US 12,031,417 B2
Untethered drone string for downhole oil and gas wellbore operations
Christian Eitschberger, Munich (DE); Andreas Robert Zemla, Much (DE); Liam McNelis, Bonn (DE); Thilo Scharf, Letterkenny (IE); Shmuel Silverman, Novato, CA (US); Arash Shahinpour, Troisdorf (DE); and Gernot Uwe Burmeister, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to DynaEnergetics Europe GmbH, Troisdorf (DE)
Filed by DynaEnergetics Europe GmbH, Troisdorf (DE)
Filed on Dec. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/060,683.
Application 18/060,683 is a continuation of application No. 17/059,205, granted, now 11,591,885, previously published as PCT/IB2019/000526, filed on Apr. 12, 2019.
Application 17/059,205 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/IB2019/000530, filed on Mar. 29, 2019.
Application 17/059,205 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/IB2019/000537, filed on Mar. 18, 2019.
Application 17/059,205 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/272,326, filed on Feb. 11, 2019, granted, now 10,458,213, issued on Oct. 29, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/831,215, filed on Apr. 9, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/827,468, filed on Apr. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/823,737, filed on Mar. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/780,427, filed on Dec. 17, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/765,185, filed on Aug. 20, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/699,484, filed on Jul. 17, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/690,314, filed on Jun. 26, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/678,636, filed on May 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0106595 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. E21B 43/1185 (2006.01); E21B 43/117 (2006.01); E21B 43/119 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/1185 (2013.01) [E21B 43/117 (2013.01); E21B 43/119 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An untethered drone string, comprising:
a first untethered drone comprising a detonator and a control circuit, wherein the detonator of the first untethered drone is in electrical communication with the control circuit; and
a second untethered drone configured to be connected to the first untethered drone, the second untethered drone comprising a detonator configured to be in electrical communication with the control circuit, wherein:
the first untethered drone comprises a control circuit connecting portion at an upstream end of the first untethered drone,
the control circuit connecting portion is configured for electrically connecting to a control unit at a surface of a wellbore before the untethered drone string is deployed into the wellbore, and receiving at least one of a power supply or a programming instruction for the control circuit via the electrical connection to the control unit, and
the control circuit is configured for transmitting a sequence signal to at least one of the detonator of the second untethered drone or the detonator of the first untethered drone, wherein each of the first untethered drone and the second untethered drone respectively comprises:
a body portion;
a head portion extending from the body portion, the head portion having one of an externally threaded portion or an internally threaded portion; and
a tail portion extending from the body portion in a direction opposite the head portion, the tail portion having the other of the externally threaded portion or the internally threaded portion, the externally threaded portion of the first untethered drone being configured for complimentary engagement with the internally threaded portion of the second untethered drone;
wherein at least one of the head portion or the tail portion of the first untethered drone includes a plurality of fins configured for rotating the first untethered drone as the first untethered drone travels through wellbore fluid.