An untethered apparatus for measuring properties along a subterranean well includes a housing, and one or more sensors configured to measure data along the subterranean well. The data includes one or more physical, chemical, geological or structural properties in the subterranean well. The untethered apparatus further includes a processor configured to control the one or more sensors measuring the data and to store the measured data, and a transmitter configured to transmit the measured data to a receiver arranged external to the subterranean well. Further, the untethered apparatus includes a controller configured to control the buoyancy or the drag of the untethered apparatus to control a position of the untethered apparatus in the subterranean well. The processor includes instructions defining measurement parameters for the one or more sensors of the untethered apparatus within the subterranean well.

An untethered apparatus for measuring properties along a subterranean well includes a housing, and one or more sensors configured to measure data along the subterranean well. The data includes one or more physical, chemical, geological or structural properties in the subterranean well. The untethered apparatus further includes a processor configured to control the one or more sensors measuring the data and to store the measured data, and a transmitter configured to transmit the measured data to a receiver arranged external to the subterranean well. Further, the untethered apparatus includes a controller configured to control the buoyancy or the drag of the untethered apparatus to control a position of the untethered apparatus in the subterranean well. The processor includes instructions defining measurement parameters for the one or more sensors of the untethered apparatus within the subterranean well.

A monitoring system includes a flow line, an optical fiber coupled to the flow line, and a receiver coupled to an end of the optical fiber. The receiver is configured to detect at least one acoustic signal from the optical fiber. In addition, the monitoring system includes processor unit to detect a flow obstruction within the flow line based on the acoustic signal.

A monitoring system includes a flow line, an optical fiber coupled to the flow line, and a receiver coupled to an end of the optical fiber. The receiver is configured to detect at least one acoustic signal from the optical fiber. In addition, the monitoring system includes processor unit to detect a flow obstruction within the flow line based on the acoustic signal.

An apparatus can include a downhole tool having a fluid outlet connectable to a fluid inlet to define a flow path via a hollow interior of the tool, and a valve member capable of opening and constricting or closing the flow path. The apparatus further includes pipe within which a part of the tool is located, the tool being sealed with an interior of the pipe, preventing fluid flow in the pipe via the part of the tool. The pipe includes an openable valve for permitting flow of fluid from the pipe interior via another flow path interconnecting the pipe interior and outside. The valve is normally closed. When the valve member constricts or closes the first flow path, fluid pressure in the pipe increases to cause opening of the valve and venting of pressurized fluid from within the pipe to the outside via the second flow path.

A sensor system may be used to measure characteristics of an object in a wellbore. The sensor system may include an ultrasonic transducer that generates an ultrasonic wave in a medium of the wellbore and detects a reflection signal of the ultrasonic wave off the object in the wellbore. The sensor system may also include a processing device and a memory device in which instructions are stored. The memory may include instructions that cause the processing device to receive the reflection signal from the ultrasonic transducer, and to truncate and preprocess the reflection signal to generate a truncated reflection signal. The instructions may also cause the processing device to apply time gain compensation to the truncated reflection signal and determine an echo wavelet from the time gain compensated signal representing an echo of the ultrasonic wave off of a wall of the wellbore.

A sensor system may be used to measure characteristics of an object in a wellbore. The sensor system may include an ultrasonic transducer that generates an ultrasonic wave in a medium of the wellbore and detects a reflection signal of the ultrasonic wave off the object in the wellbore. The sensor system may also include a processing device and a memory device in which instructions are stored. The memory may include instructions that cause the processing device to receive the reflection signal from the ultrasonic transducer, and to truncate and preprocess the reflection signal to generate a truncated reflection signal. The instructions may also cause the processing device to apply time gain compensation to the truncated reflection signal and determine an echo wavelet from the time gain compensated signal representing an echo of the ultrasonic wave off of a wall of the wellbore.

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatuses for preventing wireline sticking during hydraulic fracturing operations, the system comprising: a sensor coupled to a fracking wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations measured in fracking fluid in the wellhead, fluid line, or standpipe into an electrical signal in a time domain; a memory configured to store the electrical signal; a converter configured to access the electrical signal from the memory and convert the time domain electrical signal into a frequency domain spectrum; a machine-learning system configured to classify the current frequency domain spectrum as associated with increasing wireline friction, the machine-learning system trained on previous frequency domain spectra measured during previous wireline operations and previously classified by the machine-learning system; and a user interface configured to return an indication of the increasing wireline friction to an operator of the hydraulic fracturing operations.

Embodiments for determining a stuck pipe location include determining that a pipe is stuck in a wellbore due to an obstruction; deploying a fiber optic stuck pipe location detector inside the pipe, activating a first fiber optic sensor to detect a baseline reading, and manipulating the pipe. Some embodiments include detecting micro-noises caused by the stretching of the pipe, wirelessly acquiring data related to the micro-noises from the first fiber optic sensor, and determining a location of the obstruction by comparing the baseline reading with the data related to the micro-noises. Some embodiments include recovering the pipe at a predetermined point around the location of the obstruction while leaving the first fiber optic sensor inside the pipe.

Systems and methods of the present disclosure relate to non-intrusive tracking of objects in a conduit from a single location. A system comprises a component positioned to control flow into or out of the conduit to induce pressure waves in the conduit; a pressure transducer in fluid communication with the conduit, the pressure transducer positioned to measure pressure responses in the conduit due to contact of the pressure waves with the object; and a system controller operable to: receive pressure data from the pressure transducer, wherein the pressure data includes the pressure responses to the pressure waves; and determine a distance of the object in the conduit, relative to the component or the pressure transducer, based on the pressure responses.