Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Fb Imonitoring, Inc.

Other

Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Ihs Imonitoring Inc.

Alexander Michael Barry

William Albert Johnston

Robert M Harman

Philip Robin Couch

Brooks A Childers

Roger Glen Duncan

Ian Bradford Mitchell

Daniel Scott Homa

Ajit Balagopal

David Dixon

Nikos Asimopoulos

Morton Nadler

Jerry W Fleming

Karl Kai Ku

Brian S Lucas

An apparatus for sensing acoustic energy in a borehole penetrating the earth includes an optical interrogator and a sensing optical fiber having a length Ls optically coupled to the optical interrogator and configured to sense the acoustic energy to provide sensed acoustic data. The apparatus also includes a reference optical fiber having a length Lr optically coupled to the optical interrogator to provide reference data, wherein the optical interrogator corrects the sensed acoustic data using the reference data to provide corrected sensed acoustic data.

Drift correction in a fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing system

A method and apparatus for measuring a pressure. A pressure gauge includes a first plate having a resonant frequency related to a pressure at the pressure gauge. The first plate is thermally-excited at a selected frequency, and a sensor measures a first power level of a first light having a first wavelength reflected from the first plate and a second power level of a second light having a second wavelength reflected from the first plate. A processor determines a thermal drift in the resonant frequency of the first plate due to the thermal excitation of the first plate from the first power level and the second power level, corrects a pressure measurement determined from the resonant frequency of the first plate for the thermal drift of the resonant frequency, and operates a device based on the pressure measurement.

Quadrature detection for optical MEMS pressure gauge

Downhole fiber optic interrogation systems are described. The systems include a fiber optic control system, a first sensing system, a second sensing system, an optical fiber disposed within a well, and an optical switch arranged between the optical fiber and the first and second sensing systems, wherein the fiber optic control system performs time division multiplex control of the optical switch wherein the first sensing system is operably connected to the optical fiber and the second sensing system is not connected to the optical fiber, and further controls the optical switch such that the second sensing system is operably connected to the optical fiber and the first sensing system is not connected to the optical fiber.

Time division multiplexing of distributed downhole sensing systems

A system and method to determine temperature include an optical fiber and at least two pulse laser sources to transmit light pulses with at least two wavelengths into the optical fiber. The system also includes an optical path length modulator to modulate the optical path length of the optical fiber as the light pulses are transmitted into the optical fiber. At least two photodetectors detect backscatter reflected in the optical fiber, and a processor determines the temperature based on the backscatter.

DTS performance improvement through variable mode path length averaging

A downhole property measurement apparatus includes an optical fiber having a series fiber Bragg gratings with interleaved resonant wavelengths such that adjacent fiber Bragg gratings have different resonant wavelengths and a difference between adjacent resonant wavelengths is greater than a dynamic wavelength range of each of the adjacent fiber Bragg gratings. An optical interrogator is in optical communication with the optical fiber and configured to emit a frequency domain light signal having a swept wavelength for a first time duration and a chirp having a modulation of amplitude with a varying of wavelength for a second time duration that is less than the first time duration. A return light signal is transformed by the optical interrogator into a time domain to determine a resonant wavelength shift and corresponding location of each of the gratings. A processor converts the resonant wavelength shifts into the downhole property.

Arrayed wave division multiplexing to improve spatial resolution of IOFDR fiber Bragg sensing system

A method for estimating a parameter includes: generating an optical signal, the optical signal modulated via a modulation signal; transmitting the modulated optical signal from a light source into an optical fiber, the optical fiber including a plurality of sensing locations disposed along the optical fiber and configured to reflect light; receiving a reflected signal including light reflected from the plurality of sensing locations; and combining, in parallel, each of a plurality of reference signals with the reflected signal to estimate a value of the parameter.

Enhancing functionality of reflectometry based systems using parallel mixing operations

An apparatus for performing a measurement of a downhole property includes an optical fiber having a first section that has a first set of fiber Bragg gratings with a first resonant wavelength inscribed therein and a second section that has a second set of fiber Bragg gratings with a second resonant wavelength different from the first resonant wavelength inscribed therein. The second section is in series with the first section. An optical interrogator emits a swept-wavelength frequency domain light signal having varying wavelength amplitude modulation into the optical fiber, receives a frequency domain return light signal, and transforms the frequency domain return signal into a time domain to determine a resonant wavelength shift of each fiber Bragg grating and the corresponding location of each interrogated fiber Bragg grating. A processor converts the resonant wavelength shift of each interrogated fiber Bragg grating into the downhole property measurement.

Arrayed wave division multiplex to extend range of IOFDR fiber bragg sensing system

A method for estimating a distance includes: generating an optical signal having a wavelength that is within a wavelength range, the optical signal modulated via a modulation signal having a modulation frequency; transmitting the modulated optical signal from a light source into the optical fiber, the optical fiber in contact with a moveable strain inducing element located at the position along the optical fiber, the optical fiber including a plurality of sensing locations configured to reflect light within the wavelength range when under strain from the strain inducing element and transmit light within the wavelength range when not under strain from the strain inducing element; receiving a reflected signal including light reflected from at least one of the sensing locations; demodulating the reflected signal with a reference signal to generate reflected signal data; and determining the distance to the position along the optical fiber based on the reflected signal data.

Distance measurement using incoherent optical reflectometry

An apparatus for estimating a property, the apparatus includes: a hollow core tube having a first opening and a second opening; a first optical waveguide disposed within the first opening; and a second optical waveguide disposed within the second opening and spaced a distance from the first optical waveguide, the distance being related to the property; wherein a portion of at least one of the optical waveguides within the tube is perimetrically isolated from the tube.

EFPI sensor

A method of communicating among wireless devices includes providing a frequency hopping schedule to a target device. The frequency hopping schedule includes a sequence of frequencies. The method also includes, at the target device, alternately sleeping and listening on a frequency in the sequence of frequencies according to the frequency hopping schedule, exchanging time base information between the target device and the transmitting device, at the transmitting device, using the time base information to determine a current frequency of the target device, from the transmitting device, and transmitting a packet of information uniquely addressed to the target device.

Wireless communication synchronization

The present invention is directed to system and method for determining a fluid level. The system comprises a sensing rod assembly comprised of releasably connectable rod segments. Each rod segment carries a processor and a plurality of inductors. Each inductor generates a position signal responsive to a float signal. A float assembly comprises a housing containing a circuit having an integrally formed coil periodically energizable by a processor to emit the float signal. A control assembly receives the generated position signals and determines the fluid level. The method comprises providing releasably connectable rod segments with inductors that generate a position signal responsive to a float signal, determining a sensing rod assembly length, forming the sensing rod assembly, disposing it within a container, providing a float assembly periodically actuated to generate a float signal, generating position signals responsive to the float signal and analyzing those signals to determine the fluid level.

Linear position indicator system and method

A self-powered apparatus includes a solar power cell, a battery, and a load. The load may include one or more load functions performed using power provided by one or both of the solar power cell and the battery. The inclusion of a battery permits the solar power cell to be sized much smaller than if the solar power cell was the only supply of power. A programmable controller selectively regulates power provided to one or more load functions and also selectively regulates whether one or both of the power cell and battery supplies the power. Switching circuitry, controlled by the programmable controller, selectively couples one or both of the battery and the solar cell to supply energy for powering the load. In a preferred example embodiment, the controller couples the battery and/or solar cell to charge a super capacitor, which then is selectively controlled to power the load. The programmable controller determines and prioritizes load function power requirements, and based thereon, determines which load functions will be powered based the priority of the load function requirements and the amount of power that can be supplied by the solar power cell as supplemented by the battery.

Power supply and method for controlling it

A process and device for analyzing image data and performing automatic optimization of a black and white image created by a scanner. The process and device performs dynamic thresholding by approximating the information level and the background level at every pixel in the image, the threshold being calculated as a function of the background and information levels at that point, and a characterization process step comparing the pixel intensity at that point with the threshold, so that if the pixel is darker, it is considered to be black, or if it is lighter, it is considered to be white.

Growing community of inventors

Cypress, TX, United States of America

Alexander Michael Barry