1. A system for controlling a drilling system configured for drilling a borehole in an earth formation, comprising:
the drilling system, wherein the drilling system comprises a drill-string coupled with a bottomhole assembly, and the bottomhole assembly comprises a drill bit; and
an interaction element coupled with the drilling system,
wherein the interaction element is configured to intermittently contact a surface of, and remain rotationally stationary with respect to, the borehole during the drilling, and
wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of about 3 meters or less.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.5 meters to about 2.5 meters.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 1.0 meter to about 2.0 meters.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.1 meters to about 1.0 meters.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.05 meters to about 0.5 meters.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.7 meters to about 1.3 meters.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.9 meters to about 1.1 meters.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 2.0 meters.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 1.0 meter.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 0.5 meters.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element comprises a gauge pad assembly.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is nonuniformly circumferentially compliant.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element defines an interaction silhouette having a circular shape and a central point, and wherein the central point is laterally offset from a central axis of the bottomhole assembly.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element defines an interaction silhouette having an elliptical shape.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element defines an interaction silhouette having a noncircular shape.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element defines an interaction silhouette having a first area, and the drill bit defines a cutting silhouette having a second area, such that the first area is different from the second area.
17. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element defines an interaction silhouette having a first area, and the drill bit defines a cutting silhouette having a second area, such that the first area is equivalent to the second area.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element is adjustable between a first configuration that presents a first interaction silhouette and a second configuration that presents a second interaction silhouette.
19. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element comprises a cylinder.
20. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element comprises a disk.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element comprises a gauge ring.
22. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction element comprises a cam mechanism that adjusts the interaction element from a first configuration presenting a first interaction silhouette to a second configuration presenting a second interaction silhouette.
23. A method of controlling a trajectory of a drilling system in a borehole in an earth formation, comprising:
positioning the drilling system in the borehole, the drilling system comprising a drill-string coupled with a bottomhole assembly, and the bottomhole assembly comprising a drill bit;
controlling intermittent contact occurring between the drilling system and a surface of the borehole with an interaction element that is coupled with the drilling system; and
using the controlled intermittent contact between the drilling system and the surface of the borehole to control the trajectory of the drilling system in the borehole,
wherein the interaction element is configured to intermittently contact a surface of, and remain rotationally stationary with respect to, the borehole during the drilling, and is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of about 3 meters or less.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.9 meters to about 1.1 meters.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 2.0 meters.
26. The method of claim 23, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 1.0 meter.
27. The method of claim 23, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 0.5 meter.
28. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of controlling intermittent contact occurring between the drilling system and a surface of the borehole with the interaction element comprises using the interaction element to inhibit stochastic motion of the drilling system in one or more lateral directions.
29. The method of claim 23, wherein the interaction element comprises a gauge pad system having one or more eccentric properties.
30. A system for controlling a trajectory of a drilling system in a borehole in an earth formation, comprising:
the drilling system, wherein the drilling system comprises a drill-string coupled with a bottomhole assembly, and the bottomhole assembly comprises a drill bit; and
means for controlling intermittent contact between the drilling system and a surface of the borehole,
wherein the means for controlling intermittent contact is configured to remain rotationally stationary with respect to, the borehole during the drilling, and is coupled with the drilling system and disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of about 3 meters or less, and
wherein the means for controlling intermittent contact operates to control the trajectory of the drilling system in the borehole.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance within a range from about 0.9 meters to about 1.1 meters.
32. The system of claim 30, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 2.0 meters.
33. The system of claim 30, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 1.0 meter.
34. The system of claim 30, wherein the interaction element is disposed proximal to the drill bit at a distance of less than about 0.5 meter.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An immersion probe for use in multiphase flow in a pipe comprising:
a housing having a first end and second end;
one or more optical conduits adapted to carry infrared radiation from a first radiation source at the first end;
one or more electromagnetic conduits adapted to carry microwaves both from and to a second radiation source at the first end, wherein a reflectometer containing the second radiation source is used to measure reflected microwaves;
a flow gap into which the infrared radiation and the microwaves are transmitted, wherein the flow gap has a predetermined distance between the first end and the second end and is configured to operatively engage the multiphase flow in the pipe; and
one or more third optical conduits adapted to:
receive at least a portion of the infrared radiation; and
transmit at least a portion of the infrared radiation to a first spectrometer for spectral analysis, wherein:
the infrared radiation is attenuated through absorption andor scattering by the multiphase flow in the flow gap; and
the multiphase flow is analyzed through the infrared radiation attenuation determined by the first spectrometer and through the reflected microwaves by the reflectometer.
2. The immersion probe of claim 1, wherein one or more infrared radiation absorptions is utilized to determine at least one of a water fraction, an oil fraction, a hydrate-inhibitor fraction, and a water salinity of the multiphase flow in the flow gap.
3. The immersion probe of claim 1, wherein the one or more electromagnetic conduits includes one or more microwave open-ended coaxial sensors.
4. The immersion probe of claim 3, wherein the probe is utilized to measure at least one of a permittivity and a conductivity of the multiphase flow.
5. The immersion probe of claim 4, wherein the at least one of the permittivity and the conductivity is utilized to determine at least one of a water fraction, an oil fraction, a hydrate-inhibitor fraction, and a water salinity of the multiphase flow in the flow gap.
6. The immersion probe of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more first optical conduits are further adapted to carry ultraviolet radiation from a third radiation source; and
the one or more third optical conduits are adapted to:
receive at least a portion of the ultraviolet radiation; and
transmit at least a portion of the ultraviolet radiation to a second spectrometer for spectral analysis.
7. The immersion probe of claim 6, wherein the probe further comprises a reflective element for reflecting either one or both of the infrared radiation and ultraviolet radiation from the one or more first optical conduits to the one or more third optical conduits.
8. The immersion probe of claim 1, wherein the pipe is a downhole well, a subsea or a surface well, or a downhole, subsea or surface production transportation pipeline, or a bypass or a sampling line of the pipeline.