Wireless sheave wheel assembly with imagining capabilities for well operations
A sheave wheel assembly includes a housing; a wheel attached to the housing and configured to rotate relative to the housing; an imaging system attached to the housing and configured to obtain images of a surrounding of the sheave wheel assembly; and a transceiver attached to the housing and configured to send the images in a wireless manner to a ground control system.
1. A wireline system for well exploration, the system comprising:
a wireline to be lowered into the well;
a top sheave wheel assembly configured to hold the wireline aligned and above a head of the well;
a bottom sheave wheel configured to hold the wireline aligned with a wireline truck; and
a ground control system configured to receive from the top sheave wheel assembly, in a wireless manner, images of a surrounding of the sheave wheel assembly,
wherein the top sheave wheel assembly comprises:
an imaging system configured to obtain the images of the surrounding of the sheave wheel assembly; and
a transceiver configured to send the images in the wireless manner to the ground control system.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system includes first and second cameras, the first camera being oriented along gravity and the second camera being oriented along a direction that is perpendicular to the gravity and to an axle of a wheel of the top sheave wheel assembly.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first and second cameras is configured to rotate.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the top sheave wheel assembly is configured to be attached to a top of a crane or a derrick.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a local control system that supplies power to the imaging system and transmits the images from the imaging system to the ground control system,
wherein the local control system comprises:
a processor;
a memory that stores the images; and
the transceiver, which is controlled by the processor and is configured to transmit the images, in the wireless manner, to the ground control system.
6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a power generator attached to the housing and electrically connected to the local control system and configured to generate electrical energy from a rotation of the wheel to power the local control system.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a depth and tension measurement system attached to the top sheave wheel assembly and configured to measure a parameter associated with a wheel of the top sheave wheel assembly.
8. A method for monitoring a well, the method comprising:
attaching an imaging system to a top sheave wheel assembly;
attaching the top sheave wheel assembly to a crane or derrick;
placing a wireline over a wheel of the top sheave wheel assembly;
lowering the wireline into the well;
capturing images with the imaging system, which is directly attached to the top sheave wheel assembly, of a surrounding of the wireline; and
transmitting in a wireless manner the captured images, from the top sheave wheel assembly to a ground control system.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
taking images of the wireline with a first camera; and
taking images of the well with a second camera, wherein the second camera is oriented along a direction that is perpendicular to the first camera.