SmartPacker Workup - 8/01

SmartPacker Workup 8-01

Working document

This is a work-in-progress

And is under development.

Not for Publication !

Robin Lafever

Ramsey Haught

Ray Solbau

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 SYSTEM

Smart packers are modular addressable units with inflatable rubber elements that can be linkedtogether end-to-end to entirely seal almost any desired length of borehole.

They allow any number of different length intervals to be opened anywhere along the packer string for the purposes of sensing and flow studies.

Envisioned uses include gas sampling, pneumatic testing and transport studies in the vadose zone.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 Background

Inflatable packers have been used in the gas and oil industry since the 1940s. A packer isbasically an expandable plug used to isolate sections of a well or borehole for pumping, injectionor data collection. Several packers can be connected together with sections of pipe to isolatedifferent parts of a well. The packers consist of a metal tube or pipe body with a rubber elementon the outside that is attached to the metal body at both ends. An inflation port allows gas to enterbetween the body and the rubber element to expand the rubber. When lowered into a well orborehole, the rubber element can be inflated to seal against the inside well diameter thuspreventing air or fluid from moving up or down the wellbore along the outside of the packer.Tubing and wires can be passed through the inside of the metal body to provide air or liquid forinjection, pumping or inflation, and for connection to pressure sensors, temperature sensors, etcfor data collection. The internal elements are isolated from the borehole. The number of packersthat can be fastened together is limited at this time. The reason for this is explained further in thetext.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 New Capabilities

What Smart Packers enable people to do that couldn't be done as well before:

Present day packer sections do not carry any of the components mentioned above internally.These items are located outside the borehole at the surface. Therefore the control andmeasurement tubing from each packer section has to be passed internally through each previouspacker section. Due to the large amount of tubing required for each section (connected at thesurface to the appropriate devices for control and measurement), it becomes apparent that only alimited number of sections can be connected mechanically to each other before there is no moreinternal space for the tubes to pass through the outermost section. This construction limits thesealing surface length of a complete packer string to about 4 packer sections, or about 20 feetwhen utilizing five-foot packers with in a four-inch borehole. This invention utilizes only threeairlines and one six conductor wire for communication and power, regardless of the number ofpacker sections lowered into the wellbore. The 3 airlines and cable are all that is required for dataacquisition and control of the entire packer assembly. With no limit on the number of packers, anentire borehole can be sealed with packers. Filling the entire borehole better simulates anundisturbed rock and will therefore result in more realistic measurements. This also allows dataacquisition from the borehole's total length in one set-up. Being able to fill the borehole alsoreduces field personal time because they don't need to move the packer system down theborehole in stages as is done now. Additionally, because the entire borehole can be sealed there isadded flexibility for testing using different combinations of inflated and deflated packer sections.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 Current practices

How people currently address the problem that Smart Packers address:

The current method is to assemble a length of packers (currently about 20 ft max) and move thepacker assembly down the borehole in stages, or alternatively, leave large sections of the packerstring without a sealing mechanism. There is no way at present to fill or test the non-packedsection of borehole.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 Summary

The smart packers are modular addressable units with inflatable rubber elements that can belinked together end-to-end to entirely seal almost any desired length of borehole. They allow anynumber of different length intervals to be opened anywhere along the packer string for thepurposes of sensing and flow studies. By using an embedded processor in each of the packermodules to control inflation of the rubber elements, injection points, and measurement ofpressure data, the number of airlines needed is reduced from several per packer section to threefor the whole string. The number of wires is reduced from several per packer section to six for thewhole string. Each packer module is addressable from the surface using the RS-485 serialcommunication standard. The processor in each module can take care of the routine tasks ofmonitoring the module's status, and reporting back to the surface computer that status and thedata from the sensors placed in the packer (pressure, temperature, humidity, etc). This can all bedone in parallel with the other packer modules thus reducing the load on the surface computer.This parallelism also will allow better time resolution of the sensor data. This is important intransient flow tests.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 Uses

Uses of the Smart Packer system:

This invention's use is in the field of fracture flow characterization (above and below the watertable) and reservoir development. Some specific uses are:

1) Single and cross-hole pneumatic and fluid testing in both transient and steady state.

2) Gas or liquid sampling from individual zones.

3) Tracer testing for transport studies.

4) Elimination of cross contamination by separation of different lithologies and pollutants by packing off the entire borehole.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• a) Distributed hardware and electronics (throughout packer system)

• b) Programmable downhole logic

• c) Downhole inflation and injection valves - each zone will be individually addressable.

• d) Continuous borehole coverage - entire string is inflatable

• e) Modular design - modules plug together to make needed length of packer string.

• f) Built-in future expandability for temperature, humidity measurements etc. possible on extra channels on each module.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Distributed hardware and electronics (throughout packer system)

Packer Inflation Valves

On-Board Central Processor

Relay Board

Injector/Sampler Control valves

High-throughput Injection/Sampling valve

Inflation Port

Inject/Sample Port

Inflation Manifold

Wiring harness has been removed for clarityPower and Data

Inflation Supply

High-throughput conduit

Injector Control Supply

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Programmable downhole logic

On-Board Central Processor

Relay Board

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Downhole inflation valves

Inflation Supply

Inflation Port

Inflate Valve

Manifold

Manifold Supply Valve

Manifold Exhaust Valve

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Each zone will be individually addressable

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Downhole injection valves

High Throughput Sample/Inject Conduit

High Throughput Pinch Valve

Injector/Sampler Control Valves

Injector Control Air Supply

Pressure Transducer

Inject/Sample Port

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01

• Continuous borehole coverage - entire string is inflatable

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 KEY FEATURES

• Modular design - modules plug together to make needed length of packer string.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 USES and CAPABILITIES

• a) Gas or liquid sampling from individual zones• b) Single and cross-hole pneumatic testing both transient and steady state• c) Tracer testing for transport studies• d) Amenable to full automation and remote control• e) Elimination of cross contamination by separation of different lithologies and

pollutants by packing off entire borehole.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 BENEFITS

• EFFICIENT FIELD OPERATIONS (resulting in reduced operation cost)

• a) Modular system will assemble and setup with minimal installation and mobilization time.

• b) Only three tubes and one six-wire cable needed to service each hole (a system currently needs 32 tubes for a 16 foot packer string).

• c) Continuous borehole coverage and easily selectable study intervals mean that packers need not be moved once installed to alter study zones- reducing field time, wear on packer rubber.

• d) Positioning is consistent from test to test because assembly requires no re-installation.

• e) Ensures no ungainly controls valves or tubing at the surface and ensures protection from weather and intrusion.

• f) Automation and remote control capability reduces field time needed for scientific study.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 BENEFITS (contd)

• IMPROVED DATA QUALITY• a) Downhole data acquisition allows data processing and digitization to be

performed in parallel for highspeed operation to capture transient phenomena.• b) Downhole data averaging will improve signal quality - reduce transducer

noise.• c) Entire borehole can be filled, reducing short-circuiting effects due to presence

of boreholes, and reducing the effects of borehole storage on transient tests - elements can be inflated specifically to reduce borehole storage but still allow access to a borehole zone.

• d) Electronics will be in a stable environment (steady temperature, low EMF's , housed in metal).

• e) Sample rate will be independent of the number of transducers.• b) Hardware quality assurance easily verifiable with reduced number tubes to

connect and leak,• c) Test repeatability enhanced by automation of testing and by precise depth

control allowed because packers do not need to be moved once installed.• d) Each element can be individually inflated and monitored for leaks in situ.

SmartPacker Workup - 8/01 Appendix