North-seeking instrument for measurement of deviations of deep boreholes
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | INERTIAL SENSING ONE AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 817 630 |
| Project duration | April 2013 - March 2014 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
A North finding and MEMS based gyro system for measuring deviation in deep boreholes has been developed within the scheduled time frame and with good results. A series of prototype instruments were developed and successful field tests were carried out in Texas during March 2014. Inertial Sensing was also able to employee a full-time firmware engineer on the basis of this project.
Results and expected effects
The prototype has undergone testing both in the lab and in the field, in Sweden and Texas. The field tests were conducted in production gas wells and were also verified with tandem surveys by another type of gyro survey instrument. The target of ± 0.5 degrees is yet to be reached but is not far off, given more development of the processing algorithms which is connected to continued field tests during the summer of 2014. Continued tests and production planning will proceed accordingly.
Approach and implementation
Before project start a pre-study was conducted to get an understanding of available technologies, time plan and cost estimates. The project then proceeded according to schedule with only a few delays not affecting the overall progress. Some hardware issues were encountered, for instance with sensor board design and component compatibility, however these were quickly resolved. The excellent working relationship with external consultants contributed greatly to the smooth progress of the project.