Robotic Untethered Sidewall Coring Tool

Abstract There are many challenges related to the understanding of reservoir formation characteristics. Wireline logging and logging while drilling (LWD) methods have the capabilities to provide detailed petrophysical data. However, physical cores are essential to calibrate and confirm the actual rock characteristics. Core samples are typically analyzed to identify reservoir quality, storage and flow capacity, rock grain size and other mineralogical information. The robotic untethered sidewall coring tool (RUSCT) is an autonomous device that can extract a sample from the formation, commonly known as cores from the borehole of a drilled well. The advantage of conventional coring conducted on drill pipe is the ability to collect large core samples. However, this is very time consuming to trip in and out of hole on pipe and large cores are not always necessary. Sidewall rotary coring can be deployed on wireline as a faster and more cost-effective method than on pipe, but there is still a large amount of equipment and personnel required for these operations. A robotic coring method powered by AI is introduced that requires minimal equipment or specialist training to deploy. The RUSCT is launched from surface dropping with gravity to the bottom of the well. The tool position is perpendicular to the borehole wall, the electrically powered drill bit is activated after the pre-set conditions are met. A lateral or sidewall core of the formation is taken and recovered back into the RUSCT. At this point, the weight bar is released which changes the buoyancy and allows the lightweight-low density tool with core sample to rise to the surface. A combination of breakthrough technological advances in material science, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) made it possible to create this new deployment method for sidewall coring. The main body is constructed of a low density composite syntactic foam that has a strong structure bound together with a matrix resin. The weight bar is constructed of an aluminum alloy that dissolves in the well fluid over a predictable time period. The RUSCT is 100% electrically powered with no hydraulics required and controlled with an AI optimized CPU processor.