Apparatuses and methods for cooling sensor components in hot formations

Abstract

A downhole tool, comprising a housing; a sensor having components within the housing, the sensor being for monitoring a characteristic of a well; and one or more coolant supply lines extending to the components. A method comprising: monitoring a characteristic of a well using a sensor having components within a housing; and supplying coolant through one or more supply lines to the components. The methods and apparatuses may be used to drill steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) wells.

1 . A downhole tool comprising:
 a housing enclosing at least a part of a sensor;   one or more coolant supply lines extending to the housing;   one or more coolant return lines extending to the housing;   one or more first channels, formed in the housing and connected to one of one or more coolant supply lines or one or more coolant return lines, for bypassing coolant past the at least a part of the sensor; and   one or more second channels, formed in the housing and connected between the one or more first channels and the other of the one or more coolant supply lines and the one or more coolant return lines in the housing, for conveying the coolant to pass over the at least a part of the sensor;   in which the one or more coolant supply lines and the one or more coolant return lines are positioned within coiled tubing.   
     
     
         2 . A downhole tool, comprising:
 a housing having a coiled tubing connector and defining a chamber terminating in an uphole direction by a ported plate;   a sensor having components within the chamber, the sensor being for monitoring a characteristic of a well; and   one or more coolant supply lines connected to the chamber.   
     
     
         3 . The downhole tool of  claim 2  in which the one or more coolant supply lines are connected to the ported plate. 
     
     
         4 . The downhole tool of  claim 2  further comprising one or more coolant return lines connected to the ported plate. 
     
     
         5 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A downhole tool comprising:
 a housing having a chamber defined by a downhole ported plate and an uphole ported plate in the housing;   a sensor having components within the chamber; and   one or more coolant supply lines extending between a coolant supply, located above ground in use, and one of the downhole ported plate or the uphole ported plate.   
     
     
         11 . The downhole tool of  claim 10  further comprising one or more coolant return lines extending between a coolant return located above ground in use and the other of the downhole ported plate or the uphole ported plate. 
     
     
         12 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A position sensor comprising:
 a housing;   a sensor having components within the housing, the sensor being for monitoring in use the location of a second well during drilling of the second well while the housing is in a first well;   one or more coolant supply lines extending to the components; and   one or more coolant return lines extending to the components.   
     
     
         31 . The position sensor of  claim 30  in which the components are within a chamber defined by the housing and connected to receive coolant from the one or more coolant supply lines through one or more ports in a downhole portion of the chamber. 
     
     
         32 . The position sensor of  claim 31  in which the downhole portion and an uphole portion of the chamber are each defined by a respective ported plate mounted within the housing. 
     
     
         33 . The position sensor of  claim 32  in which the components are mounted to one or both of the ported plate that defines the downhole portion of the chamber and the ported plate that defines the uphole portion of the chamber. 
     
     
         34 . The position sensor of  claim 30  in which the components are located within coiled tubing in one of a pair of horizontal wells used for heat assisted gravity drainage. 
     
     
         35 . The position sensor of  claim 34  in which the coiled tubing is coil in coil tubing. 
     
     
         36 . The position sensor of  claim 30  in which the components comprise a magnetometer. 
     
     
         37 . The position sensor of  claim 30  in which monitoring the location of the second well comprises monitoring the location of a drill string. 
     
     
         38 - 75 . (canceled) 
     
     
         76 . A downhole tool, comprising:
 a production pump;   one or more coolant supply lines extending to the production pump; and   one or more coolant return lines extending from the production pump.   
     
     
         77 . The downhole tool of  claim 1  further comprising a temperature sensor connected to control fluid flow through the one or more coolant supply lines based on a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. 
     
     
         78 . The downhole tool of  claim 77  in which the temperature sensor comprises a thermostat valve. 
     
     
         79 . (canceled)