Carrier Device for Downhole Transport

Abstract

Apparatus for transport in a wellbore, including a body comprising degradable material; a compartment within the body; and a permeable closure between an interior of the compartment and an exterior of the body. A method for transport in a wellbore including deploying a carrier device into a borehole of the wellbore, wherein the carrier device contains items; and releasing the items into the borehole by allowing degradation of at least a portion of the carrier device. A wellbore system including a borehole having an inner diameter; a carrier device having an outer diameter, wherein the inner diameter of the borehole is greater than the outer diameter of the carrier device, the carrier device comprising: a body comprising degradable material; a compartment within the body; and a permeable closure between an interior of the compartment and an exterior of the body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A carrier device for transport in a wellbore, comprising:
 a body comprising degradable material;   a compartment within the body; and   a permeable closure between an interior of the compartment and an exterior of the body.   
     
     
         2 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the body is cylindrical. 
     
     
         3 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the body has a shape that is hydrodynamically favorable for downward travel in a borehole of the wellbore. 
     
     
         4 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the permeable closure comprises a wire mesh. 
     
     
         5 . The carrier device of  claim 4 , wherein the wire mesh consists of openings that are less than 3 mm across. 
     
     
         6 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the permeable closure is disposed at an exterior surface of the body. 
     
     
         7 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the permeable closure is located near a top portion of the body. 
     
     
         8 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , further comprising a flow port extending between a bottom portion of the body and a top portion of the body. 
     
     
         9 . The carrier device of  claim 8 , further comprising a valve in the flow port. 
     
     
         10 . The carrier device of  claim 9 , wherein the valve allows fluid flow from the bottom portion of the body to the top portion of the body. 
     
     
         11 . The carrier device of  claim 8 , wherein the body is reinforced near the flow port. 
     
     
         12 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein a bottom portion of the body is weighted. 
     
     
         13 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , further comprising a fishing neck. 
     
     
         14 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the wellbore comprises a borehole having an inner diameter; and   an outer diameter of the body is less than the inner diameter of the borehole.   
     
     
         15 . The carrier device of  claim 1 , wherein the compartment is capable of retaining microsensors. 
     
     
         16 . A method of transport in a wellbore, comprising:
 deploying a carrier device into a borehole of the wellbore, wherein the carrier device contains items; and   releasing the items into the borehole by allowing degradation of at least a portion of the carrier device.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein wellbore fluid comes into contact with the items after the deploying and before the releasing. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising: triggering the degradation of the carrier device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the triggering is based on at least one of fluid pressure, fluid pressure changes, fluid temperature, fluid temperature changes, fluid salinity, fluid salinity changes, fluid pH, and fluid pH changes. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the portion of the carrier device that is degraded comprises at least one of a body of the carrier device, a permeable closure connected to the body, and a connection between the body and the permeable closure. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the items are microsensors, the method further comprising collecting at least some of the microsensors from the borehole. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising loading the items into a compartment of the carrier device before deploying the carrier device into the borehole. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein loading the items into the compartment occurs after manufacture of a body of the carrier device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the deploying the carrier device into the borehole is separated from the releasing the items into the borehole by a selected time period. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising selecting a material for the carrier device so that the carrier device is expected to degrade over the selected time period. 
     
     
         26 . A wellbore system comprising:
 a borehole having an inner diameter;   a carrier device having an outer diameter, wherein the inner diameter of the borehole is greater than the outer diameter of the carrier device, the carrier device comprising:
 a body comprising degradable material; 
 a compartment within the body; and 
 a permeable closure between an interior of the compartment and an exterior of the body. 
   
     
     
         27 . The wellbore system of  claim 26 , wherein the body has a shape that is hydrodynamically favorable for downward travel in the borehole. 
     
     
         28 . The wellbore system of  claim 26 , wherein the compartment is capable of retaining microsensors.