WorldWide Drilling Resource

24 MARCH 2022 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Fishing with a Downhole Camera Adapted from Information by Allegheny Instruments When a drill string or bit breaks while drilling a borehole, or a pipe, equipment, or tool falls to the bottom of the borehole, drilling needs to stop so the items can be fished out of the wellbore. Although there are several tools drill operators can use for fishing operations, using a downhole camera can help efforts to retrieve drilling equipment, tools, and pumps that have dropped to the bottom of a borehole. Allegheny Instruments’ GeoVISION™ Nano camera is the smallest diameter production borehole video inspection camera made today. It is only 3/4 inch in diameter and is designed for use in boreholes as small as one inch in diameter and at depths up to 2000 feet. The Nano camera can be lowered directly into the well, or through a small-diameter pipe if there are multiple obstructions in the wellbore. Based on the visual observations of the objects in the bore, proper tools can be employed to retrieve the lost items. Much like the scopes or cameras used by surgeons in delicate operations, the Nano camera can be used during the actual retrieval efforts - just remember to remove the camera before pulling out the lost items! It can also be used to diagnose problems in operating wells. In 2016, a small community in Vermont noticed the production rate of its gravelpacked well dropped by 50% overnight, requiring the pump to run nearly continuously to meet the water demand. To troubleshoot the well without removing the well pump, Tri-State Drilling & Boring of West Burke, used their Nano camera to visually assess the well condition. The video revealed the 10-inch well screen was twisted with the bottom portion of the well filled with pack material. The unique ability of inspecting the water well with a Nano camera helped solve the mystery behind the reduction in productivity. The Nano camera has standard NTSC resolution with an aspect ratio of 4:3. Illumination is provided by six high-intensity white LEDs. This camera is rated for use up to 1000 psi and can be used with light-duty, heavyduty, and deluxe winches. It can also be used with the Nano Auto Rotating Mirror to allow a side scan of the borewall. The Nano Auto Rotating Mirror can be set to rotate continuously or to rotate approximately 20 degrees, pause for a few seconds, and then continue rotating. This pause allows maximum resolution for recording video images. WTR You can use a downhole camera to inspect damaged well screen. Opportunity Knocking! Would you like your products / equipment in print like Allegheny has? It’s called Editorial Focus and each month in WWDR we have an Editorial Focus. Check out our Marketing Guide for details as to what the upcoming Editorial Focuses are.

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