ABSTRACT

This paper described the design and construction of a deep well inspection tool based upon the use of closed circuit television techniques. The tool was developed and patented by Shell Development Corporation of Houston, Texas. A license to manufacture and lease or sell the tool has been granted to Oceanographic Engineering Corporation of La Jolla, California. The construction of the tool is discussed in the paper. The tool is designed around a television camera manufactured by Oceanographic Engineering Corporation and used primarily for oceanographic observations. The television camera is approximately 20 inches long and approximately 3 inches in diameter. The camera is placed into a structure which also supports a 45 degree mirror and drive mechanism to rotate the mirror and a light source located at the lower end of the tool and mounted coaxial with the television camera. The television camera looks down the hole into the 45 degree mirror. Through the mirror, it can look perpendicularly at the inside surface of the well. The mirror can be rotated upon command by the operator at the surface so that a 360 degree view of the well interior can be obtained. Other features of the tool are independent control of the light sources above and below the mirror in order to get optimum shadowing of the interior of the well, and a magnetic compass mounted in the field of view of the camera which identifies the direction in which the camera is looking. The surface equipment includes a van with a winch and sufficient cable to operate the camera to the desired depth, a control console with a television screen and controls for the light source, the camera, and the rotating mirror. After describing the tool in general terms, this paper concludes with a film presentation showing the tool, the van and associated equipment, and a demonstration of the use of the toll in an experimental well logging application.

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