Deployment apparatus and methods

Abstract

There is described deployment apparatus and methods that may assist with efficient and/or effective deployment and/or retrieval of deployable mediums (e.g. wirelines), for example in a well. In some examples, the deployable medium, e.g. wireline, may comprise data regions provided along some or all of the length of the deployable medium, whereby the or each data region is configured store data at the deployable medium. There is also described a communication device configured to communicate with the data regions so as to read and/or write data from/to those data regions during deployment and/or retrieval of the deployable medium in a well.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A deployment apparatus, comprising:
 a deployable medium for deploying and/or retrieving in a well, the deployable medium comprising data regions provided along some or all of the length of the deployable medium, the or each data region configured store data at the deployable medium, and   a communication device configured to communicate with the data regions so as to read and/or write data from/to those data regions during deployment and/or retrieval of the deployable medium in a well.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the communication device is configured to communicate inductively with data regions of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, the data regions comprise magnetizable materials so as to store data at the deployable medium and for communicating with the communication device. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data regions are formed integrally with the deployable medium. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the communication device is configured to read and/or write data to a data region provided at the surface, or otherwise outer face, of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data regions are provided selectively along some or all of the deployable member, at non-periodic, intervals. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured, during deployment/retrieval of the deployable medium to/from a well, to read and/or write data to/from a particular data region, that data being associated with the relative position of that data region with respect to one or more features in a well. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the features in a well relate to potential impediments or restrictions to the passage of a downhole tool being deployed and/or retrieved in a well. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the features include one or more of: sub surface safety valve; completion valve; lubricator; stuffing box; gas lift mandrel; tubing end; region of tubing deformation or varying diameter. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a control unit in communication with communication device, the control unit being in communication with and configured to operatively control a deployment drive based on data read from the data regions during deployment/retrieval of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the control unit is configured to vary or control the speed of deployment/retrieval of the deployable medium, based on data read from the deployable medium. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit operates autonomously, without user input. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to prompt for user confirmation prior to varying or controlling the speed of deployment/retrieval of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to inform a user of a possible variation or control of the speed, without necessarily controlling the deployment drive. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to operatively control the deployment drive only in particular user-defined circumstances. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit configured to optimize deployment/retrieval of the deployment medium or otherwise downhole tool using data having been read from the data regions of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , configured to read and/or write operational data to/from the deployable medium, the operational data including one or more of: time; date; well identification; downhole tool depth; downhole tool identification; logging data, distributed sensor data. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the apparatus is configured to read/write operational data that corresponds, or is associated with, the relative position of the deployable member. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the deployable medium comprises a wireline. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to measure characteristics of the data regions along the deployable medium in order to determine particular usage characteristics of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the usage characteristics include the extent to which the deployable medium has experienced deformation during use. 
     
     
         22 . An apparatus comprising a deployable medium for being deployed and/or retrieved in a well, the deployable medium comprising data regions provided along some or all of the length of the deployable medium, the or each data region configured store data at the deployable medium. 
     
     
         23 . An apparatus comprising a communication device configured to communicate with data regions of a deployable medium so as to read and/or write data from/to those data regions during deployment and/or retrieval of such a deployable medium in a well. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , comprising a control unit in communication with communication device, the control unit being configured to operatively instruct the communication device to read/write data associated with the relative position of the deployable medium in a well to data regions of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the control unit additionally is in communication with a deployment drive for deploying/retrieving the deployable medium, and wherein the control unit is configured to operatively control the deployment drive based on data read from the data regions during deployment/retrieval of the deployable medium. 
     
     
         26 . A method comprising:
 communicating with one or more data regions of a deployable medium so as to read and/or write data from/to those data regions during deployment and/or retrieval of the deployable medium in a well, the data regions being provided along some or all of the length of the deployable medium and each data region being configured store data at the deployable medium.   
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , comprising controlling, or optimizing, the deployment of the deployable medium in a well based on data read from the data regions. 
     
     
         28 . A computer program product or computer file configured to implement the method of  claim 26 .