Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Luna Innovations Inc.

Baker Hughes Holdings LLC

Roger Glen Duncan

Brooks A Childers

Robert M Harman

Philip Robin Couch

Alexander Michael Barry

Philippe Legrand

Ajit Balagopal

Mark Earl Froggatt

Ketankumar Kantilal Sheth

Paul Francis Wysocki

Earl Bruce Brookbank

Daniel Scott Homa

Alan Craig Reynolds

Suresha Roshani O'Bryan

Daniel Boyd Cooper

Malcolm S Laing

Alexander M Barry

Dawn K Gifford

Christopher H Lambert

Erik N Lee

Travis S Hall

Dan Raymond Provenzano

Michael C Nuckels

Matthew Thomas Raum

David Dixon

Michael E Vercellino

Matthew T Raum

Michael C Nuckles

Sam Dippold

Christopher J Fazio

Dan R Provenzano

Alan Reynolds

Daniel S Homa

A downhole tool orientation determination system to determine a radial orientation of a tool conveyed downhole into a pipe via a carrier and a method of determining a radial orientation of a tool conveyed downhole into a pipe via a carrier are described. The system includes an orientation tool conveyed downhole by the carrier that conveys the tool, and a distributed acoustic sensor (DAS). The DAS includes an optical fiber disposed axially along an outer surface of the pipe; and a processor to determine an orientation of the orientation tool with respect to the optical fiber based on a measurement by the optical fiber at different rotational positions of the orientation tool. The processor determines the radial orientation of the tool with respect to the optical fiber based on the orientation of the orientation tool with respect to the optical fiber.

DAS-based downhole tool orientation determination

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 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

Disclosed herein is a method for sensing one or more selected parameters related to a structure of interest, for example, the shape of an isolated structure. A cable is attached to the structure of interest at one or more attachment points. The cable contains one or more optical fibers. One or more light signals are transmitted into the one or more optical fibers and then detected to form a data set. The data set is compared with information known about the one or more attachment points to determine error values. The error values are then combined with the data set to determine the selected parameters associated with the structure.

Fiber optic shape sensing system using anchoring points

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 distributed borehole system includes a surface-based assembly located on a surface of a body of water and a marinized assembly located on a floor of the body of water adjacent to a borehole in an earth formation. The system includes a borehole interrogator including a transmitter configured to generate a signal and to transmit the signal into the borehole and a receiver configured to receive a reflected signal from the borehole based on the signal transmitted by the transmitter. The system further includes a processor configured to process the reflected signal to generate data representing characteristics of one of the borehole system, the borehole, and an earth formation defining the borehole. The processor is located in the surface-based assembly, the receiver is located in the marinized assembly, and the transmitter is located in at least one of the surface-based assembly and the marinized assembly.

Distributed marinized borehole system

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

An apparatus for estimating at least one parameter in a downhole environment includes: an optical fiber configured to be disposed in a borehole, the optical fiber having a property that causes intrinsic backscattering of signals transmitted therein. The property varies along a length of the optical fiber to generate a variable intensity of the backscattering, the intensity of backscattering varying along the optical fiber as a function of distance from an end of the optical fiber. The apparatus also includes a light source configured to send an optical signal into the optical fiber; and a detector configured to receive a return signal including backscattered signals.

Optical fiber sensing with enhanced backscattering

A system and method to obtain and process interferometer output scans is described. The interferometer-based sensor system includes a tunable laser to transmit a transmit signal and a polarization scrambler to produce a polarization state change on the transmit signal. The system also includes an interferometer to provide an output scan based on the transmit signal with the polarization state change and a processor to process the output scan.

Polarization scrambling in interferometer systems

An apparatus for estimating a parameter, the apparatus includes: an optical fiber; a component in communication with the optical fiber and configured to interact with light at a wavelength related to the parameter; and an optical interrogator in communication with the optical fiber and configured to: illuminate the optical fiber with a series of light inputs, each light input in the series having a substantially constant unique optical wavelength and swept-frequency amplitude modulation; and receive a resulting light signal associated with each light input in the series; wherein the resulting light signals associated with the series of light inputs are used to estimate the parameter.

Combined swept-carrier and swept-modulation frequency optical frequency domain reflectometry

A system for locating an interface between a first material and a second material including one or more acoustic sensing elements operatively arranged to measure a characteristic of one or more acoustic signals at a plurality of locations along a length thereof. An instrumentation unit is coupled with the one or more acoustic sensing elements, and arranged to determine a difference between at least a first value of the characteristic measured at a first location and a second value of the characteristic measured at a second location of the plurality of locations for identifying the interface between the first material and the second material as being located between the first and second locations if the difference is greater than a preselected threshold amount. A method of locating an interface is also included.

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Christiansburg, VA, United States of America

Roger Glen Duncan