Bandgap detection of reactive components in fluids
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMichael T. Pelletier, David L. Perkins, Christopher Michael Jones
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Abstract
The present application relates sensing reactive components in fluids by monitoring band gap changes to a material having interacted with the reactive components via physisorption and/or chemisorption. In some embodiments, the sensors of the present disclosure include the material as a reactive surface on a substrate. The band gap changes may be detected by measuring conductance changes and/or spectroscopic changes. In some instances, the sensing may occur downhole during one or more wellbore operations like drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and producing hydrocarbons.
Claims20
A method for performing downhole measurements using a wellbore system, comprising:
- measuring, in a downhole environment of a wellbore, at least one of a change of a bandgap and a rate of change of the bandgap of a reactive surface of a sensor of a wellbore system after the reactive surface of the sensor is contacted by a fluid having a reactive component, wherein the band structure of the reactive surface of the sensor is changed by the reactive component in the fluid;
- and
- determining a concentration of the reactive component in the fluid based, at least in part, on the at least one of the change in the bandgap and the rate of change of the bandgap of the reactive surface.
An apparatus of a wellbore system deployed in a wellbore, comprising:
- at least one detector;
- at least one light source;
- a substrate;
- a reactive surface on the substrate;
- a sensor;
- a processor;
- and
- a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to,
- determine at least one of a change of a bandgap and a rate of change of the bandgap of the reactive surface of the substrate of the apparatus of the wellbore system after the reactive surface is contacted by a fluid having a reactive component, wherein the band structure of the reactive surface is changed by the reactive component in the fluid, and
- determine a concentration of the reactive component in the fluid based, at least in part, on the at least one of the change in the bandgap and the rate of change of the bandgap of the reactive surface.
An apparatus of a wellbore system, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to,
- measure, in a downhole environment of a wellbore, at least one of a change of a bandgap and a rate of change of the bandgap of a reactive surface of a sensor of the wellbore system after the reactive surface of the sensor is contacted by a fluid having a reactive component, wherein the band structure of the reactive surface of the sensor is changed by the reactive component in the fluid, and
- determine a concentration of the reactive component in the fluid based, at least in part, on the at least one of the change in the bandgap and the rate of change of the bandgap of the reactive surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.