Abstract
The transmission of wellbore parameters from near the sandface has traditionally been achieved using a data transmission cable containing a shielded conductor or an optical fibre bundle. The cable is installed as part of the well completion and requires wellhead and packer penetrations. There have been numerous attempts to achieve effective data transmission from the sandface to surface utilizing either the well tubulars or the formation as an acoustic or electromagnetic transmission media, without repeaters. Achieving this type of wireless telemetry has been a goal of many equipment suppliers. Trials of a new electromagnetic system for transmitting data without cables have now shown that it is indeed possible to obtain data without wires. This revolutionary technology opens up two quite contrasting opportunities to operators, firstly in obtaining data from near the sandface in both existing and new wells without permanent monitoring systems and secondly, in providing wireless flow control at the sandface. This paper specifically reviews the data transmission capabilities of the system with the help of two case studies, which demonstrate the application of wireless telemetry data acquisition in retrofit and permanently installed applications.
