1. Introduction
In a typical MWD setup the pulser acts as the flow switch source, meaning the pulser would signal the directional module that flow is in a high or low flow state. This added feature now allows MicroPulse to take over control and act as the flow switch source itself. The benefit of changing the flow switch source allows the user to minimize downtime in the event of a flow switch malfunction or failure, in either the pulser or MicroPulse. Note: Changing the flow switch source may be accomplished by a rotation downlink only, see the following instructions for proper setup.
2. MP Flow Switch in Eclipse Touch
To find the flow switch in ET click on the MWD tab then select the editor and click on Environment.
Note: This feature is compatible with MicroPulse DM’s only. By default, the switch is set to external, meaning the tools pulser will sense vibration and tell the DM flow is now low or high.
Figure 1: MP Flow Switch Set to External.
Figure 2: MP Flow Switch Set to Internal.
When the switch is toggled to internal the MicroPulse DM will act as the sensor thus bypassing the pulser. Sample time is how often the DM will check for a change in flow state. Low threshold is the amount of G force required for a flow state to go from high to low, while the high threshold is the amount required for the DM to switch from a low to high flow state. Think of a low state as pumps down and high flow state as pumps on.
This feature is very useful, if the pulsers sensor fails the flow switch source may be downlinked to internal, so the MP DM then takes over. Note: To take advantage of this feature while downhole the DM must be programmed with rotation DL enabled when it’s still on surface. Threshold settings may vary depending on the type of pulser used check with your coordinator for recommended settings.
3. Downlink Settings
Be sure to enable the rotation downlink feature as seen below, this will allow you to downlink and change your flow switch source once the tool is downhole.
Figure 3: Rotation downlink enable
To set up the downlink wizard, select the MWD tab, click on downlink, configure downlink then select rotation and flow switch source, you may toggle the value from 1 to 2 to change from internal or external. See figure 4 below.
Figure 4: Downlink Wizard Setup for Downlinking Flow Switch from Internal to external
4. MP Log Review (Fine Tuning Settings)
In order to have the low and high threshold set so that the MP will function just as the pulser flow switch does, MP memory logs should be reviewed, see below.
Here the internal flow state refers to the MP DM and the external flow state refers to the pulser flow switch. This log allows the user to compare flow state performance between the MP and pulser flow switch and fine tune the settings to optimize proper response.
The internal flow state is always logged here regardless of this feature being enabled or not.
0=Flow Off 1=Flow On
Author:
John Gilchrist - Field Support Specialist
Date: 6/13/23
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