, or conditions, associated with the packer element  14 , including, but not limited to, pressure at different areas in the packer element  14 , local strain in the packer element  14 , shear forces in the packer element  14 , creep in the packer element  14 , chemical conditions in the packer element  14 , as well as any measurement which can be taken more effectively from within the packer element  14  when compared to measurements taken outside the packer element  14 .  
         [0010]    An electronics package is shown, in general, by the reference numeral  24  and includes a transceiver  26  and appropriate electrical conductors and associated electronics (not shown) electrically connecting the sensors  20  and the transceiver  26 , and extending from the transceiver  26  to the earth&#39;s surface for connection to appropriate electronics, which can include a computing device, and the like (not shown). It is understood that the transceiver  26  may be, for example, a power and data transceiver, and may contain built-in processing capability that can be used to process the signals from the sensors  20  downhole to determine specific packer element  14  parameters. The transceiver  26  can also be used to transmit processed or raw signals, via a telemetry system, to the earth&#39;s surface or to another location within the well. The telemetry system can be, but is not limited to, hardwire, acoustic, EM or mud pulse systems.  
         [0011]    In operation, signals from the sensors  20 , which correspond to one or more of the parameters set forth above, are inputted to the transceiver  26  which processes the signals as discussed above and outputs the signals, or corresponding signals, to the above-mentioned computing device and its associated electronics at the earth&#39;s surface. The computing device can then initiate corrective measures to compensate for any predetermined deviation from a standard value set for the particular parameter.  
       Variations and Equivalents  
       [0012]    It is understood that several variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to sensing one or more or the above-specified conditions, or parameters, but is equally applicable to other parameters consistent with the operation of the packer. Also, the sensors can be embedded in other downhole components utilized in subsurface oil and gas recovery operations, including, but not limited to, packer slips, bridge plugs, etc. Further, the number of packer elements, slips, and sensors can be varied within the scope of the invention. Also, it is understood that spatial references, such as “axially”, “radially”, “downstream”, etc. are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the specific spatial orientation or location of the components described above.  
         [0013]    Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many other modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.