Baker Hughes Corporation

Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Luna Innovations Inc.

Baker Hughes Holdings LLC

Brooks A Childers

Roger Glen Duncan

Daniel Scott Homa

Robert M Harman

Mark Earl Froggatt

Clark Davis Boyd

Paul Samuel Zerwekh

Alexander Michael Barry

Philip Robin Couch

Philippe Legrand

Ajit Balagopal

Ketankumar Kantilal Sheth

Dawn K Gifford

Paul Francis Wysocki

Carl W Stoesz

Earl Bruce Brookbank

Alan Craig Reynolds

Suresha Roshani O'Bryan

Malcolm S Laing

Travis S Hall

Eric E Sanborn

Frederick Henry Kreisler Rambow

Juan P Franco

Christopher H Lambert

Xudong Yang

Phillip Edward Abshire

Robert Harman

Stephen H Poland

Kevin M Marsden

Daniel C Blevins

John Guarniere

Alexander M Barry

Jianfeng Chen

Daniel S Homa

Roger G Duncan

Brian L Thigpen

Dan Raymond Provenzano

Michael C Nuckels

Matthew Thomas Raum

Brad Willis Davis

Justin Crusse

David Dixon

Daniel Homa

Megan Patoskie

Matthew T Raum

Sam Dippold

Lance A Beckner

Brian S Lucas

Michael E Vercellino

Michael C Nuckles

Christopher J Fazio

Paul S Zerwekh

Brian Thigpen

Alexander Barry

Brian Lucas

Dan R Provenzano

Alan Reynolds

A system can direct light into an optical fiber. Imaging optics can form an image of an end of an optical fiber. An actuatable optical element can be configured to define an optical path that extends to the actuatable optical element and further extends to the end of the optical fiber. A processor can determine a location in the image of a specified feature in the image. The processor can cause, based on the location of the specified feature in the image, the actuatable optical element to actuate to align the optical path to a core of the optical fiber. A light source can direct a light beam along the optical path to couple into the core of the optical fiber.

Directing light into an optical fiber

Described are optical fibers, e.g., for use in stress-sensing or shape-sensing applications, that use overlapping grating configurations with chirped gratings to facilitate strain delay registration. In accordance with various embodiments, a fiber core may, for instance, have two overlapping sets of chirped gratings that differ in the direction of the chirp between the first and second sets, or a set of chirped gratings overlapping with a single-frequency grating. Also described are strain sensing systems and associated computational methods employing optical fibers with overlapping gratings.

Overlapping fiber gratings

When a grating is inscribed in a section of optical fiber through a coating of the optical fiber, using a light modulation mask to modulate the light beam that writes the grating, a fluid can be situated between the section of optical fiber and the back side of a mask component carrying the light modulation mask (e.g., on its front side) to reduce the refractive-index discontinuity encountered at the surface of the coating. In various embodiments, rather than running the fiber through a vessel containing the fluid, the fluid is run across the back side of the mask component or retained by capillary action between the fiber section and the mask component.

Index-matched grating inscription through fiber coating

A method for estimating an environmental parameter includes transmitting a first interrogation signal into an optical fiber, receiving a reflected return signal including light reflected from one or more of the plurality of FBG's in the fiber and receiving at a processor data describing the reflected return signal. The received data is comparted to expected data to determine a shift in wavelength of light reflected for one or more of the plurality of FBGs and a change in a length of a dead zone of the optical fiber based on the comparison is also determined. From this, estimates of locations two or more of the plurality of FBG's are formed.

Depth correction based on optical path measurements

A method and system to perform distributed downhole acoustic sensing in a borehole are described. The system includes an optical fiber comprising at least one reflector, and a tunable laser configured to perform a transmission of a range of wavelengths through the optical fiber. The system also includes a receiver configured to receive an interferometer signal resulting from the transmission, and a processor configured to determine a component of the interferometer signal.

Distributed downhole acousting sensing

A temperature sensing arrangement includes a member having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, and an optical fiber having a second coefficient of thermal expansion. The optical fiber is strain transmissively mounted to the member. And the first coefficient of thermal expansion is greater than the second coefficient of thermal expansion such that strain measurable in the optical fiber is correlatable to temperature changes in the member.

Temperature sensing arrangement, method of making the same and method of sensing temperature

A method, apparatus and computer-readable medium for determining a strain component for a deformation mode of a member is disclosed. A plurality of measurements is obtained, wherein each of the plurality of measurements relates to a strain at a location of the member. A deformation mode is selected and an adjustable filter is applied to the plurality of strain measurements to determine the strain component for the selected deformation mode.

Determination of strain components for different deformation modes using a filter

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 estimating at least one parameter includes: a deformable member configured to deform in response to the at least one parameter; a housing surrounding at least a portion of an external surface of the deformable member to define an isolated region around the portion and an isolated surface of the deformable member; and at least one optical fiber sensor disposed on the isolated surface and held in an operable relationship with the isolated surface, the at least one optical fiber sensor configured to generate a signal in response to a deformation of the deformable member.

Device and method for discrete distributed optical fiber pressure sensing

A method, apparatus and system for forming a fiber optic cable is disclosed. A first pattern of a phase mark is formed at a first location in the fiber optic cable. A relational parameter between the fiber optic cable and the phase mask is changed and a second pattern of the phase mask is formed at a second location in the fiber optic cable. The second pattern is related to the first pattern via the change in the relational parameter between the fiber optic cable and the phase mask. A controller can be used to control the relational parameter.

Phase mask period control

A method for estimating a parameter includes: transmitting a control signal to a coherent optical source, the control signal configured to chaotically vary an output of the optical source and generate a chaotically excited optical signal; transmitting the optical signal from the optical source into an optical fiber, the optical fiber including at least one sensing location; receiving a reflected signal including light reflected from the at least one sensing location; and estimating a value of the parameter using the reflected signal.

Incoherent reflectometry utilizing chaotic excitation of light sources

Systems, program product, and methods for monitoring linearity of a down-hole pumping system assembly during deployment within a bore of a casing of a well positioned to extract hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir and selecting an optimal operational position for the down-hole pumping system assembly within the bore of the casing, are provided. Various embodiments of the systems allow an operator to ensure that a motor and pump of a down-hole pumping system assembly are installed in an optimal position in a well by ensuring alignment across the pump stages casing and motor casing. The system includes a groove extending along an outer surface of a housing of the pumping system assembly, and an optical sensing fiber mounted in the groove.

System for monitoring linearity of down-hole pumping systems during deployment and related methods

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Christianburg, VA, United States of America

Brooks A Childers