초록 ▼

A system and method in accordance with the invention communicator remotely with remotely controllable down hole tools in a well bore at a drilling installation. At the surface, high energy pressure impulses directed into the tubing or the annulus, or both, being at a level to propagate through an in

A system and method in accordance with the invention communicator remotely with remotely controllable down hole tools in a well bore at a drilling installation. At the surface, high energy pressure impulses directed into the tubing or the annulus, or both, being at a level to propagate through an interface between very different impedances zones, such as an upper level gas zone and a lower level of mobile fluid media extending down into the desired downhole location. The pressure impulses, provided by directionally gating along the longitudinal confining path a pressure impulse initially having sharp leading and trailing edges, reach the downhole location as physical perturbations forming a discernible pattern that can be detected by one or more energy responsive transducers. With combinations of these signals, one of a number of separate control devices can be remotely actuated. The system avoids the need for physical or electrical connections and concurrently greatly reduces the likelihood of accidental operation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of actuating a controllable device that is at a remote location from a source station and disposed within a tubular system containing mobile fluid media which may comprise hydrocarbon liquids and gases, water, process fluids, and various combinations of such media, the method comprising

1. A method of actuating a controllable device that is at a remote location from a source station and disposed within a tubular system containing mobile fluid media which may comprise hydrocarbon liquids and gases, water, process fluids, and various combinations of such media, the method comprising the steps of:launching a gas shock impulse into the tubular system at the source station, the shock impulse initially having abrupt leading and trailing edge transitions less than 1/2 second apart, and an energy level calculated in accordance with the distance to the remote location and the media characteristics to travel through the media within the tubular system but retain predetermined impulse characteristics at the remote location; sensing at the remote location, a local physical perturbation in the media that is created by the passage of the shock impulse to the remote location; converting the sensed physical perturbation to a signal variation; determining if the signal variation is, in amplitude and duration characteristics, that intended for actuating the controllable device; and actuating the controllable device thereafter in response to the determination.