Remote communication with subsea running tools via blowout preventer

摘要

An acoustic modem located on a blowout preventer stack communicates with a running tool acoustic modem located on a subsea running tool disposed within a subsea wellhead, tree or tubing spool. The acoustic modem and the running tool acoustic modern transmit and receive acoustic signals through a column of fluid in the blowout preventer stack. The acoustic modem is communicatively coupled to a subsea electronics module located on the blowout preventer stack and further communicatively coupled to a central control unit located on a platform at the surface. The running tool acoustic modem is communicatively coupled to a controller that receives data from sensors on the running tool and sends operational signals to functions of the running tool. An operator at the surface may control the running tool through the acoustic modems, and the running tool may communicate the running tool status to the operator through the acoustic modems.

主权项

1. A running tool assembly for performing a remote operation in at least one of a subsea wellhead and a subsea tree having a blowout preventer assembly disposed thereon, the running tool assembly comprising:
the blowout preventer assembly being controlled by a subsea electronics module communicatively coupled to an umbilical extending to a surface platform; an acoustic modem in electronic communication with the subsea electronics module, the acoustic modem mounted to the blowout preventer assembly, wherein the acoustic modem is in acoustic communication with a column of fluid within the blowout preventer assembly; a running tool suspended within at least one of the subsea wellhead and the subsea tree on a running string lowered from the surface platform through the blowout preventer assembly; a running tool acoustic modem mounted to the running tool, wherein the running tool acoustic modem is in fluid communication with the column of fluid within the blowout preventer assembly; a central control unit located on the surface platform, the central control unit in electronic communication with the subsea electronics module, wherein the central control unit transmits and receives communicative signals to the subsea electronics module; and wherein the acoustic modem and the running tool acoustic modem transmit to and receive acoustic signals from each other through the column of fluid in the blowout preventer assembly, wherein the blowout preventer assembly to transmit data and instructions between the running tool and the central control unit; wherein sensors located on the running tool communicate the data corresponding to running tool status to a running tool controller, to the running tool acoustic modem, to the acoustic modem, to the subsea electronics module, and to the central control unit to provide information regarding the running tool status to an operator located on the surface platform.