Patent Description:
Various methods and systems for monitoring a well and the production have been proposed over the years. However, so far these methods are associated with a number of drawbacks. For example, it has been suggested to monitor downhole conditions using a submerged tool which is retrieved to download the data. The tool may be arranged in order to measure downhole parameters such as pressure, temperature, position, etc. Such parameters may also be of great importance during completion and during production. As is evident, these solutions may only monitor downhole conditions during the time span in which the monitoring tool is positioned at the specific location downhole. When the tool is to measure parameters, e.g. <NUM> from the top, the tool needs to emerge to surface every time data needs to be unloaded. Prior art tools are only capable of sending control signals to the tool via a wireline powering the tool when the tool is several kilometres down the well. Prior art tools cannot perform real-time monitoring of a well over many years, both due to the lack of sufficient uploading possibilities and since the tool needs power, and the wireline cannot stay in the well as this hinders production.

In order to solve the problem associated with running monitoring equipment downhole, and to allow for a more permanent monitoring, sensor systems have been developed. These sensors are positioned downhole and may provide monitoring independently of the presence of any downhole tool. These sensors may either be powered by an external power supply, such as a wireline, or by an embedded battery. While the wired alternative requires the undesired need for long cables, the stand-alone battery-powered alternative suffers from a limited operating time.

Hence, it would be advantageous to provide an improved system and method enabling monitoring of downhole conditions over a longer period of time.

It is an object of the present invention to wholly or partly overcome the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide an improved method and system for monitoring of downhole conditions for a longer period of time.

The above objects, together with numerous other objects, advantages and features, which will become evident from the below description, are accomplished by a solution in accordance with the present invention by a downhole completion system for completing a well having a borehole according to claim <NUM>.

By having a mesh network of sensor units having a self-powering device configured to harvest energy downhole, any kind of tool without a wireline or any kind of sensor module can be more permanently arranged in the well as measured data is sent to surface using the mesh network when there is data to be sent. In the meantime, the self-powering device harvests energy downhole and accumulates enough energy to be able to receive and transmit when the next set of data is to be communicated to surface.

Thus, the plurality of sensor units forming a mesh network provides for a reliable data path even though at least some of the sensor units are out of range from the data collection provided at surface or at seabed level.

The self-powering device may be configured to harvest energy downhole from fluid flowing in the well.

Said self-powering device may be configured to harvest energy downhole from fluid flowing in the annulus and/or in the well tubular metal structure.

Moreover, the sensor units may be arranged at least partly in the wall of the well tubular metal structure.

Further, the sensor units having a transmitting and receiving distance, and the sensor units may be arranged with a mutual distance of half the transmitting and receiving distance.

The self-powering device may be configured to convert kinetic energy to electrical energy.

Moreover, the self-powering device may comprise a vibrating member.

Also, the self-powering device may comprise a piezoelectric member.

Further, the self-powering device may comprise a magnetostrictive member.

In addition, the self-powering device may comprise a thermoelectric generator.

Furthermore, the self-powering device may further comprise at least one capacitor.

Each sensor unit may be configured to receive wirelessly transmitted data from an adjacent sensor unit, and to forward the received data to adjacent sensor units.

The downhole completion system according to the present invention may further comprise a surface system configured to receive downhole data from said sensor units.

The surface system may be at least partly arranged at the seabed level.

Moreover, said surface system may further be configured to determine the position of at least one sensor unit.

Further, the surface system may be configured to determine the position of at least one sensor unit by Monte Carlo simulation and/or Shortest Path simulation and/or acoustic pinging of time of flight.

Also, the mesh network may be a self-healing mesh network.

Furthermore, the sensor units may use the inside of the well tubular metal structure as a waveguide for communication between the sensor units.

At least one of said sensor units may comprise a sensor for measuring one or more conditions of the well fluid surrounding the well tubular metal structure.

Further, each one of said sensor units may comprise at least one detector.

Additionally, the detector may comprise an accelerometer and/or a magnetometer, and position data may comprise inclination and/or azimuth.

Moreover, at least one of said sensor units may be positioned in the annulus formed between the well tubular metal structure and a borehole wall.

Cement characteristics may comprise acoustic impedance, and the detector may comprise a transducer for measuring a reflected signal for determining the acoustic impedance.

In addition, the detector of at least one of said sensor units may be configured to detect borehole characteristics such as flow conditions and/or water content.

The downhole completion system may further comprise a sensor module comprising additional sensors.

Said sensor module may comprise a temperature sensor and/or a pressure sensor and/or a flow condition sensor and/or a water content sensor.

Also, the well tubular metal structure may further comprise annular barriers, each annular barrier comprising:.

Furthermore, the well tubular metal structure may further comprise flow devices.

The well tubular metal structure may comprise several lateral well tubular metal structures.

The downhole completion system according to the present invention may further comprise a downhole autonomous tool configured to move within the well tubular metal structure, the downhole autonomous tool comprising a communication unit configured to communicate with the sensor units for sending information to surface via the network of sensor units.

The present invention also relates to a sensor unit for use with a downhole completion system as described above, wherein said sensor unit may be provided with a self-powering device configured to harvest energy downhole.

It should be noted that within this specification the term "mesh network" should be interpreted as a network in which each associated sensor forms a network node being configured to relay data for the network. All network sensors thus cooperate in the distribution of data in the network. In a mesh network within the context of this specification, data transfer is accomplished by routing data between the sensors until the data reaches its destination. The data path is not constant, but it is re-routed if any existing sensors are unavailable.

The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which for the purpose of illustration show some non-limiting embodiments and in which:.

In the following description, a downhole completion system <NUM> will be described, and in particular sensor units <NUM> forming a mesh network <NUM> for use with such downhole completion system <NUM> will be described.

<FIG> shows a downhole completion system <NUM> for completing a well <NUM> having a borehole <NUM>. The downhole completion system comprises a well tubular metal structure <NUM> arranged in the borehole forming an annulus <NUM> between a wall <NUM> of the borehole and the well tubular metal structure <NUM>. The well tubular metal structure has a wall <NUM> and comprises a plurality of sensor units <NUM> forming a mesh network <NUM>. At least a number of said sensor units <NUM> is provided with a self-powering device <NUM> configured to harvest energy downhole in order that the mesh network in the downhole completion system is self-powering over time. The self-powering device <NUM> is configured to harvest energy downhole from fluid flowing in the well, e.g. during production, but also during fracking, wash-out and/or cementing operations. Thus, the self-powering device <NUM> is configured to harvest energy downhole from fluid flowing in the annulus and/or in the well tubular metal structure. As shown in <FIG>, the sensor units <NUM> are arranged at least partly in the wall of the well tubular metal structure and are thus able to harvest energy from the fluid flowing in the annulus, as indicated by the arrows, before the fluid enters through openings <NUM> in the well tubular metal structure. An enlarged view of one of the sensor units <NUM> is shown in <FIG>.

The sensor units <NUM> have a transmitting and receiving distance D which is the distance over which the sensor units are able to reach out to transmit and receive signals/data from an adjacent sensor unit. Thus, the transmitting and receiving distance D is the distance between two sensor units which are able to communicate with each other, i.e. transmit data/signals to each other and receive data/signals from each other. The sensor units <NUM> are arranged with a mutual distance of half the transmitting and receiving distance. In this way, each sensor unit is capable of sending data/signals to an adjacent sensor unit and to the neighbour of the adjacent sensor unit, so that if the adjacent sensor unit is not functioning, the sensor unit can send data/signals past the adjacent sensor unit to the neighbour on the other side of that adjacent sensor unit, and the mesh network is established without the dysfunctional sensor unit. In this way, information can still be sent upwards towards a top <NUM> of the well <NUM> and/or downwards towards the bottom of the well <NUM>.

In <FIG>, the downhole completion system <NUM> further comprises annular barriers <NUM> for isolating a first zone <NUM> from a second zone <NUM>. Each annular barrier <NUM> comprises a tubular metal part <NUM> having an expansion opening <NUM>. The tubular metal part <NUM> is mounted as part of the well tubular metal structure <NUM>. Each annular barrier <NUM> further comprises an expandable metal sleeve <NUM> surrounding and connected with the tubular metal part <NUM>. The expandable metal sleeve <NUM> is configured to be expanded by means of fluid entering through the expansion opening <NUM>, e. g by presurising the well tubular metal structure <NUM> from within and thus expanding several expandable metal sleeves <NUM> substantially simultaneously, or by isolating a zone opposite the expansion opening by means of an expansion tool or a drill pipe with cups. The well tubular metal structure further comprises a flow device <NUM> arranged in the second zone so that fluid from that zone may enter through the opening <NUM>, when the flow device is in its open position as shown in <FIG>. The sensor units are arranged partly in the wall of the well tubular metal structure, as shown in the enlarged view <FIG>, but the self-powering device <NUM> does not have fluid contact with the fluid in the annulus. The self-powering device <NUM> of each sensor unit <NUM> harvests energy downhole from fluid flowing in the well tubular metal structure.

The downhole completion system <NUM> of <FIG> further comprises a downhole autonomous tool <NUM> configured to move within the well tubular metal structure <NUM>. The downhole autonomous tool comprises a communication unit <NUM> configured to communicate with the sensor units for sending information to surface via the network of sensor units <NUM>. In <FIG>, the downhole completion system <NUM> comprises a downhole power supply unit <NUM> which is arranged on the outer face of the well tubular metal structure and is powered through a cable <NUM> from surface through a main barrier <NUM>. The downhole autonomous tool <NUM> is thus able to be powered up before entering the well in order to complete an operation. The downhole autonomous tool <NUM> may, as it submerges or later emerges, download or transmit information/data and/or power to or from the sensor units. The well tubular metal structure <NUM> has, at its top, a receptacle into which a second well tubular metal structure is inserted. The main barrier is arranged above the receptacle and provides a barrier against the second well tubular metal structure 1A, so that the well tubular metal structures can move in relation to each other.

To save power in each sensor unit, the sensor units may enter into "beacon mode" in which the network, at regular predetermined time intervals, wakes up and controls if any signals need to be communicated to another neighbouring sensor unit. Thus, the sensor units are programmed with a delay between each beacon ping.

In <FIG>, the well tubular metal structure <NUM> of the downhole completion system <NUM> comprises several lateral well tubular metal structures 1B, 1C. The downhole autonomous tool <NUM> is situated in one of the lateral well tubular metal structures 1C, and while the downhole autonomous tool <NUM> performs an operation, or after the operation, the downhole autonomous tool <NUM> sends up information through the mesh network <NUM> of the sensor units <NUM>. In this way, the downhole autonomous tool <NUM> is able to remain in the lateral well tubular metal structure and it will not have to emerge to the top of the well between two operations to unload data. Furthermore, the downhole autonomous tool <NUM> can be arranged in the lateral well tubular metal structure for a very long period of time and may activate itself every <NUM> months, measure some characteristics of its surroundings, e.g. temperature, pressure and flow density, and send the measured data to surface if some characteristics have changed, and then enter into "sleep mode" for a new period of e.g. <NUM> months. When the downhole autonomous tool <NUM> lacks power, it emerges and re-loads in the downhole power supply unit <NUM>. The emergence of the downhole power supply unit <NUM> is assisted by the production fluid entering through the openings <NUM> or through the flow devices <NUM> in the well tubular metal structure. The mesh network of the sensor units forms a network when required, and in the meantime, the sensor units harvest energy. Thus, the harvesting process does not need to be very efficient since the downhole completion system only uses the mesh network for a short period of time. Furthermore, the mesh network is formed when required so that non-functioning sensor units are skipped.

As will be explained in the following, this is realised by configuring the sensor units <NUM> to establish a physically distributed independent and localised sensing network, preferably with peer-to-peer communication architecture. As will be understood from the following description, the mesh network being established by the sensor units <NUM> as a self-healing mesh network, will automatically provide for a reliable and self-healing data path, even though at least some of the sensor units <NUM> are out of range from the final destination, i.e. the data collection provided at the surface level.

In <FIG>, a yet further example of the use of a downhole completion system <NUM> is shown. Here, the sensor units <NUM> are arranged at the well tubular metal structure wall, either on the inner side, the outer side, or embedded within the downhole completion wall. The sensor units <NUM> are arranged at the downhole completion in order to form a "smart casing/liner", i.e. to provide information to the surface relating to well characteristics along the borehole over time. As will be explained in the following, this is realised by configuring the sensor units <NUM> to establish a physically distributed independent and localised sensing network, preferably with peer-to-peer communication architecture.

All sensor units <NUM> are preferably identical, although provided with a unique ID. An example of a downhole completion system <NUM> is schematically shown in <FIG>. The downhole completion system <NUM> comprises a surface system <NUM> and a sub-surface system <NUM>. The sub-surface system <NUM> comprises a plurality of sensor units <NUM>, although only one sensor unit <NUM> is shown in <FIG>. Each sensor unit <NUM> is provided with a number of components configured to provide various functionalities to the sensor unit <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, each sensor unit <NUM> includes a power supply in the form of a self-powering device <NUM>, a digital processing unit <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, and optionally a detector <NUM> and a sensor module <NUM> comprising additional sensors. For at least one sensor unit <NUM>, the power supply is formed by means of the self-powering device <NUM> (POWER in <FIG>) as will be explained in more detail below. Preferably, all sensor units <NUM> are provided with the self-powering device.

As shown in <FIG>, the sensor module <NUM> may e.g. comprise a temperature sensor 15a and/or a pressure sensor 15b and/or a flow condition sensor 15c and/or a water content sensor 15d. The detector <NUM> can, for example, be used together with the digital processing unit <NUM> to form a detecting unit for determining position data of the sensor unit <NUM>. The detector <NUM> may, in such embodiments, comprise an accelerometer and/or a magnetometer and/or a transducer. By providing a transducer as the detector <NUM>, it is possible to determine specific characteristics of the surroundings, such as cement integrity etc..

The power supply in the form of the self-powering device <NUM> is configured to supply power to the other components <NUM>-<NUM> of the sensor unit <NUM> by converting energy of the surrounding environment into electrical energy.

The digital processing unit <NUM> of <FIG> preferably comprises a signal conditioning module <NUM>, a data processing module <NUM>, a data storage module <NUM> (STORAGE in <FIG>) and a microcontroller <NUM>. The digital processing unit <NUM> is configured to control the operation of the entire sensor unit <NUM>, as well as temporarily store sensed data in the memory of the data storage module <NUM>.

The transceiver <NUM> is configured to provide wireless communcation with transceivers of adjacent sensor units <NUM>. For this, the transceiver <NUM> comprises a radio communication module and an antenna. The radio communication module may be configured to communicate according to well-established radio protocols, e.g. IEEE <NUM>. 1aq (Shortest Path Bridging), IEEE <NUM>. <NUM> (ZigBee), etc. The radio communication module may also be configured to position the sensor units in relation to each other, i.e. configured to perform a distance measurement.

The surface system <NUM> also comprises a number of components for providing the desired functionality of the entire downhole completion system <NUM>. As is shown in <FIG>, the surface system <NUM> has a power supply <NUM> for providing power to the various components. As the surface system <NUM> may be permanently installed, the power supply <NUM> may be connected to mains power, or it may be formed by one or more batteries. The surface system <NUM> also comprises a transceiver <NUM> for receiving data communicated from the sensor units <NUM>, and also for transmitting data and control signals to the sensor units <NUM>. Hence, the transceiver <NUM> is provided with a radio communication module and an antenna for allowing for communication between the surface system <NUM> and the sensor units <NUM> of the sub-surface system <NUM>. The surface system <NUM> also comprises a clock <NUM>, a human-machine interface <NUM>, and a digital processing unit <NUM>. The digitial processing unit <NUM> comprises the same functionality as the digital processing unit <NUM> of the sensor unit <NUM>, i.e. a signal-conditioning module, a data-processing module, a data storage module, and a microcontrolling module.

Before describing the operation of the downhole completion system <NUM>, a sensor unit <NUM> is schematically shown in <FIG>. The sensor unit <NUM> has a housing <NUM> which is configured to enclose the components previously described, as well as to form a protection which is capable of withstanding any impact, e.g. potential collisions with a borehole wall <NUM>. Although shown as rectangular, the shape of the housing <NUM> may, of course, be chosen differently. For example, it may be advantageous to provide the housing <NUM> with only rounded corners. The housing <NUM> may for such embodiment have a spherical shape. Inside the housing <NUM>, the following are fixedly mounted: the self-powering device <NUM>, the digital processing unit <NUM>, the transceiver <NUM>, the detector <NUM>, and optionally the sensor module <NUM>.

In <FIG>, the self-powering device <NUM> is shown in further detail. The self-powering device <NUM> is configured to provide electrical power to the various electrical components of the sensor unit <NUM> by harvesting energy from the downhole environment. The self-powering device <NUM> therefore comprises an energy-harvesting module <NUM>. The harvesting module <NUM> may be selected from the group comprising a vibrating member <NUM>, a piezoelectric member <NUM>, a magnetostrictive member <NUM>, and a thermoelectric generator <NUM>. As is shown in <FIG>, any of these members is possible. In case of using a vibrating member <NUM>, a piezoelectric member <NUM> or a magnetostrictive member <NUM>, the energy-harvesting module <NUM> is configured to convert mechanical vibrations of the surrounding environment, such as in the well tubular metal structure <NUM> or in downhole fluid, into electrical energy. In case of using a thermoelectric generator <NUM>, such as a Peltier element, the harvesting module <NUM> is configured to convert thermal energy of the surrounding energy into electrical energy.

The harvested energy is preferably supplied to a rectifier <NUM>. The rectifier <NUM> is configured to provide a direct voltage and comprises a switching unit <NUM> and a rectifier <NUM>. It should be noted that the position of the switching unit <NUM> and the rectifier <NUM> could be changed in order that the rectifier <NUM> is directly connected to the harvesting module <NUM>. As is shown in <FIG>, the rectifier <NUM> is preferably connected to a capacitor <NUM> for storing the harvested energy. The electrical components <NUM>-<NUM> of the sensor unit <NUM> are therefore connected to the capacitor <NUM>, forming the required power source or storage buffer. Optionally, the self-powering device <NUM> is further provided with an amplifier (not shown) and/or with control electronics (not shown) for the switching unit <NUM>. Additional capacitors may also be provided.

Now turning to <FIG>, the configuration of the downhole completion system will be described further, and in particular the downhole or sub-surface system <NUM> will be described. The sensor units 10A-F, representing parts of a sub-surface system <NUM>, are arranged at the well tubular metal structure wall. The communication between the sensor units 10A-F is preferably based on a relay model, which means that the surface system communicates with the sensor units 10A-F via a sensor unit network. Preferably, each signal that is transmitted from a sensor unit 10A-F comprises information relating to a unique ID of the sensor unit 10A-F. Further, data echoing and cross-talk are reduced by limiting the number of possible retransmissions between the sensor units 10A-F. By reducing data echoing, the possiblity of one sensor unit sending the same data more than once to the same neighbouring sensor unit is eliminated. The network knows its neighbours by their unique IDs, and thereby the transmitter can target the transmission of data, and thus the situation in which data is sent back and forth can be avoided in that the neighbouring sensor unit "knows" from which sensor unit the data is received and will consequently not send that data back again.

Each sensor unit 10A-F is preferably configured to operate in two different modes. The first mode, relating to activation for the purpose of receiving data relating e.g. to the position or trajectory of the borehole or cement or borehole characteristics, preferably comprises a step of gathering data (optionally including data from the additional sensors 15a, 15b (shown in <FIG>) and transmitting the data upon request. In the second mode, the sensor units 10A-F are configured to re-transmit received signals.

The location of each sensor unit 10A-F may also be determined by a round-trip elapsed time measured by the surface system <NUM>. The surface system <NUM> may thus be configured to ping a specific sensor unit 10A-F using the unique ID, whereby the specific sensor unit 10A-F replies by transmitting a response signal with a unique tag. The surface system <NUM> receives the transmitted signal with elapsed times, and either Monte Carlo simulation and/or Shortest Path simulation may be used to determine the specific position of the sensor unit 10A-F.

Using Monte Carlo simulation, a simulated sensor unit location model may be created having a uniform probability distribution. For such method, it may be possible to assume that the sensor units 10A-F are distributed along a specific borehole or well tubular metal structure length, and that these locations, for a given time, are known in the simulated model. The simulated model also includes a relay model with specific individual sensor-processing delays.

For each distribution, the shortest round-trip travel time is calculated for each sensor unit 10A-F. This results in a map of travel time versus location of sensor units 10A-F. It is then possible to compare the measured elapsed time with the map to determine the location of the sensor units 10A-F.

For Shortest Path simulation, once the surface system <NUM> pings a sensor unit 10A-F, the round-trip times of multiple received signals, each one from a specific relay path, are recorded. The shortest time for the particular sensor unit 10A-F is then determined by calculating the distance from the surface system <NUM> using the speed of light.

It would also be possible to use the detectors <NUM> of the sensor units 10A-F for determining the distance between the adjacent sensor units 10A-F, especially if the detectors <NUM> are realised as transducers. As the sonic pulse transmitted by the detector <NUM> will travel with the speed of sound, more time for computing will be available. Hence the detector <NUM> is used not only for cement bond evaluation but also for distance measurements. The radio communication module may also be used for the distance measurements, e.g. in smart mud. All information will, however, be communicated wirelessly using radio frequency. For example, the sensor units 10A-F may be programmed to transmit a signal, via the transceiver, to its neighbouring sensor units 10A-F, whereby the signal contains information that a sonic pulse will be transmitted at a predetermined time, e.g. <NUM> from transmittance of the signal. When one of the neighbouring sensor units 10A-F detects the transmitted sonic pulse, it is possible, for each receiving sensor unit 10A-F, to determine the time elapsed from transmission of the sonic pulse to receipt of the sonic pulse. The time of flight for the acoustic pulse is then converted into a distance between the transmitting sensor unit 10A-F and each receiving sensor unit 10A-F. Absorption-based energy consideration and reverberation measurements are other examples of possible implementations for the range estimation between two neighbouring sensor units.

In the example shown in <FIG>, each sensor unit 10A-F forms a node in the mesh network <NUM>. Each node is configured to receive and transmit data signals, as well as add ID and timestamp with each data package. Each node will send a signal corresponding to its current state (i.e. the detected signals representing cement characteristics) asynchronously with respect to other nodes. In the table below, data communication in the mesh network <NUM> is explained further. In the table, nX represents the node ID, TnX represents the timestamp for the particular node, and sX represents the sensed data from the particular node.

Accordingly, data is communciated through the mesh network <NUM> until the signals are received by the surface system <NUM>.

Due to the provision of the self-powering device <NUM> of the sensor units <NUM>, data may be measured and transmitted to the surface without the need for expensive wires, and the sensor units <NUM> may operate for a much longer period of time compared to if batteries or other embedded power supplies were used.

By "fluid" or "well fluid" is meant any kind of fluid that may be present in oil or gas wells downhole, such as natural gas, oil, oil mud, crude oil, water, etc. By "gas" is meant any kind of gas composition present in a well, completion, or open hole, and by "oil" is meant any kind of oil composition, such as crude oil, an oil-containing fluid, etc. Gas, oil and water fluids may thus all comprise other elements or substances than gas, oil and/or water, respectively.

By "annular barrier" is meant an annular barrier comprising a tubular metal part mounted as part of the well tubular metal structure and an expandable metal sleeve surrounding and connected to the tubular part defining an annular barrier space.

By "well tubular metal structure", "casing" or "production casing" is meant any kind of pipe, tubing, tubular, liner, string, etc., used downhole in relation to oil or natural gas production.

In the event that the tool is not submergible all the way into the well tubular metal structure, a downhole tractor can be used to push the tool all the way into position in the well. The downhole tractor may have projectable arms having wheels, wherein the wheels contact the inner surface of the well tubular metal structure for propelling the tractor and the tool forward in the well tubular metal structure. A downhole tractor is any kind of driving tool capable of pushing or pulling tools in a well downhole, such as a Well Tractor®.

Claim 1:
A downhole completion system (<NUM>) for completing a well (<NUM>) having a borehole (<NUM>), said downhole completion system comprising:
- a well tubular metal structure (<NUM>) arranged in the borehole forming an annulus (<NUM>) and comprising:
- a wall (<NUM>), and
- a plurality of sensor units (<NUM>) forming a mesh network (<NUM>), where each sensor unit is configured to form a network node being configured to relay data for the mesh network, and where each of the sensors is configured to cooperate in the distribution of data in the network, wherein each sensor unit (<NUM>) is configured to receive wirelessly transmitted data from an adjacent sensor unit and to forward the received data to adjacent sensor units, and wherein at least a number of said sensor units is provided with a self-powering device (<NUM>) configured to harvest energy downhole.