US 6,271,766 B1 · Distributed selectable latent fiber optic sensors

Abstract

Distributed selectable fiber optic sensing system include a plurality of fiber grating sensors 12 connected to an optical fiber 10 and installed in an oil/gas well 15 and an instrumentation box 20 at the surface which selects which of the sensors 12 to activate, or provide output data from to a display 26 or to a remote link 32, such as the internet. The box 20 has a transceiver/converter 22 which provides a source optical signal 14 and receives a return optical signal 16,18 and which converts the return signal 16,18 to a signal indicative of the parameters being measured by the sensors 12. A sensor selection signal is provided from the remote link 32, the keyboard 28 to the converter 22 which is indicative of which of the sensors 12 to be selected to provide output data for. The end user only pays for the sensors 12 that are selected. Each of the sensors 12 may be similar to any fiber optic grating-based sensor that measures one or more parameters, such as pressure, temperature, liquid fraction, flow, acoustic, seismic, resistivity, corrosion, pipe wall build-up, or other parameters.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A distributed selectable fiber optic sensing system, comprising:

an optical fiber;
plurality of optical sensors, each sensor connected to said optical fiber and each sensor using only optical signals to measure sensed parameters, predetermined ones of said sensors receiving an optical source signal, and each providing at least one characteristic return optical signal, a parameter of said return optical signal being indicative of a sensed parameter;
and
an optical instrumentation device, connected to said optical fiber, which provides said optical source signal to predetermined ones of said sensors, which receives said return optical signal, and which provides an output signal indicative of selected ones of said sensed parameters, said selected ones of said sensed parameters being less than a total number of said sensed parameters.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Distributed selectable latent fiber optic sensors

Life of this patent

Distributed selectable latent fiber optic sensors

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28