Method and apparatus for determining optimal installation of downhole equipment

Abstract

A method for mapping a cased wellbore, the method comprising providing a cased wellbore; and routing a sensor assembly through said cased wellbore to measure forces applied to said sensor assembly.

1 . A method for mapping a cased wellbore, the method comprising:
 (i) providing a cased wellbore; and   (ii) routing a sensor assembly through said cased wellbore to measure forces applied to said sensor assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , where the sensor assembly is configured to represent a piece of downhole equipment to be installed in said cased wellbore. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , where the sensor assembly includes at least one strain gauge. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining locations in said cased wellbore for installation of said piece of downhole equipment based on forces measured by said sensor assembly. 
     
     
         5 . A method for installing downhole production equipment within a cased well, the method comprising:
 (i) drilling a wellbore and installing casing in said wellbore;   (ii) configuring a sensor assembly to represent a piece of downhole equipment to be installed in said casing;   (iii) routing said sensor assembly through said casing while measuring forces exerted on said sensor assembly; and   (iv) determining a location within said casing, based upon said measurement forces, where the installation of downhole equipment will be desirable; and installing downhole equipment in said location.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising determining a location within said casing from said measured forces that exceeds a predetermined force threshold for which added protection is needed for electrical conduits. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , where the sensor assembly includes a strain gauge. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising re-configuring the sensor assembly by adjusting an outer diameter and/or length and re-routing the sensor through said casing when said measurement forces exceed a predetermined threshold in selected regions of said casing. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising selecting a force to measure with said sensor assembly selected from the group consisting of bending, axial, shear, pressure, torsional, stress, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . A method for determining where to locate downhole equipment in a cased wellbore, comprising:
 (i) providing a sensor assembly adapted to traverse a cased wellbore;   (ii) measuring a plurality of forces exerted on said sensor assembly during traversal thereof through said cased wellbore; and   (iii) determining from said plurality of forces optimal locations for positioning of downhole equipment.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein said sensor assembly comprises a housing, the method further comprising configuring said housing to closely resemble the downhole equipment. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising associating a position of said sensor assembly with said plurality of forces along a length of the cased wellbore. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising evaluating said plurality of forces and their position along the length of the cased wellbore; re-configuring said housing; re-measuring said plurality of forces exerted on said sensor assembly during traversal thereof through said cased wellbore; and re-determining from said plurality of forces optimal locations for positioning of downhole equipment. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising selecting a plurality of acceptable locations along the length of the cased wellbore that exert acceptable force threshold values; and installing downhole equipment in said plurality of acceptable regions. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising selecting a force to measure with said sensor assembly selected from the group consisting of bending, axial, shear, pressure, torsional, stress, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . A system for determining optimal locations for installation of downhole equipment in a cased wellbore, the system comprising:
 (i) a conveyance system associated with a cased wellbore;   (ii) a sensor assembly coupled to said conveyance system that conveys said sensor assembly within the cased wellbore, said sensor assembly measuring forces exerted by the cased wellbore during travel therethrough; and   (iii) a controller adapted to communicate with said sensor assembly and said conveyance system so as to correlate measured forces with a position of the sensor assembly in the cased wellbore.   
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein said sensor assembly comprises a housing configured to substantially represent a piece of downhole equipment to be installed in the cased wellbore, wherein the measured forces are representative of forces exerted upon said piece of downhole equipment in the cased wellbore. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein said sensor assembly detects any combination of forces selected from the group consisting of bending, strain, shear strain, axial strain, and torsional strain. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein said housing comprises a carriage which swivels and that carries wheels to facilitate conveyance through the cased wellbore.