US 12,241,364 B2
System and method for position and orientation detection of a downhole device
Eirik Borg, Trondheim (NO); Bjørn Christiansen, Trondheim (NO); and Tobias Rasmussen, Trondheim (NO)
Assigned to Aziwell AS, Trondheim (NO)
Appl. No. 18/566,815
Filed by Aziwell AS, Trondheim (NO)
PCT Filed May 31, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/064829
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 4, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/280480, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 20210892 (NO), filed on Jul. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0271522 A1, Aug. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 47/024 (2006.01); E21B 7/06 (2006.01); E21B 44/00 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 47/024 (2013.01) [E21B 7/062 (2013.01); E21B 7/064 (2013.01); E21B 7/067 (2013.01); E21B 44/005 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for identifying or monitoring the orientation and position of a rotary steerable drill for drilling in bedrock, the system comprising:
a substantially non-rotating outer body element housing at least one reference point magnet;
an anti-rotation device comprising a packer, the anti-rotation device preventing the outer body element from rotating freely relative to the bedrock;
a rotating drive shaft arranged inside the outer body element and connected to a drill bit at its first end and to the drill rod or coupling thereof at its second end;
a deflection mechanism held by the substantially non-rotating outer body element and configured to tilt or push the drill bit and thereby steer the direction of drilling;
an inner body element seated inside the rotating drive shaft, drill rod or coupling thereof, the inner body element being configured to be seated permanently or retrieved from surface via a wireline;
wherein the inner body element comprises
a platform suspended essentially concentrically and rotationally free within the inner body element, the platform housing at least one gravity sensor for at any time measuring direction of gravity relative to the platform, the platform comprising at least one alignment device configured to align the platform with the reference point magnet;
a main electronic board positioned in a fixed relation to the inner body element and comprising at least one processor for retrieving and storing data from the gravity sensor, the electronic board being configured to use the gravity data directly or indirectly for at any time determining a rotational orientation of the reference point magnet relative to a direction of earth gravity and thereby a rotational position of the deflection mechanism relative to the direction of earth gravity that determine the direction of drilling; and
at least one power supply unit positioned in a fixed relation to the inner body element.