Granted Patent B1

US 12,467,321 · App. 18/990,073 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

Inventors: Michael Linley Fripp (Singapore, SG); Wei Zhang (Houston, TX); Adan Herrera (Carrollton, TX); Aswin Balasubramanian (Spring, TX); Sudhir Gupta (Houston, TX)

Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

E21B17/03E21B17/006

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A mobile downhole tool comprising:

a housing having a thickness sufficient to support a pressure differential between an interior surface of the housing and an exterior surface of the housing when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in a wellbore, and

a fairing coupled to the exterior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing is structurally distinct from the housing and is not connected to the interior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing curves in a first direction that is away from the housing;

wherein the mobile downhole tool is coupled to a wireline or a slickline.

2 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the fairing is a nose fairing, wherein the nose fairing faces downhole when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore.

3 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the fairing is a tail fairing wherein the tail fairing faces uphole when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore.

4 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , further comprising an arm extending from the exterior surface of the housing; wherein the arm comprises a terminal end coupled to a wheel; wherein the mobile downhole tool further comprises an arm fairing surrounding the arm.

5 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the fairing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, alumina, steel, stainless steel, fiber, fiber composites, polymeric materials, rubber, foam, and any combination thereof.

6 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the faring is a hollow shell with ports configured for fluid entry when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore.

7 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the fairing is a hollow shell containing a material selected from the group consisting of a fluid, gel, foam, polymer, and any combination thereof.

8 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the mobile downhole tool is a tractor, robot, plug, or a shifter.

9 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the curve of the fairing is conical, ogival, elliptical, or polynomial shape.

10 . The mobile downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the fairing is a tail fairing comprising a deformable material that deforms to reveal a coupling point configurable for fishing the mobile downhole tool from the wellbore.

11 . A method for propelling a mobile downhole tool in a wellbore, the method comprises:

introducing a mobile downhole tool into the wellbore; wherein the mobile downhole tool comprises:

a housing with a thickness sufficient to support a pressure differential between an interior surface of the housing and an exterior surface of the housing when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore, and

a fairing coupled to the exterior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing is structurally distinct from the housing and is not connected to the interior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing curves in a first direction that is away from the housing,

wherein the mobile downhole tool is coupled to a wireline or a slickline; and

propelling the mobile downhole tool in the wellbore as the wellbore is produced such that the mobile downhole tool descends downhole against the upstream flow of a wellbore fluid.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the fairing is a tail fairing; wherein the method further comprises fishing the mobile downhole tool from the wellbore by deforming the tail fairing with a fishing tool to reveal a coupling point, coupling the fishing tool to the coupling point, and retrieving the mobile downhole tool with the fishing tool.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the mobile downhole tool is a tractor, robot, plug, or a shifter.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the curve of the fairing is conical, ogival, elliptical, or polynomial shape.

15 . A system for propelling a mobile downhole tool in a wellbore, the system comprises:

a mobile downhole tool comprising:

a housing with a thickness sufficient to support a pressure differential between an interior surface of the housing and an exterior surface of the housing when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore, and

a fairing coupled to the exterior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing is structurally distinct from the housing and is not connected to the interior surface of the housing; wherein the fairing curves in a first direction that is away from the housing, and

a conveyance tethering the mobile downhole tool to a surface of a wellsite; wherein the conveyance is a slickline or a wireline.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the mobile downhole tool is a tractor, robot, plug, or a shifter.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the fairing is a nose fairing; wherein the nose fairing faces downhole when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the fairing is a tail fairing wherein the tail fairing faces uphole when the mobile downhole tool is disposed in the wellbore.

19 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising an arm extending from the exterior surface of the housing; wherein the arm comprises a terminal end coupled to a wheel; wherein the mobile downhole tool further comprises an arm fairing surrounding the arm.

20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the fairing is a tail fairing comprising a deformable material that deforms to reveal a coupling point configurable for fishing the mobile downhole tool from the wellbore.

Assignments (1)

References Cited (19)