Tethered drone for downhole oil and gas wellbore operations

Abstract

According to some embodiments, devices, systems, and methods for conveying downhole oil and gas wellbore tools and performing downhole oil and gas wellbore operations are disclosed. The exemplary devices, systems, and methods may include a tethered drone that substantially disintegrates and/or dissolves into a proppant when shaped charges that the tethered drone carries are detonated. Two or more tethered drones, wellbore tools, and/or data collection devices may be connected in a tethered drone string for efficiently performing wellbore operations and reducing the amount of debris left in the wellbore after such operations.

1 . A single-piece, self-contained tethered drone, comprising:
 a body portion;   a head portion extending from the body portion and including an integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly;   a tail portion extending from the body portion in a direction opposite the head portion;   a wellbore data collection device housed within the drone and configured for electrically connecting to a wireline; and   at least one shaped charge, wherein   the tethered drone is formed at least in part from a material that will substantially disintegrate upon detonating the shaped charge, while the wellbore data collection device remains intact and operable for delivering the collected data.   
     
     
         2 . The tethered drone of  claim 1 , further comprising a detonator and optionally, a detonating cord coupled to the detonator, and a plurality of shaped charges received in shaped charge apertures in the body portion, wherein the shaped charge apertures are respectively positioned adjacent to at least one of the detonator and the detonating cord within an interior of the body portion. 
     
     
         3 . The tethered drone of  claim 2 , further comprising circuitry positioned within the tail portion and programmed to receive a selective detonation signal from a control unit via the wireline and to transmit the selective detonation signal to the detonator. 
     
     
         4 . The tethered drone of  claim 3 , wherein the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly includes an electrically conductive pin connector and a mechanical connector respectively configured for connecting to a complementary electrical component and a complementary mechanical connector. 
     
     
         5 . The tethered drone of  claim 4 , further comprising a conductive wire configured for relaying an electrical signal along a length of the tethered drone from the circuitry to the pin connector. 
     
     
         6 . The tethered drone of  claim 5 , wherein
 the complementary electrical component and the complementary mechanical connector are parts of a complementary drone separate and distinct from the tethered drone, and the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly of the head portion of the tethered drone is configured for electrically connecting the pin connector of the integrated electrical and mechanical assembly to the complementary electrical component of the complementary drone when the mechanical connector of the integrated electrical and mechanical assembly is connected to the complementary mechanical connector of the complementary drone to connect the tethered drone to the complementary drone, and   the head portion, alone, provides an electrical transfer and mechanical coupling for connecting the tethered drone to the complementary drone via the conductive wire, the pin connector, and the mechanical connector.   
     
     
         7 . The tethered drone of  claim 5 , wherein the conductive wire is configured for receiving the electrical signal from the wireline via a direct connection or through one or more electrically conductive components. 
     
     
         8 . The tethered drone of  claim 1 , wherein the wellbore data collection device is configured for receiving at least one of a power supply and an electrical signal from the wireline via a direct connection or through one or more electrically conductive components. 
     
     
         9 . The tethered drone of  claim 1 , wherein the wellbore data collection device is the only removeable component of the tethered drone after detonating the shaped charge, and the wellbore data collection device is configured for being removed from the wellbore by the wireline. 
     
     
         10 . A single-piece, self-contained tethered drone, comprising:
 a body portion;   a head portion extending from the body portion;   a tail portion extending from the body portion in a direction opposite the head portion and configured for connecting to a wireline, wherein the tail portion includes an electrical transfer contact and circuitry for receiving an electrical signal from a control unit via the wireline;   a detonator and optionally, a detonating cord coupled to the detonator, wherein the circuitry transmits the electrical signal to the detonator; and   a plurality of shaped charges received in shaped charge apertures in the body portion, wherein the shaped charge apertures are respectively positioned adjacent to at least one of the detonator and the detonating cord within an interior of the body portion,   wherein the tethered drone is formed at least in part from a material that will substantially disintegrate upon detonating the shaped charge.   
     
     
         11 . The tethered drone of  claim 10 , wherein the head portion includes an integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly, and the head portion, alone, provides an electrical transfer and mechanical coupling for electrically and mechanically connecting the tethered drone to a complementary electrical component and a complementary mechanical component of a complementary drone separate and distinct from the tethered drone. 
     
     
         12 . A tethered drone string for downhole delivery of one or more wellbore tools, comprising:
 a first single-piece, self-contained tethered drone connected to a second single-piece, self-contained tethered drone, the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone respectively including
 a body portion, 
 a head portion, 
 a tail portion, and 
 at least one shaped charge, wherein
 the head portion of the first tethered drone extends from the body portion of the first tethered drone in a direction towards the second tethered drone and includes an integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly, 
 the tail portion of the first tethered drone extends from the body portion of the first tethered drone in a direction opposite the head portion and includes a tail connecting portion, wherein the tail connecting portion of the first tethered drone is configured for at least one of connecting to a wellbore tool and connecting to a wireline, 
 the tail portion of the second tethered drone includes a tail connecting portion, wherein the tail connecting portion of the second tethered drone is electrically and mechanically connected to the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly of the first tethered drone, and 
 the head portion of the first tethered drone, alone, provides an electrical transfer and mechanical coupling between the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone via the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly; and 
 
   a wellbore data collection device configured for at least one of forming a connection between the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone, forming a connection between at least one of the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone respectively and the wireline, and being housed within at least one of the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone, wherein   the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone are formed at least in part from a material that will substantially disintegrate upon detonating the shaped charge, while the wellbore data collection device remains intact and operable for delivering the collected data.   
     
     
         13 . The tethered drone string of  claim 12 , wherein the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone respectively include a detonator and optionally, a detonating cord coupled to the detonator, and a plurality of shaped charges received in shaped charge apertures in the body portion, wherein the shaped charge apertures are respectively positioned adjacent to at least one of the detonator and the detonating cord within an interior of the body portion. 
     
     
         14 . The tethered drone string of  claim 13 , wherein the first tethered drone alone includes circuitry positioned within the tail portion of the first tethered drone and programmed to receive a selective detonation signal from a control unit via the wireline and transmit the selective detonation signal to the respective detonator in each of the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone. 
     
     
         15 . The tethered drone string of  claim 14 , wherein the first tethered drone further includes a conductive wire configured for relaying the selective detonation signal along a length of the first tethered drone from the circuitry to the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The tethered drone string of  claim 15 , wherein the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly transfers the selective detonation signal, via the tail connecting portion of the second tethered drone, from the conductive wire to the detonator of the second tethered drone. 
     
     
         17 . The tethered drone string of  claim 16 , wherein the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly of the first tethered drone includes an electrically conductive pin connector electrically connected to an electrical transfer contact of the tail connecting portion of the second tethered drone and a mechanical connector connected to a complementary mechanical connector of the tail connecting portion of the second tethered drone. 
     
     
         18 . The tethered drone string of  claim 17 , wherein the mechanical connector of the integrated electrical and mechanical connecting assembly is threadingly connected to the complementary mechanical connector of the tail connecting portion of the second tethered drone. 
     
     
         19 . The tethered drone string of  claim 12 , further comprising a single battery positioned within the tail portion of the first tethered drone, wherein the single battery provides a power supply to each of the first tethered drone and the second tethered drone. 
     
     
         20 . The tethered drone string of  claim 12 , wherein the wellbore tool is a wellbore data collection device connected to the tail connecting portion via a complementary connection and configured for connecting to the wireline, further wherein the wellbore data collection device is the only removable component of the tethered drone string after detonating the shaped charges, wherein the wellbore data collection device is configured for being removed from the wellbore by the wireline.