Intellipipe moving closer to commercial reality

Mike Reeves, GrantPrideco

IT’S BEEN SEVERAL years sinceGrant Prideco, Novatek and the USDepartment of Energy first announcedsuccessful field trials of IntelliPipe®, ahigh-speed drill pipe telemetry system.At the time many within the industryexpressed doubts if such a system couldmake the leap from research project tocommercial product. However, recentupdates indicate this transition isalready well underway.

IntelliPipe is one of a suite of intelligentdrill string components offered by Intel-liServ Inc., a company owned jointly by

oilfield tubular manufacturer Grant-Prideco and Utah based Novatek. Usingelectrical cable, the IntelliPipe systemtransmits data from typical downholesensors: MWD, LWD and rotary steer-able tools, with speeds on the order of 1

million bits per second. (In contrast toconventional mud-pulse MWD technolo-gy, which transmits data at rates up to12 bits per second). The cable isattached to the inner pipe wall, and datais transmitted across tool joints viainductive couplers. These couplers arecircular in design and require no specialorientation of the tool joints. Essentially,the pipe is a modified version of conven-tional drill pipe, designed to look andbehave just like standard tubulars with-out the need for special handling toolsor processes. The system uses amplifi-cation joints or IntelliLinks® at 1,000-foot intervals to boost the data signal.These amplification joints also have theability to house measurement sensors,allowing data to be collected along thelength of the drill string. Finally, a rotat-ing sub on the top drive delivers the datato surface workstations and servers.

Since their initial industry launch, theIntelliServ team has been focused on thedevelopment and field-testing of a vari-ety of system components:

In early 2003 IntelliServ conducted it’sfirst full drilling test of an IntelliPipestring at the Rocky Mountain OilfieldTest Center in Wyoming. Over 4,300 ft of5 7/8-in. IntelliPipe and IntelliHWDP®

were utilized to side-track an existingwell from a cement plug and then drillalmost 400 ft and ream over 600 ft ofhole. Throughout program, the IntelliS-erv team was able to establish andmaintain two-way communication alongthe length of the string, transmittingbasic temperature and shock data atspeeds in excess of 1 million bps.

Almost 4,000 ft of IntelliPipe has been inconstant use at a private US test sitesince the summer of 2003. The stringhas been subjected to a full array ofwellsite operations, including extensivedrilling, reaming, tripping and cement-ing. IntelliServ has expressed satisfac-tion with the mechanical performance ofthe pipe during these tests and seem setto continue with ever more challengingoperations in 2004.

In addition, IntelliServ has workedclosely with one of the industry’s largestdrilling jar manufacturers and has suc-cessfully tested a first-generation Intel-liJar®, a tool with all the mechanical

properties of a standard drilling jarwhile supporting the transmission ofIntelliServ data at high speeds even dur-ing jarring operations.

The IntelliServ team is receiving posi-tive feedback from a number of US oper-ators and are confident the IntelliPipesystem will be deployed to an activecommercial well-site during the springof 2004. Several major oilfield servicecompanies have also expressed interestin the system and appear ready to com-plete the work necessary to link existingdownhole tools to the network.

The ultimate prize for IntelliServ, andthe industry at large, is the opportunityto take advantage of high-speed, high-volume, bi-directional drilling data inreal-time. Such a system offers a num-ber of advantages over current technol-ogy: Instantaneous data transmissionwill eliminate non-productive time asso-ciated with the low data rates offered bymud pulse telemetry; high-volume datatransmission will allow real-time deliv-ery of logging information typically onlyavailable after drilling is finished (forexample, fullbore images and seismicwave forms that have the potential tofurther improve wellbore placement);and bi-directional communication thatcould bring true closed-loop drilling sys-tems to fruition as well as allowing pre-cise control of mechanical tools likeunder-reamers and variable-gauge sta-bilizers.

However, it’s the network’s ability tosupport distributed measurementpoints that may offer the biggest short-term prize. With measurement pack-ages placed at regular intervals alongthe string, drillers will have full visibili-ty of their wellbores at all times. Annu-lar pressure, vibration and temperatureprofiles from surface to TD should allowtrue pressure controlled drilling,improved drilling efficiency and, mostimportantly, enhanced well-controlcapabilities.

A team of over 70 engineers work exclu-sively on IntelliPipe related projects andhave so far completed over 11,000-feet ofIntelliPipe for use in future field trials.

IntelliPipe, IntelliLink, IntelliHWDP andIntelliJar are registered trademarks ofIntelliServ Inc. n

March/April 2004 D R I L L I N G C O N T R A C T O R 43

Intellipipe moving closer to commercial reality

The system uses amplification joints orIntelliLinks® at 1,000-foot intervals to boostthe data signal. These amplification joints alsohave the ability to house measurement sen-sors, allowing data to be collected along thelength of the drill string.