# US 11,299,950 B2 · Expended laser tool

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- Number: US 11,299,950 B2
- Document ID: US11299950B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/801,465
- Filed: 2020-02-26
- Published: 2021-08-26
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-26
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Inventors: Sameeh Issa Batarseh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299950B2

## CPC

- B23K 26/142: for the removal of by-products
- E21B 31/002: {Destroying the objects to be fished, e.g. by explosive means}
- B08B 7/0042: {by laser}
- B08B 9/027: Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
- B23K 26/03: Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
- B23K 26/032: {using optical means}
- B23K 26/064: by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms
- B23K 26/0884: {in at least three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots}
- B23K 26/106: {inside the workpiece}
- B23K 26/36: Removing material (B23K26/55, B23K26/57 take precedence)
- E21B 7/14: Drilling by use of heat, e.g. flame drilling
- E21B 7/15: of electrically generated heat
- E21B 12/00: Accessories for drilling tools
- E21B 29/002: {Cutting, e.g. milling, a pipe with a cutter rotating along the circumference of the pipe}
- G02B 1/11: Anti-reflection coatings
- G02B 6/4204: {the coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms (encapsulated active devices H01S5/02208)}
- G02B 27/0927: {Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat}
- G02B 27/0955: {Lenses (lenses per se G02B3/00)}
- H01S 3/0623: {Antireflective [AR]}
- H01S 3/06716: {Fibre compositions (per se C03C13/04)or doping with active elements (lasing materials in general H01S3/14)}
- H01S 3/1618: {ytterbium}
- B23K 2101/002: {Drill-bits}
- E21B 37/00: Methods or apparatus for cleaning boreholes or wells (E21B21/00 takes precedence)
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

A laser tool apparatus includes a tool body; a fiber optic cable disposed in the tool body, the fiber optic cable including a laser head that emits a laser beam; a reshape optic disposed coaxially downstream of the fiber optic, the reshape optic reshaping the laser beam emitted from the laser head; and a flexible cable attached to the reshape optic. The flexible cable flexibly orients the laser beam at a desired angle within a borehole.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A laser tool apparatus comprising:
a tool body;
a fiber optic cable disposed in the tool body, the fiber optic cable comprising a laser head that emits a laser beam;
a reshape optic disposed coaxially downstream of the fiber optic, the reshape optic reshaping the laser beam emitted from the laser head; and
a flexible cable attached to the reshape optic,
where the flexible cable flexibly orients the laser beam at a desired angle within a borehole, and
where the reshape optic comprises a cylindrical body and a cone-shaped top portion, where the cone-shaped top portion receives the laser beam from the fiber optic cable.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, where the laser beam is configured to remove an obstacle within the borehole, and where the laser beam is configured to cut an object free during a fishing operation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, where at least one of the reshape optic and the laser head further comprises an anti-reflection surface coating.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one of an acoustic camera and an optical camera.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle for coaxial purging attached to the end of the flexible cable, the nozzle comprising a nozzle tip, the nozzle tip increasing a purging flow and preventing debris from flowing back towards the flexible cable.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mounting system for holding the laser head and the reshape optic.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, where the mounting system comprises a rotational stage integrated into the tool body, where the rotational stage enables a rotational circular motion of the flexible cable.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, where the mounting system comprises a telescoping axial stage, where the telescoping axial stage adjusts an axial height of the reshape optic within the borehole.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a splitter operatively coupled to the reshape optic, the splitter splitting the laser beam from the reshape optic and delivering the resulting laser beams to a plurality of flexible cables coupled downstream of the splitter.

### Claim 10

A fiber optics delivery system for use in a borehole comprising:
a fiber optic tool body;
a laser head operatively coupled to the fiber optic tool body;
a reshape optic disposed coaxially downstream of the laser head within the borehole;
at least one flexible cable attached to the reshape optic and comprising an external layer; and
a control system;
where the control system orients the flexible cable at a desired direction within the borehole, and
where the external layer comprises a plurality of mating shell-shaped links, each shell-shaped link inserted into and rotatable within an adjacent shell-shaped link.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, where the reshape optic comprises a cylindrical body and a cone-shaped top portion, where the cone-shaped top portion receives the laser beam from the fiber optic cable.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, where the reshape optic further comprises a group of lenses; and
a purging nozzle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, where the group of lenses adjusts the size of the laser beam emitted from the laser head.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, where the reshape optic is disposed downstream of the fiber optic tool body, and where the reshape optic and the fiber optic tool body are connected to a mounting system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, where the fiber optic tool body comprises a fiber optic cable, the fiber optic cable comprising a laser head to deliver a laser beam to the reshape optic.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, where the laser head operates at a power from about one (1) kW to about ten (10) kW.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, where the external layer is composed at least partially of a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) material.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprising at least one of an optical camera and an acoustic camera.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, where at least one of the reshape optic and the laser head further comprises an anti-reflection surface coating.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, where the plurality of mating shell-shaped links forms an articulating arm comprising an internal shield around the fiber optics.