Noise reduction for tubewave measurements
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsRod William Shampine, Adam Keilers, Andrey Bogdan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pressure wave system having a tubular member, a signal source, a sensor, and a source of noise, has a noise interference system employing one or more a lateral branches to cancel pressure noise, and/or amplify or filter the pressure wave signal. A related method generates the pressure wave signal, connects the lateral branch or branches to amplify or filter the signal and/or cancel noise from the system, and receives the signal or a response of the system to the signal. The lateral branches are simple pipe stubs or loops that can be made using ordinary piping components, or are more complex designs.
Claims26
A pressure wave system, comprising:
- (a) a fluid filled tubular member to propagate a pressure wave;
- (b) a signal source to generate a pressure wave signal in the tubular member;
- (c) a sensor to receive the pressure wave signal, a response to the pressure wave signal, or a combination thereof;
- (d) a source of pressure noise connected to the fluid-filled tubular member;
- (e) a noise interference system comprising a lateral branch operatively connected to the tubular member, the lateral branch being constructed with an isolated end, a straight section, and a bend section selected to maintain desired noise interference, the noise interference system having at least one selected resonance to cancel at least a portion of the pressure noise, amplify the pressure wave signal, filter the pressure wave signal, or a combination thereof and thereby enabling the sensor to receive at least one of a stronger signal, a more discernable signal, and a more detectable signal;
- and
- (f) a flow resistance element located upstream of both the signal source and the sensor and downstream of the noise interference system.
A pressure wave system, comprising:
- (a) a fluid filled wellbore adapted to propagate a pressure wave;
- (b) a signal source to generate a pressure wave signal in the wellbore at a first frequency;
- (c) a sensor to receive the pressure wave signal, a response to the pressure wave signal, or a combination thereof;
- (d) a pumping unit associated with noise generation at a second frequency different than the first frequency;
- (e) a transfer line to supply a treatment fluid from the pumping unit to the wellbore;
- a flow resistance element in the transfer line and located at a point in the transfer line to improve attenuation of the system;
- and
- (g) a noise reduction system comprising a plurality of pipe stubs connected to the transfer line upstream of the flow resistance element and having closed ends, the pipe stubs of the plurality of pipe stubs having a corresponding plurality of respective resonant frequencies and pipe stub lengths selected to match the second frequency and whole multiples of the second frequency, each pipe stub length being different than the pipe stub lengths of the other pipe stubs of the plurality of pipe stubs.
A method to suppress noise in a pressure wave detection system, comprising:
- (a) generating a pressure wave signal to propagate a pressure wave in a fluid filled tubular system;
- (b) receiving the pressure wave signal, a response to the pressure wave signal, or a combination thereof;
- (c) introducing pressure wave noise into the fluid-filled tubular system;
- and
- (d) connecting a plurality of stubs to the fluid-filled tubular system, each stub of the plurality of stubs having a length different than the other stubs of the plurality of stubs to cancel selected portions of the pressure noise.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.