Autonomous blowout preventer

Abstract

A BOP system is provided with sensors distributed along a length of a subsea blowout preventer to monitor objects within a blowout preventer and measure critical parameters. A subsea computer is programmed to detect a speed and direction of an object within the BOP. The computer is programmed to detect movement of an object that is not produced by the drilling rig.

1 . A monitoring system for a subsea BOP, said subsea BOP defining a bore through said subsea BOP, said subsea BOP comprising a ram, said subsea BOP being operable to receive a string of pipe movable through said bore, comprising:
 a computer operatively connected to control opening and closing of said ram; and   a plurality of sensors being mounted to said subsea BOP, said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of sensors to detect a direction and a speed of an object within said subsea BOP.   
     
     
         2 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising said object comprising said string of pipe, said computer being programmed to determine when it is possible for said ram to shear said string of pipe and when it is not possible to shear said string of pipe. 
     
     
         3 . The monitoring system of  claim 2 , further comprising said computer being programmed to detect a blowout based on said direction and said speed of said string of pipe within said subsea BOP, said plurality of sensors comprising a plurality of groups of sensors where each group is axially spaced at different axial positions with respect to said bore of said subsea BOP, said computer being programmed to send a warning signal to a surface position about said blowout when said string of pipe is moving due to said blowout, said computer being programmed to operate said ram to cut said string of pipe when said computer determines that it is possible to shear said string of pipe and after either receiving a human instruction to cut said string of pipe or when no response is made to said warning signal. 
     
     
         4 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising said object is a tubular object and said computer being programmed to determine a wall thickness of said tubular object within said subsea BOP. 
     
     
         5 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising said plurality of sensors comprising an electromagnetic sensor, said object comprising a metallic object, and said electromagnetic sensor being responsive to said metallic object within said subsea BOP. 
     
     
         6 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of sensors provide a plurality of signals wherein said computer is operable for determining one or more of vibration, sound, frequency, a lateral location of pipe that is offset from a vertical centerline of said subsea BOP or a or proximity to a subsea BOP internal wall thickness, an angle of a pipe within said subsea BOP with respect to said vertical centerline of said subsea BOP, inductance, an electromagnetic field, capacitance, contactivity, current, deflection, weight, flow rate, impedance, internal pressure, external pressure, fluid volume, length, rate, accumulator pressure, pressure, resistance, temperature, voltage, drill pipe internal pressure, a temperature gradient between seawater and well fluids, compression or tension of a body wall of a string of pipe inside said subsea BOP, flow of fluid through the string of pipe, a change in a shear force to cut said string of pipe, pipe imperfections, hardness, dimensions, wear, stress concentration, RFID information, speed and position of a piston rod, a speed and position of a piston, or speed and position of a said ram, density, or a combination of the above. 
     
     
         7 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising a surface sensor positioned at a surface position, said computer being programmed to utilize said surface sensor at said surface position, said computer being programmed as a warning system for audibly providing an alert in natural language or a tactile alarm or comprise a smart device programmed to provide an alarm for said blowout. 
     
     
         8 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising said computer being programmed to distinguish between a downhole tool, drill pipe joint, drill pipe body pump, motor, drill bit, heavyweight drill pipe, wireline, debris or another unknown object. 
     
     
         9 . The monitoring system of  claim 1 , said computer being programmed to classify said object in said bore as a downhole tool, tool joint, pump, motor, drill bit, heavyweight drill pipe, debris, drill pipe joint, drill pipe body section, or unknown object. 
     
     
         10 . The monitoring system of  claim 1  further comprising a rig sensor operable to determine an internal pressure of a pipe and said computer being programmed to adjust a calculation of force to cut said pipe based on said internal pressure. 
     
     
         11 . The monitoring system of  claim 1  wherein said plurality of sensors comprise a noncontact sensor. 
     
     
         12 . A monitoring system for a subsea BOP defining a bore through said subsea BOP operable to receive a string of drill pipe, said BOP comprising a ram, said string of drill pipe comprising a plurality of drill pipe connectors and a plurality of pipe bodies between said drill pipe connectors, comprising:
 a computer   a plurality of groups of sensors positioned at a plurality of different locations along an axis of a bore though said subsea BOP, said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of groups of sensors to detect an object moving through said bore.   
     
     
         13 . The monitoring system of  claim 12 , wherein said computer is programmed to determine a plurality of parameters from said plurality of groups of sensors comprising one or more of wall thickness, imperfections, hardness, dimensions, wear, rate of wear, stress concentration, weight, lateral location, angle, fatigue of vibration, sound, frequency, a lateral location of pipe that is offset from a vertical centerline of said subsea BOP or a or proximity to a subsea BOP internal wall thickness, an angle of a pipe within said subsea BOP with respect to said vertical centerline of said subsea BOP, inductance, an electromagnetic field, capacitance, contactivity, current, deflection, weight, flow rate, impedance, internal pressure, external pressure, fluid volume, length, rate, accumulator pressure, pressure, resistance, temperature, voltage, drill pipe internal pressure, a temperature gradient between seawater and well fluids, compression or tension of a body wall of a string of pipe inside said subsea BOP, flow of fluid through the string of pipe, a change in a shear force to cut said string of pipe, pipe imperfections, hardness, dimensions, wear, stress concentration, RFID information, speed and position of a piston rod, a speed and position of a piston, or speed and position of a said ram, density, or a combination of the above. 
     
     
         14 . The monitoring system of  claim 12 , wherein said object comprises tool joints, said computer is programmed to monitor a time interval between said tool joints passing through said plurality of groups of sensors to provide a speed of said tool joints passing through said subsea BOP and also to determine a direction of said tool joints passing through said subsea BOP. 
     
     
         15 . The monitoring system of  claim 12 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of groups of sensors to classify said object in said bore. 
     
     
         16 . The monitoring system of  claim 12 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of groups of sensors to classify said object in said bore as a downhole tool, tool joint, pump, motor, drill bit, heavyweight drill pipe, debris, drill pipe joint, drill pipe body section, or unknown object. 
     
     
         17 . The monitoring system of  claim 16 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize a classification of said object to determine whether said ram can cut said object. 
     
     
         18 . The monitoring system of  claim 13 , further comprising said computer being programmed to keep track of a depth of said object. 
     
     
         19 . The monitoring system of  claim 13 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of groups of sensors and a design profile or signal analysis or RFID tags to classify said object. 
     
     
         20 . The monitoring system of  claim 13 , further comprising said computer being programmed to detect when an associated surface drilling rig is not in control of a movement of said object moving through said subsea BOP. 
     
     
         21 . The monitoring system of  claim 13 , further comprising sensors in said subsea BOP to detect RFID chips embedded in said string of drill pipe, said computer is programmed to use previous inspection data to determine an amount of force to cut a particular pipe in said string of drill pipe based on information stored in said RFID chips. 
     
     
         22 . The monitoring system of  claim 21  further comprising a database to which said RFID chips are connected, said database permitting entry of information and review of said information. 
     
     
         23 . A monitoring system to detect when a drilling rig is not in control of movement of an object in a wellbore, comprising:
 a BOP;   BOP sensors mounted to said BOP;   rig sensors mounted in said drilling rig; and   a computer being programmed to detect when said BOP sensors detect movement of said object that is not produced by said drilling rig.   
     
     
         24 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , wherein said BOP sensors comprise
 a plurality of groups of sensors positioned at a plurality of different locations axially along an axis of a bore though said BOP, said computer being programmed to utilize said plurality of groups of sensors to detect said object moving through said bore.   
     
     
         25 . The monitoring system of  claim 24 , wherein said computer is programmed to determine a plurality of parameters from said plurality of groups of sensors comprising one or more of wall thickness, imperfections, hardness, dimensions, wear, rate of wear, stress concentration, weight, lateral location, angle, fatigue, vibration, sound, frequency, a lateral location of pipe that is offset from a vertical centerline of said BOP or a or proximity to a BOP internal wall thickness, an angle of a pipe within said BOP with respect to said vertical centerline of said BOP, inductance, an electromagnetic field, capacitance, contactivity, current, deflection, weight, flow rate, impedance, internal pressure, external pressure, fluid volume, length, rate, accumulator pressure, pressure, resistance, temperature, voltage, drill pipe internal pressure, a temperature gradient between seawater and well fluids, compression or tension of a body wall of a string of pipe inside said BOP, flow of fluid through the string of pipe, a change in a shear force to cut said string of pipe, pipe imperfections, hardness, dimensions, wear, stress concentration, RFID information, speed and position of a piston rod, a speed and position of a piston, or speed and position of a said ram, density, or a combination of the above. 
     
     
         26 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , wherein said object comprises tool joints, said computer is programmed to monitor a time interval between said tool joints passing through said BOP sensors to provide a speed of said tool joints passing through said BOP and also to determine a direction of said tool joints passing through said BOP. 
     
     
         27 . The monitoring system of  claim 23  further comprising said computer is programmed to determine a speed and direction of an object passing through said BOP sensors. 
     
     
         28 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said BOP sensors to classify said object in said BOP. 
     
     
         29 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said BOP sensors to classify said object in said BOP as a downhole tool, tool joint, pump, motor, drill bit, heavyweight drill pipe, debris, drill pipe joint, drill pipe body section, or unknown object. 
     
     
         30 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize a classification of said object to determine whether a ram in said BOP can cut said object. 
     
     
         31 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said computer being programmed to keep track of a depth of said object. 
     
     
         32 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said computer being programmed to utilize said BOP sensors and a design profile or signal analysis or RFID tags on said object to classify said object. 
     
     
         33 . The monitoring system of  claim 23 , further comprising said object comprising a string of pipe, RFID sensors in said BOP to detect RFID chips embedded in said string of pipe, said computer is programmed to use previous inspection data to determine an amount of force to cut a particular pipe in a string of pipe based on information stored in a RFID chip for said particular pipe. 
     
     
         34 . The monitoring system of  claim 33  further comprising a database to which said RFID chips are connected, said database permitting entry of information and review of said information. 
     
     
         35 . The monitoring system of  claim 23  wherein said BOP is a subsea BOP.