Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Cidra Corporation

Other

Cidra Corporate Services Inc.

Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

Cidra Concrete Systems Inc.

James M Sullivan

Timothy J Bailey

Alan D Kersey

Martin A Putnam

Mark R Fernald

Paul Eric Sanders

Robert N Brucato

Michael A Davis

Matthew B Miller

James R Dunphy

Christopher J Wright

John J Grunbeck

Richard Todd Jones

George J Talmadge

Robert F Robinson

Joseph F Robbins

John J Sgambelluri

Douglas H Loose

Thomas Wolfgang Engel

John Biesak

Trevor Wayne MacDougall

Charles Winston

James S Sirkis

Paul Dolan

David Vincent Newton

Charles R Sherts

Robert J Maron

Guy A Daigle

Peter C Ogle

Sergiu M Gorun

Richard Niezgorski

Karpagavalli Ramji

Francis M Sullivan

Jon T Kringlebotn

A system for sensing the volume and/or viscosity of a slurry (e.g., like concrete) contained in a rotating container or drum, having a sensor and a signal processor. The sensor is configured to attach inside a rotating container or drum having a known geometry, sense angular positions of the sensor and also sense associated entry and exit points when the sensor enters and exits the slurry, including concrete, contained in the rotating container or drum, and provide signaling containing information about the angular positions and the associated entry and exit points. The signal processor receives the signaling, and determines corresponding signaling containing information about a volumetric amount, or a viscosity, or both, of the slurry in the rotating container or drum, based upon the signaling received.

Techniques for sensing the viscosity of concrete in a rotating container

Techniques for sensing the volume and/or viscosity of concrete in a rotating container

The invention provides a signal processor that receives a signal containing information about an acoustic signal that is generated by at least one acoustic transmitter, that travels through an aerated fluid in a container, and that is received by at least one acoustic receiver arranged in relation to the container, including inside the container; and determines the gas volume fraction of the aerated fluid based at least partly on the speed of sound measurement of the acoustic signal that travels through the aerated fluid in the container. The signal processor also sends an output signal containing information about the gas volume fraction of the aerated fluid. The signal processor may be configured together with at least one acoustic transmitter, the at least one acoustic receiver, or both.

Method and apparatus for determining GVF&#x2014;gas volume fraction&#x2014;for aerated fluids and liquids in flotation tanks, columns, drums, tubes, vats

An optical waveguide feedthrough assembly passes at least one optical waveguide through a bulk head, a sensor wall, or other feedthrough member. The optical waveguide feedthrough assembly comprises a cane-based optical waveguide that forms a glass plug sealingly disposed in a feedthrough housing. For some embodiments, the optical waveguide includes a tapered surface biased against a seal seat formed in the housing. The feedthrough assembly can include an annular gold gasket member disposed between the tapered surface and the seal seat. The feedthrough assembly can further include a backup seal. The backup seal comprises an elastomeric annular member disposed between the glass plug and the housing. The backup seal may be energized by a fluid pressure in the housing. The feedthrough assembly is operable in high temperature and high pressure environments.

Optical waveguide feedthrough assembly

A method for monitoring wall thickness of an industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery, including a pump casing for a pump used for pumping an abrasive fluid or slurry, comprising providing a signal containing information about a ultrasonic-based transducer pulse from a discrete ultrasonic-based transducer attached directly on an industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at a local point of interest and configured to inject the ultrasonic-based transducer pulse into the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest and sense the ultrasonic-based transducer pulse reflected off a wall of the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest; and determining with an electronic monitoring system the thickness of the wall of the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest based at least partly on the signal received containing information about the discrete ultrasonic-based transducer pulse sensed. The discrete ultrasonic-based transducer may include a discrete ultrasonic-based piezoelectric transducer.

Method and apparatus for monitoring of component housing wall thickness and wear monitoring

Coating compositions that include a halopigment dispersed within a silicon-containing polymeric matrix (e.g., a polysiloxane polymer) are provided. The halopigment comprises a halogenated phthalocyanine (e.g., a fluorinated phthalocyanine) attached to a support particle (e.g., a metal oxide, a non-metal oxide, and/or an inert material). The halogenated phthalocyanine can have the formula: (16R-Pc)ML, where each R is, independently, a halogen or a perhaloalkyl group, with each R group being independent from the other groups; Pc is a phthalocyanine compound; 1&#x2266;n&#x2266;2; L is a ligand or ligands and M is a cation; and 0&#x2266;o&#x2266;8. Methods are also provided for forming such a coating composition and for coating a substrate with the coating composition.

Self-cleaning protective coatings

A large diameter optical waveguide, grating, and laser includes a waveguide having at least one core surrounded by a cladding, the core propagating light in substantially a few transverse spatial modes; and having an outer waveguide dimension of said waveguide being greater than about 0.3 mm. At least one Bragg grating may be impressed in the waveguide. The waveguide may be axially compressed which causes the length of the waveguide to decrease without buckling. The waveguide may be used for any application where a waveguide needs to be compression tuned. Also, the waveguide exhibits lower mode coupling from the core to the cladding and allows for higher optical power to be used when writing gratings without damaging the waveguide. The waveguide may resemble a short 'block' or a longer 'cane' type, depending on the application and dimensions used.

Large diameter optical waveguide, grating and laser

Flyable sphere

Optical sensors used in harsh environments require a sealed pressure tight passage of an optical waveguide into an interior of the sensor. In one embodiment, a pressure sensor assembly for determining the pressure of a fluid in a harsh environment includes a sensing element suspended within a fluid filled housing. An optical waveguide that provides communication with the sensing element couples to a feedthrough assembly, which includes a cane-based optical waveguide forming a glass plug sealingly disposed in the housing. The glass plug provides optical communication between the optical waveguide and the sensing element. A pressure transmitting device can transmit the pressure of the fluid to the fluid within the housing. The assembly can maintain the sensing element in a near zero base strain condition and can protect the sensing element from shock/vibration.

Pressure transducer with optical waveguide feedthrough assembly

A large diameter optical waveguide, grating, and laser includes a waveguidehaving at least one coresurrounded by a claddingthe core propagating light in substantially a few transverse spatial modes; and having an outer waveguide dimension dof said waveguide being greater than about 0.3 mm. At least one Bragg gratingmay be impressed in the waveguideThe waveguidemay be axially compressed which causes the length L of the waveguideto decrease without buckling. The waveguidemay be used for any application where a waveguide needs to be compression tuned, e.g., compression-tuned fiber gratings and lasers or other applications. Also, the waveguideexhibits lower mode coupling from the coreto the claddingand allows for higher optical power to be used when writing gratingswithout damaging the waveguideThe shape of the waveguidemay have other geometries (e.g., a 'dogbone' shape) and/or more than one grating or pair of gratings may be used and more than one core may be used. The core and/or claddingmay be doped with a rare-earth dopant and/or may be photosensitive. At least a portion of the coremay be doped between a pair of gratingsto form a fiber laser or the gratingor may be constructed as a tunable DFB fiber laser or an interactive fiber laser within the waveguideThe waveguide may resemble a short 'block' or a longer &#x201c;cane&#x201d; type, depending on the application and dimensions used.

An apparatus measures the speed of sound and/or vortical disturbances propagating in a fluid flow to determine a parameter of the flow propagating through a pipe. The apparatus includes a sensing device that includes an array of pressure sensors used to measure the acoustic and convective pressure variations in the flow to determine a desired parameter. The sensing device includes a unitary strap having a plurality of bands disposed parallel to each other. The bands are interconnected by cross members to maintain the bands a predetermined distance apart. Each of the bands having a strip of piezoelectric film material mounted along a substantial length of the bands. The piezoelectric film material provides a signal indicative of the unsteady pressures within the pipe. The sensing device includes a conductive shield around the multi-band strap and the piezoelectric film material to provide a grounding shield.

Apparatus having a multi-band sensor assembly for measuring a parameter of a fluid flow flowing within a pipe

A tunable optical filter has a large diameter cane waveguide with 'side-holes' in the cane cross-section that reduce the force required to compress the large diameter optical waveguide without overly compromising the buckling strength thereof. The large diameter optical waveguide has a cross-section of at least about 0.3 millimeters, including at least one inner core, a Bragg grating arranged therein, a cladding surrounding the inner core, and a structural configuration for providing a reduced bulk modulus of compressibility and maintaining the anti-buckling strength of the large diameter optical waveguide. The structural configuration reduces the cross-sectional area of the large diameter optical waveguide. These side holes reduce the amount of glass that needs to be compressed, but retains the large diameter.

Tunable optical filter having large diameter optical waveguide with bragg grating and being configured for reducing the bulk modulus of compressibility thereof

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Manchester, CT, United States of America

James M Sullivan