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DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH DATA RATE VORTEX THROTTLE MUD PULSE TELEMETRY TRANSMITTERS FOR MEASUREMENT WHILE-DRILLING APPLICATIONS PHASE I FINAL REPORT

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Mud pulse telemetry is used in Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) to digitally transmit data or information from the bottom of a borehole to the surface. By transmitting at a high enough rate, drilling a well can be faster, safer, more efficient and, as a result, less expensive. Not only can logging hours be reduced, but the financial and environmental costs of blowouts can be minimized and even avoided. However, state-of-the-art mud pulsers can only transmit data at about 4 to 3 data-bits-per-second (bps). This limits their usefulness to transmitting data on parameters which do not change rapidly with time such as direction and orientation. In order to perform closed-loop well blowout control, at least 10 bps are required. Further, as the degree of logging sophistication increases and the control of drilling requires parameters such as pressure on-bit, formation density, and temperature, such low data rates could slow down the drilling process (e.g., to transmit a three-digit number (10 bits) three times (for redundancy) at 3bps would take at least 10 seconds and to transmit three other readings, including headers/leaders, would require another 30 seconds or so, therefore, to transmit a single set of reading may take the better part of a minute). Fast response, fluidic vortex throttles capable of data rates greater than 30bps are the innovative solution to this data rate problem. Because they use centrifugal forces created by a vortex to develop a pressure that retards the flow and because it takes only one small low inertia tab or vane that sees negligible flow forces to actuate them, they can modulate flow from fully-open to throttled-down in milliseconds. In addition, since it takes little effort to move this tab, only minimal actuation power is needed. The Phase I effort covered the analysis of mud pulsers, the development of engineering designs for vortex throttles, limited experiments to demonstrate operating principles, and the development of software for generating theoretical performance characteristics as a function of drilling parameters such as circulation rate, mud weight, pipe size, drill bit nozzle size and valve orifice parameters. The Phase I effort produced mud pulser valve designs suitable for use with both large bore drill pipe and small bore flexible tubing, the latter which is now coming into vogue, and into which it may be very difficult to even consider conventional pulser technology. Results show that the pulsers designed are theoretically capable of producing signal (pulses) of sufficient magnitude (above 50psi) to be detected at the surface under most circulating flow operating conditions. The designs apply to the development of down hole pulsing tools for both large (4Yzin ID) and small (2.875in ID) drill pipes.

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Last Updated September 29, 2016, 14:44 (LMT)
Created September 29, 2016, 14:44 (LMT)
Citation Roy Long, DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH DATA RATE VORTEX THROTTLE MUD PULSE TELEMETRY TRANSMITTERS FOR MEASUREMENT WHILE-DRILLING APPLICATIONS PHASE I FINAL REPORT, 2016-09-29, https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/development-of-high-data-rate-vortex-throttle-mud-pulse-telemetry-transmitters-for-measurement-whil
Netl Product yes
Poc Email Roy.long@netl.doe.gov
Point Of Contact Roy Long
Program Or Project KMD
Publication Date 1992-5-1