Acoustic measurement of surface roughness
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMichael Linley Fripp, Zeqing Sun, Mark A. Woodmansee, Xiang Wu
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Abstract
Systems and methods for evaluating a roughness of a surface are disclosed. The system includes an acoustic emitter configured to emit an acoustic signal and an acoustic receiver configured to detect a reflection of the emitted acoustic signal from the surface and provide a data signal comprising a portion of the reflected signal. The system also includes a processor configured to receive the data signal and determine the roughness based in part on a difference between the emitted acoustic signal and the reflected acoustic signal.
Claims20
A system for evaluating a roughness of a nonplanar surface of an interior of a pipeline used to transport a fluid, comprising:
- a wave emitter configured to emit a first wave signal toward the interior of the pipeline;
- a wave receiver coupled to the wave emitter and configured to detect a second wave signal that comprises a reflection of the first wave signal from the nonplanar surface and provide a data signal comprising a portion of the second wave signal,
- wherein the second wave signal comprises a coherent reflected signal and a plurality of incoherent reflected signals;
- and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the emitter and to the receiver and configured to receive the data signal and determine the roughness based in part on a comparison of the plurality of incoherent reflected signals to the first wave signal.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage memory communicatively coupled to a processor, the non-transitory computer-readable storage memory comprising instructions that, when loaded into the processor and executed, cause the processor to perform steps of:
- causing a wave emitter that is disposed proximate to a nonplanar surface of an interior of a pipeline used to transport a fluid to emit a first wave signal;
- receiving a data signal from a wave receiver that is disposed so as to detect a second wave signal that comprises a reflection of the first wave signal from the nonplanar surface, the data signal comprising a portion of the second wave signal,
- wherein the second wave signal comprises a coherent reflected signal and a plurality of incoherent reflected signals;
- comparing the first wave signal and the received portion of the second wave signal;
- and
- determining a roughness of the surface based in part on a comparison of the plurality of incoherent reflected signals to the first wave signal.
A method of evaluating a roughness of a surface, comprising steps:
- causing a wave emitter that is disposed proximate to a nonplanar surface of an interior of a pipeline used to transport a fluid to emit a first wave signal;
- receiving a data signal from a wave receiver that is disposed so as to detect a second wave signal that comprises a reflection of the first wave signal from the nonplanar surface, the data signal comprising a portion of the second wave signal,
- wherein the second wave signal comprises a coherent reflected signal and a plurality of incoherent reflected signals;
- comparing the first wave signal and the received portion of the second wave signal;
- and
- determining the roughness of the surface based in part on a comparison of the plurality of incoherent reflected signals to the first wave signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.