Smart seal methods and systems
An apparatus for monitoring the condition of a seal, such as a seal in a blowout preventer or in another oilfield device, is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a blowout preventer including a seal and a blowout preventer seal-monitoring system that includes a sensor positioned within a body of the seal and a data analyzer. The data analyzer has a processor and is configured to monitor a condition of the seal through analysis of data received by the data analyzer from the sensor positioned within the body of the seal. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.
1. A method comprising:
closing a blowout preventer about a drill string, the blowout preventer including a sealing component having an elastomeric body with an embedded sensor;
detecting a tool joint of the drill string as the drill string is moved axially through the closed blowout preventer, wherein detecting the tool joint includes detecting a change in a radial dimension of the drill string using the embedded sensor; and
using the detected change in the radial dimension of the drill string as feedback in controlling the blowout preventer, wherein using the detected change in the radial dimension of the drill string as feedback in controlling the blowout preventer includes:
reducing closing pressure on the sealing component in response to detecting, with the embedded sensor, an increase in the radial dimension of the drill string corresponding to entry of the tool joint into engagement with a packer of the closed blowout preventer; or
increasing closing pressure on the sealing component in response to detecting, with the embedded sensor, a decrease in the radial dimension of the drill string corresponding to exit of the tool joint out of engagement with the packer of the closed blowout preventer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the change in the radial dimension of the drill string using the embedded sensor includes detecting a change in loading on the sealing component resulting from movement of the tool joint within the closed blowout preventer via the embedded sensor and inferring passage of the tool joint through the closed blowout preventer from the change in loading on the sealing component.
3. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining the location of the tool joint or of an additional tool joint of the drill string with respect to the closed blowout preventer after the tool joint has exited the closed blowout preventer based on data from the embedded sensor.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the location of the tool joint or of the additional tool joint with respect to the closed blowout preventer after the tool joint has exited the closed blowout preventer based on data from the embedded sensor includes:
detecting increased loading on a packer of the closed blowout preventer resulting from passage of the tool joint through the packer of the closed blowout preventer;
measuring an elapsed time of the increased loading on the packer resulting from passage of the tool joint through the packer; and
extrapolating the position of the tool joint or of the additional tool joint based on the elapsed time.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the location of the tool joint or of the additional tool joint with respect to the closed blowout preventer after the tool joint has exited the closed blowout preventer based on data from the embedded sensor includes:
detecting increased loading on a packer of the closed blowout preventer resulting from passage of multiple tool joints through the packer of the closed blowout preventer;
measuring an elapsed time between passage of at least two of the multiple tool joints through the packer; and
extrapolating the position of the tool joint or of the additional tool joint based on the elapsed time.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sealing component having the elastomeric body with the embedded sensor is a packer that is in contact with the drill string.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blowout preventer includes a packer that is in contact with the drill string, and the sealing component having the elastomeric body with the embedded sensor is a biasing component that biases the packer to increase sealing pressure of the packer against the drill string.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein closing the blowout preventer about the drill string includes compressing the biasing component such that the biasing component pushes the packer radially inward against the drill string.