Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Richard M Wilde

Christopher W Mayeu

John Laureto Maida, Jr

Alan James Sallwasser

A flexible coupling for well logging instruments includes a housing coupled at one longitudinal end to one end of a second housing. Each of the housings defines a sealed interior chamber. The housings are coupled to enable angular deflection between respective longitudinal axes thereof. A conduit extends between the housings. The conduit is sealingly engaged to each housing such that longitudinal ends of the conduit are substantially positionally fixed with respect to each housing. The conduit is formed from material and has dimensions selected to withstand at least a same hydrostatic pressure as each of the housings. The conduit includes a bending strain distribution feature configured such that at a maximum angular deflection between housings a bending strain in the conduit is at most equal to an elastic limit of the conduit.

Flexible coupling for well logging instruments

Apparatuses and methods for accurately determining the position of a sliding or rotational sleeve valve in real time are disclosed. The apparatus comprises fiber optic cable based sensors which are either linearly or circumferentially arrayed in the housing that surrounds the sleeve and which can comprise bare cable or cable having fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). As the sleeve slides or rotates within the housing, the sensors in the arrays are deformed, and this deformation can be correlated to sleeve position by assessing the sensor's reflectivity profiles. Deformation of the sensors is achieved by various mechanical and/or magnetic schemes incorporated into the sleeve.

Method and system for determining and controlling position of valve

Methods and systems for optical endpoint detection of a sliding sleeve valve are disclosed. The system comprises fiber optic cable based sensors (e.g., fiber Bragg gratings or fiber optic coils) positioned in a recess within the valve's housing and affixed proximate to the ends of the cavity in which the sleeve travels. When the sleeve reaches the ends of the cavity, it imparts a stress onto an area of the housing, which preferably constitutes a protrusion within the cavity, which in turn stresses the sensor and changes its reflection profile. This change in reflection profile indicates that the sleeve has traveled to an end point inside the valve, and accordingly that the valve is fully open or fully closed.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Richard M Wilde