Methods and systems for optical endpoint detection of a sliding sleeve valve
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorsChristopher W. Mayeu, Richard M. Wilde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems for optical endpoint detection of a sliding sleeve valve are disclosed. The system comprises fiber optic cable based sensors (e.g., fiber Bragg gratings or fiber optic coils) positioned in a recess within the valve's housing and affixed proximate to the ends of the cavity in which the sleeve travels. When the sleeve reaches the ends of the cavity, it imparts a stress onto an area of the housing, which preferably constitutes a protrusion within the cavity, which in turn stresses the sensor and changes its reflection profile. This change in reflection profile indicates that the sleeve has traveled to an end point inside the valve, and accordingly that the valve is fully open or fully closed.
Claims33
An apparatus for end point detection for a sliding sleeve valve, comprising:
- a housing coupleable to a conduit;
- a sliding sleeve, wherein the sleeve can slide to contact at least a first area of the housing to impart a stress to the first area when the sleeve is at the end point;
- and
- at least one optical sensor for detecting the stress imparted to the first area by sensing the stress imparted to a location on an outside of the housing, the at least one optical sensor disposed proximate the first area of the housing and on an opposite side of the housing from the sleeve.
A method for detecting the end point of a sleeve in a sliding sleeve valve having a housing, comprising:
- actuating the sleeve to bring the sleeve into contact with an inside of the housing to impart a stress to a first area of the housing when the sleeve is at the end point;
- and
- optically detecting the stress at the first area to determine that the sleeve has reached a first end point by sensing the stress imparted to a location on an outside of the housing.
An apparatus for end point detection for a sliding sleeve valve, comprising:
- a housing coupleable to a conduit;
- a cavity formed in the housing containing a sliding sleeve, wherein the sleeve can slide to contact at least a first area of the housing proximate to a first end of the cavity to impart a stress to the first area when the sleeve is at the end point;
- and
- a first recess formed in the housing proximate to the first area of the housing, wherein the first recess contains at least one optical sensor for detecting the stress imparted to the first area by sensing the stress imparted to a location on an outside of the housing, wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises a coil of optical fiber wrapped circumferentially around the recess.
An apparatus for end point detection for a sliding sleeve valve, comprising:
- a housing coupleable to a conduit;
- a cavity formed in the housing containing a sliding sleeve, wherein the sleeve can slide to contact at least a first area of the housing proximate to a first end of the cavity to impart a stress to the first area when the sleeve is at the end point;
- and
- a first recess formed in the housing proximate to the first area of the housing, wherein the first recess contains at least one optical sensor for detecting the stress imparted to the first area, wherein the at least one sensor is a fiber Bragg grating oriented perpendicular to an axis along which the sleeve slides in the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.