US 12,312,948 B2
Downhole filtration systems and related methods in oil and gas applications
Mario Augusto Rivas Martinez, Dhahran (SA); and Daniel Thomas Scott, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Nov. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/994,737.
Prior Publication US 2024/0175350 A1, May 30, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 47/12 (2012.01); E21B 21/00 (2006.01); E21B 21/08 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 47/12 (2013.01) [E21B 21/002 (2013.01); E21B 21/08 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
16. A method of filtering a drilling fluid, the method comprising:
passing the drilling fluid through a filter assembly of a downhole filtration system;
detecting an uphole pressure above the filter assembly at a first pressure sensor located at an uphole end of the filter assembly and within an interior region of the filter assembly;
detecting a downhole pressure in a region internal to a downhole portion of a drill string that is below and downstream of the filter assembly at a second pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor located at a downhole end of the filter assembly, downstream of the first pressure sensor with respect to a flow of the drilling fluid, and within the interior region of the filter assembly; and
transmitting data comprising the uphole and downhole pressures from a control unit of the downhole filtration system to surface equipment in real time,
wherein the control unit is located atop the filter assembly,
wherein the control unit and the first and second pressure sensors together form a closed-loop communication system, and
wherein the downhole portion of the drill string comprises a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) system such that the downhole filtration system is configured to use the measurements of the uphole and downhole pressures to prevent plugging of interior regions and external surface regions of the MWD system by improving cleaning of the drilling fluid with detection of the debris.