Title: Drill String Radar
1Drill String Radar
Stolar Research Corporation848 Clayton
HighwayRaton, New Mexico(505) 445-3607
2The Problem
- Coal bed methane now accounts for 10 of the
U.S. natural gas supply and supplies must
increase to meet future energy needs - Extraction tax contributes millions of dollars
per month to the state of New Mexico and
provides 600 jobs in Raton. - Extraction recovers less than 5 of the BTUs of
the coal bed - Cavitation extraction method spoils the coal bed
- Environmental concerns include alteration of
aquifers and destruction of wildlife habitat
3Vertical Cavitation
4The SolutionRadar-Controlled Directional
Drilling
- Enables drilling within an undulating coal bed
- Preserves sealing mudstone-shale sedimentary
boundary layers of the coal bed, preventing
aquifer drainage into the methane production
wells. - Conserves coal reserves for future mining
- Longhole drilling minimizes the need for surface
reclamation
5Horizontal Directional Drilling Markets
- CBM and CNM production
- Horizontal drilling in layered hydrocarbon
deposits - National security, protection of U.S. assets
6Conventional Sidetracking Undera Paleochannel
7Current State of the Art
- Boundary detected by gamma sensor and data sent
by low-data-rate acoustic pulse up the drill
rodfalls under sandstone paleochannel. - Slumber J Periscope technology features a
multi-coil induction tool with three-layer
modeling to determine well hole position relative
to boundarynot a radar technology.
8DSR SystemAdvances State of the Art
- DSR system will meet two performance criteria.
- Drillstring data transmission (DTS) system
- Low-frequency radar antenna with up-and-down
distance-measuring capability
9DSR Principle Advantages
- A directional transmitterantenna creates roof
and floor detection modes (no rotation required) - Down-hole electrical power generation
extendsbattery life - Radar data processed down-hole in real time
provides navigational signals for steering - Technology for gas-flow intensification
10DSR System Operation
11DSR Operating Detail
- Guides the drill within an undulating coal seam
or other hydrocarbon reservoir
12DSR Operating Detail
- Uses directional antennas to distinguish between
the top and bottom boundaries
Coal
Boundary Rock
Heat
Heat
13DSR System Limitations
- The medium being investigated cannot have
excessive electrical losses - Boundaries must reflect the transmitted signal
14DSR Drilling and RIM In-Seam Mapping
Develop and demonstrate a dual-phase methodology
of in-seam drilling, imaging, and structure
confirmation. This methodology
- Uses DSR for real-time MWD guidance and
navigationof drillstrings duringhorizontal
drilling Scheduled forcompletionAugust 2006 - Uses RIM to imagebetween drill holesfor seam
thicknessestimates andin-seam
structuredetectionCompletedFebruary 2005
15DSR Competitive Advantages
- No direct MWD technology competitors inEM field
(coal exploration) - DSR provides guidance under sandstonepaleochannel
s where gamma sensors typically fail - Eliminates sidetracks, reducing drilling cost
- Impervious to cutter head noise, which
negatesreal-time acoustic wave sensing - Measures anisotropic dielectric constant to
determine cleat orientation
16Drilling Horizontally with DSR
- Horizontal directional drilling with radar
navigationaccurately maps - Coal seam height
- Elevation change (rolls)
- Roof/floor rock type
- Measuring anisotropicdielectric constant
identifies - Changes in the coal bed cleat structure
- Shear zones that affect mining
17DSR Proof-of-Concept Demonstration
- Testing showed the need for low radio-wave
frequencies with separate transmitter and
receiver antennas
Prototype Radar Testing
18DSR Hardware Development
- DTS Antenna and Battery Option
- The DSR probe design is complete
fabricationon-going. - Optional explosion-proof (XP) battery
pack.Specifications 5 amp/hr,12 V,
rechargeable(1,000 cycles) - Robust antenna housing fixture designed for
rigors of drilling environment. Centered around
intrinsically safe beryllium copper (BeCu) brush
alloy torroidal antenna design. Prototype is
based on 2.75-in. NQ drill pipe.
19Hardware Development Progress
- The DSR-Probe design is complete fabrication is
on going - Water-flow power generator has been designed,
built, and tested - Designed and built DTS torroidal antenna test sub
for testing multiple antenna configurations
on2-7/8 EUE pipe and NQ pipe for actual field
demonstration - Working with Consol Energy on providing a data
transmission line between our radar electronics
and the processor for a secondary means of data
transmission using their current acoustic system - The DTS torroidal antenna sub is the section of
the DSR assembly that will be the anchor point
for both the electronic and radar antenna
assemblies - Most MSHA approvals secured (power, housings, and
electronics antennas lacking I/S approvals)
20DSR Hardware Photo Library
21DSR Hardware Photo Library
22DSR Hardware Photo Library
23Turbine Generator Development
24RF Electronics Features
- DC blocks for antenna, an essential component of
MSHA intrinsic safety certification - Advanced electronics finalized and integrated
into DSR prototype. - The digital signal processing (DSP) board and
multi-channel analog-to-digital interface board
have been manufactured. - The intermediate-frequency (IF) DSP circuit has
been manufactured. - A new F1/F1 modem transceiver induces signals on
slickline or drillstring.
25Positioning System Features
DSR Graphical User Interface Positioning Program
26Preliminary Field Tests
- Data transmission capabilities verified along
in-seam drillstring. - The direction of the movement of the drillstring
can be measured with a commercial gyrocompass and
inclinometer. - MWD positioning software tested for functionality
- By integrating the x, y, and z movement
components of the drill head, the position of the
bottom-hole assembly can be determined.
27Coal and Rock Electrical Tests
- Analysis of coal and rock EM properties
- WVU continues to evaluate coal and rock samples
from various coal mines. Samples were cored and
their electrical properties measured. These
measurements are critical for proper radar design.
28Coal and Rock Electrical Tests
29Test Sites
- Raton deviated boreholes for detection and
tracking of the air-soil boundary - Utah SUFCO and Deer Creek coal mines
30SUFCO Boreholes
Hole Depth Orientation A
17.5 Sloped up at 10 degrees B
23.3 Sloped up at 6 degrees C 10.0
Horizontal D 25.0 Sloped down
at 13 degrees E 20.0 Horizontal F
20.0 Horizontal
31McElroy Coal Mine
Roof Rock
32McElroy Coal Roof Rock - Bedding Plane
33McElroy Roof Parting Rocks-Primary Cleats
34EnCana Oil-Saturated Limestone
Coal and its roof rock at a Pittsburgh seam have
much lower losses than the oil-saturated and
water-saturated limestone rocks of EnCana