physics

IntelliServ

IntelliServ is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IntelliServ rather than just read about it. In short: IntelliServ is a National Oilwell Varco brand that manufactures and sells a broadband networked drilling string system used to transmit downhole information to the surface in a drilling operation. Background The IntelliServ network is a broadband telemetry system that allows instant transmission of data between the surface and the measurement tools positioned in the drill string bottom-hole assembly near the drill b…

Key takeaways

IntelliServ belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IntelliServ to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IntelliServ from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IntelliServ is a National Oilwell Varco brand that manufactures and sells a broadband networked drilling string system used to transmit downhole information to the surface in a drilling operation.

Background

The IntelliServ network is a broadband telemetry system that allows instant transmission of data between the surface and the measurement tools positioned in the drill string bottom-hole assembly near the drill bit. IntelliServ originated in a 1997 project on hydraulic mud hammers sponsored by the company Novatek and the United States Department of Energy. The project addressed the need for instant transmission of downhole data (data acquired within the wellhole) through drill pipe, leading to Novatek's beginning on a networked drill pipe development project. In 2001, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) began providing funding for the drill pipe project and an additional drill pipe data transmission project. in 2006, research resulted in the IntelliServ network and Intellipipe, a drill pipe with an embedded data cable. In 2005, Grant Prideco bought the IntelliServ technology and launched the first IntelliServ network. Grant Prideco was purchased by National Oilwell Varco (NOV) in 2008, and the NOV-IntelliServ joint venture was formed in 2009 with 55% National Oilwell Varco and 45% Schlumberger ownership. The first commercial deployment of a drill string telemetry network occurred using IntelliServ's product in Myanmar in December 2006.

Technology The IntelliServ network components are embedded in drill string components, known as IntelliPipe, which transmit subsurface data at 57,000 bits per second. The IntelliServ network upgrade raised the speed to one million bits per second. The two-way data communication between downhole Measurement while drilling (MWD) and Logging while drilling (LWD) measurement tools and the operators at the surface allow the operators to command rotary-steering tools, or configure downhole tools such as the formation pressure testing tool or sonic tools.

The IntelliServ network includes measurement nodes along the full length of the drill string that allow operators to acquire data along the wellbore. The measurement nodes measure and transmit temperature and pressure data acquired along the drill string, which can improve well site efficiency and reduce risks associated with hole cleaning, such as pack offs. The transmission of information is not affected by the depth, formation resistivity, drilling fluid properties, or required flow of the well. Surface operating parameters can control items detected by the sensors, such as shock and vibration. The networked drill pipe can transmit data acquired by most large service companies. As of March 2012, the system has been deployed on 90 wells totaling more than 1 million feet of drilling.

Notable Partners IntelliServ partners with the following companies and organizations:

Baker Hughes and Inteq since 2007 Halliburton National Energy Technology Laboratory is a partner in the IntelliServ broadband network Schlumberger Weatherford International

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IntelliServ

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IntelliServ claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IntelliServ before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IntelliServ ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IntelliServ

In research: IntelliServ appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IntelliServ in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IntelliServ is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geophysical imaging, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IntelliServ outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IntelliServ in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IntelliServ means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IntelliServ out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IntelliServ in simple terms?

IntelliServ is a National Oilwell Varco brand that manufactures and sells a broadband networked drilling string system used to transmit downhole information to the surface in a drilling operation. Background The IntelliServ network is a broadband telemetry system that allows instant transmission of…

Why does IntelliServ matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IntelliServ?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IntelliServ.