623 results about "High power lasers" patented technology

There is provided a system, apparatus and methods for the laser drilling of a borehole in the earth. There is further provided with in the systems a means for delivering high power laser energy down a deep borehole, while maintaining the high power to advance such boreholes deep into the earth and at highly efficient advancement rates.

A system and method for performing multispectral imaging locates features of interest in a specimen using a technique known as multiphoton photoacoustic spectroscopy. In this technique, a tunable high-power laser is used to initiate multiphoton excitation events which are then detected as an acoustic signal using a sensor such as an ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer. The transducer signal is processed to form a normalized MPPAS signal intensity which may then be used as a basis for forming a spectral image. Unlike other spectroscopies, MPPAS is able to monitor non-fluorescent species based on non-radiative relaxation of the light-absorbing species in the specimen. In addition, since the majority of energy imparted to the light-absorbing molecules is released through non-radiative pathways, sensitive measurements of even fluorescent molecules can be performed. The system and method may be applied to detect malignant cells in tissue samples although other uses are contemplated.

There is provided a high power laser system for powering a remotely located laser device, such as an ROV, using a high power laser fiber optic tether and a photo-conversion device, such as a laser photovoltaic assembly. Laser device systems, such as ROV systems that utilizes a high power laser cutting and/or cleaning tools are also provided.

An active protection system comprising an ultra wideband (UWB) radar for threat detection, an optical tracker for precision threat position measurement, and a high powered laser for threat kill or mitigation. The UWB radar may use a sparse array antenna and may also utilize Doppler radar information. The high powered laser may be of the optically pumped solid state type and in one embodiment may share optics with the optical tracker. In one embodiment, the UWB radar is used to focus the high power laser. Alternative interceptor type kill mechanisms are disclosed. In a further embodiment, the kill mechanism may be directed to the source of the threat. In a further embodiment, an antenna array is steered by using subarray groups having fixed timing within the group and variable timing from group to group.

Apparatus and methods of using lasers are provided for the perforation of oil and gas well casings and rock formations. A rock removal process called laser spallation is provided that utilizes a combination of laser-induced thermal stress and laser induced superheated steam explosions just below the surface of the laser/rock interaction to spall or fracture the rock into small fragments that can then be easily removed from the rock formation. The use of high power laser beams of kilowatt level is provided to rapidly cut the steel casings and perforate into the formation. Techniques of the invention increase permeability and reduce hole tapering while perforating a deep hole in reservoir rock formations.

There is provided a system and apparatus for the transmission of high power laser energy over great distances without substantial power loss and without the presence of stimulated Raman scattering. There is further provided systems and optical fiber cable configurations and optical fiber structures for the delivering high power laser energy over great distances to a tool or surface to perform an operation or work with the tool or upon the surface.

A laser utilizes a cavity design which allows the stable generation of high peak power pulses from mode-locked multi-mode fiber lasers, greatly extending the peak power limits of conventional mode-locked single-mode fiber lasers. Mode-locking may be induced by insertion of a saturable absorber into the cavity and by inserting one or more mode-filters to ensure the oscillation of the fundamental mode in the multi-mode fiber. The probability of damage of the absorber may be minimized by the insertion of an additional semiconductor optical power limiter into the cavity. To amplify and compress optical pulses in a multi-mode (MM) optical fiber, a single-mode is launched into the MM fiber by matching the modal profile of the fundamental mode of the MM fiber with a diffraction-limited optical mode at the launch end, The fundamental mode is preserved in the MM fiber by minimizing mode-coupling by using relatively short lengths of step-index MM fibers with a few hundred modes and by minimizing fiber perturbations. Doping is confined to the center of the fiber core to preferentially amplify the fundamental mode, to reduce amplified spontaneous emission and to allow gain-guiding of the fundamental mode. Gain-guiding allows for the design of systems with length-dependent and power-dependent diameters of the fundamental mode. To allow pumping with high-power laser diodes, a double-clad amplifier structure is employed. For applications in nonlinear pulse-compression, self phase modulation and dispersion in the optical fibers can be exploited. High-power optical pulses may be linearly compressed using bulk optics dispersive delay lines or by chirped fiber Bragg gratings written directly into the SM or MM optical fiber. High-power cw lasers operating in a single near-diffraction-limited mode may be constructed from MM fibers by incorporating effective mode-filters into the laser cavity. Regenerative fiber amplifiers may be constructed from MM fibers by careful control of the recirculating mode. Higher-power Q-switched fiber lasers may be constructed by exploiting the large energy stored in MM fiber amplifiers.

An all-fiber combiner device is described for combining multiple high power inputs, such as high power laser inputs. The device includes a first tapered fiber section made from fibers that allow for efficient size reduction of the optical signals. The output of the first tapered fiber section may then be coupled to a multimode output fiber for delivery of the combined power beam. Alternately, the first tapered section can be coupled to a second, multimode, tapered section, which provides further size reduction of the core for splicing into a final output fiber, while adding cladding to the main fiber.

A plurality of optical communications systems including a SPW modulator are described. The communications systems include an optical transmitter coupled to an optical fiber communications link which carries a optically modulated information signal to an optical receiver. The laser transmitter includes a laser light source which is optically coupled to a SPW modulator which has been particularly adapted for broadband communications by selecting its transfer characteristic and modulation structure. A broadband signal containing a plurality of information channels, for example CATV channels, is applied to it modulator electrodes. The modulation signal varies the power coupling between the guided laser light source signal and a SPW in the modulator. The result is an intensity modulated optical signal that is output to the optical fiber for transmission to the optical receiver of the system. Alternatively, the communications system includes a high power laser coupled to an optical splitter to divide its output power in two or more optical source outputs. Each optical source output is then used to drive an associated SPW modulator. Each of the modulators receives a broadband signal with which to modulate its optical source. After modulation, the modulated lightwave from a modulator is coupled to a corresponding optical fiber for carriage to an optical receiver. In this manner, several broadband information signals can be communicated over the system using only one laser source. A net benefit from using one higher power laser, rather than several lower power ones, is one of cost, purity and similarity of the several signals. This configuration is enhanced by the lower loss and higher linearity of the SPW modulators. Further, several WDM embodiments including those having serially cascaded SPW modulators are provided. The transfer characteristic of the SPW modulators are tailored to either be more efficient for an analog or a digital modulation signal by adding or subtracting grating effects.

There is provided a high power shear laser module, which can be readily included in a blowout preventer stack. The shear laser module as the capability of delivering high power laser energy to a tubular within a blowout preventer cavity, cutting the tubular and thus reducing the likelihood that the tubular will inhibit the ability of the blowout preventer to seal off a well.

There is provided a system, apparatus and methods for delivering high power laser energy to advance a borehole deep into the earth using laser energy. In particular, there is provided a laser bottom hole assembly (LBHA) for the delivery of such laser energy to the surfaces of a borehole, which assembly may have laser optics, a fluid path for debris removal and a mechanical means to remove earth.

There is provided a system, apparatus and methods for providing a laser beam to borehole surface in a predetermined and energy deposition profile. The predetermined energy deposition profiles may be uniform or tailored to specific downhole applications. Optic assemblies for obtaining these predetermined energy deposition profiles are further provided.

There is provided a high power laser tool system for transmitting and delivering high power laser energy within the interior of pipes, which includes a high power laser-pig and long distance high power optical tether. The high power laser system performs high power laser pigging operations and other operations, such as, cleaning, assembling, maintaining and monitoring of pipelines.

There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than 1 kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.

A downhole laser tool for penetrating a hydrocarbon bearing formation includes a laser surface unit to generate a high power laser beam, a fiber optic cable to conduct the high power laser beam from the laser surface unit to a rotational system that has a rotational head which includes a focusing system and a downhole laser tool head, the focusing system includes a beam manipulator, a focused lens, and a collimator, the downhole laser tool head includes a first cover lens to protect the focusing system, a laser muzzle to discharge the collimated laser beam from the downhole laser tool head into the hydrocarbon bearing formation, a fluid knife to sweep the first cover lens, a purging nozzle to remove dust from the path of the collimated laser beam, a vacuum nozzle to collect dust and vapor from the path of the collimated laser beam.

There is provided a high power laser-riser blowout preventer package and laser module for use with a subsea riser. The laser module and laser-riser package use high power laser energy to quickly cut the riser permitting an offshore drilling rig to quickly, and in a controlled manner disconnect from a blowout preventer.

Power scalable, rectangular, multi-mode, self-imaging, waveguide technologies are used with various combination of large aperture configurations, 20, 50, 80, 322, 324, 326, 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338, Gaussian 360 and super-Gaussian 350 beam profiles, thermal management configurations 100, flared 240 and tapered 161 waveguide shapes, axial or zig-zag light propagation paths, diffractive wall couplers 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320 and phase controller 200, flexibility 210, phased arrays 450, 490, beam combiners 530, 530′, and separators 344, 430, and other features to generate, transport, and deliver high power laser beams.

An apparatus, method and associated fiber-laser architectures for high-power pulsed operation and pumping wavelength-conversion devices. Some embodiments generate blue laser light by frequency quadrupling infrared (IR) light from Tm-doped gain fiber using non-linear wavelength conversion. Some embodiments use a fiber MOPA configuration to amplify a seed signal from a semiconductor laser or ring fiber laser. Some embodiments use the frequency-quadrupled blue light for underwater communications, imaging, and/or object and anomaly detection. Some embodiments amplitude modulate the IR seed signal to encode communication data sent to or from a submarine once the modulated light has its wavelength quartered. Other embodiments transmit blue-light pulses in a scanned pattern and detect scattered light to measure distances to objects in a raster-scanned underwater volume, which in turn are used to generate a data structure representing a three-dimensional rendition of the underwater scene being imaged for viewing by a person or for other software analysis.

A fiber laser cavity that provides a new pulse shaping and spectral shaping technique is disclosed in this invention to achieve the purpose of resolving the difficulties arising from the issues related to Q-switched solid state lasers. The laser system achieves high repetition rate (1 kHz-100 kHz) and high pulse-to-pulse energy stability with small timing jitter of the laser pulses and scalable to the Joule pulse energy level. The laser system of this invention employs new approach with a hybrid fiber/waveguide master Oscillator-High Power Amplifier (MOPA) laser system in combination with the pulse shaping technology that allows not only to scale the fiber laser pulse energy to the multi-Joule level with high pulse-to-pulse energy stability but also achieve precise control of laser pulse timing jitter in a scale of <100 ps that is at least 5 to 10 time more accurate than for Q-switched systems where the same parameter reaches 500-1000 ps range.

The invention discloses a laser-induction hybrid melting direct forming method and device. The laser-induction hybrid melting direct forming method comprises the following steps of: generating a three-dimensional model of a part through CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, and then slicing the three-dimensional model and generating a G code to drive a numerical control system and a base body to move; and melting synchronously fed metal or metal/ceramic hybrid powder through a high-power laser beam and an induction heat source, and depositing the three-dimensional part in a designed shape layer by layer, wherein a temperature controller is used for monitoring and controlling the temperature of the base body in the processing process. The device for realizing the laser-induction hybrid melting direct forming method comprises a laser, a light path system, an induction heating and temperature control system, a powder feed system and the numerical control system. The device can be used for directly generating large and medium size three-dimensional parts on various metal base bodies, has the advantages of high processing efficiency, compact part structure, fine crystalline grain, excellent mechanical property, less residual stress without deformation or cracking phenomenon, high processing flexibility without tools and moulds, high material utilization ratio, cleanness without pollution and capability of designing the components of a metal-ceramic hybrid layer as required and even changing the components in a gradient manner.

The invention discloses a method for preparing a Ti-based composite with high adaptability on a Ti-alloy surface, which pertains to the field of surface modification of metallic materials. The method comprises such procedures as: weighing by certain proportion spherical Ti alloy powder particles in proper particle sizes (45-150 micro meter) and TiB2, Cr3C2, TiC or B4C powder particles (3.4-30vol%, particle size 38-106 micrometer); mixing the powder evenly by a mechanical way; sending at the set powder-feeding rate the mixed powder by a powder feeder and coaxial powder-feeding nozzles into a molten bath formed by a high-power laser at the surface of a Ti-alloy substrate; the mixed powder carrying out in-situ reaction by the high temperature from the molten bath, and forming such steady and dispersion reinforced phases as in-situ self-grown TiC or TiB. The reinforced phases are featured by small particle size, steady thermal and mechanical properties, free pollution in interfaces, and high bond strength with the substrate. The method can substantially improve the hardness and wear resistance of Ti alloy surfaces, guarantees the high adaptability between the surface modified layer and the substrate, can be used for repairing and surface reinforcing treatment of Ti alloy parts bearing impact vibration load and thermal fatigue, etc.

Optical pump modules using VCSEL arrays are provided to pump optical gain media for achieving high power laser output in CW, QCW and pulse operation modes for operation. Low divergence and symmetric far-field emission from VCSELs are particularly suitable for compact arrays. VCSEL arrays configured as laser pump modules are operable at high temperatures with practically no degradation over a long period of time. VCSEL pump modules are adaptable for side- or end-pumping configurations to pump high power lasers in CW, QCW and pulse mode. Power output from VCSEL pump modules is scalable. Incorporating microlens arrays with the VCSEL arrays improve brightness of the pump modules. High power and high temperature operation of VCSEL modules make it suitable for making compact high power solid state lasers that are operable in small spaces such as, ignition of internal combustion engines, stationary power generation engines and pulsed detonation engines.

There is provided systems, methods and apparatus for the use of directed energy, including high power laser energy, in conjunction with mechanical shearing, sealing and closing devices to provide reduced mechanical energy well control systems and techniques.

The invention relates to laser cutting, using multiple laser beams directed to a processing region. At least one first laser beam (2) is coupled into the work piece (1) material to generate a melt (5) and to form a keyhole (3). At least one second beam (6) is guided onto selected surface regions (7) of the melt (5). The laser energy is provided to the processing region as individual beams that may be conditioned independently. The invention has the advantage that arbitrary energy distributions can be arranged in the processing region as determined according to the requirements of the laser cutting process, rather than being limited by an inappropriate beam shape of a single high power laser beam.

This inventive high power diode laser driver is used for driving high power diode laser or diode laser array and providing complete protective units, with its kernel part of voltage controlled current source. The circuit board of the voltage controlled current source consistes of: a voltage reference circuit (1), current-limiting circuit (2), soft starting circuit (3), anti-surge circuit (4), modulation input circuit (5), feed-back control circuit (6) and current driving circuit (7). This inventive negative feedback principle stable output current can provide: constant current driving mode (CCD mode) and constant power driving mode (CPD mode), which CCD mode can preset precisely the working current and limiting current of LD with long duration stability of 38ppm, and which CPD mode can automatically regulate output current to ensure constant power working of LD, and said (2) and (3) provides safety driving of LD.

The invention discloses a laser combined machining and profile modification method of a micro deep borehole without a recast layer. The method of the invention includes the following steps: first, a micro deep cooling borehole of a turbine blade is roughly machined by high power laser or electric sparks, and the like; the allowance for finish of the aperture is more than the thickness of the recast layer produced by using the machining method; and femtosecond laser is used for the secondary finish machining and profile modification of the micro deep cooling borehole; while femtosecond impulse laser is used for performing the finish machining and profile modification of the primarily machined micro deep borehole, under the precondition of guaranteeing the laser energy acting with the recast layer of a workpiece is higher than the ablation threshold of the material, a light beam is inclined for certain angle according to the spiral drilling mode; and the recast layer of the internal wall of the borehole is machined to remove erosion and profile modification by combining the method of lengthening the focal depth by a long focus lens. The concept of the combined machining method and the specific machining technology are used for solving the high-efficiency and high-precision machining problems of micro deep borehole groups of turbine blades.

Array comprising high power laser diode comprising laser light emitters, each defining, in a direction perpendicular to direction of propagation of an output laser beam, a fast axis and a slow axis; fast axis collimating means for collimating output laser beams in fast axis direction; and slow axis beam shaping means for collimating or focussing output laser beams in slow axis direction, said slow axis beam shaping means disposed external to said high power laser diode; wherein said laser light emitters are displaced relative to each other in fast axis direction or in fast and slow axis direction by equidistant spacings, respectively; and including optical means for forming output laser beam profile in far field of all laser light emitters consisting of said fast and slow axis collimated or focussed output laser beams arranged adjacently in seamless manner in one or two dimensions with optical fill factor of about 100%.

A multimode optical fiber having a first laser bandwidth greater than 220 MHz.km in the 850 nm window, a second laser bandwidth greater than 500 MHz.km in the 1300 nm window, a first OFL bandwidth of at least 160 MHz.km in the 850 nm window, and a second OFL bandwidth of at least 500 MHz.km in the 1300 nm window is disclosed. The multimode fiber is capable of operating in telecommunication systems employing both LED power sources and high power laser sources. Methods of making and testing the multimode optical fiber are also disclosed.

The invention discloses a light path collimation integrated device and method for a high-power laser device. A transmission grating engraved with references is put near to the small-hole face of a space filter; the transmission grating is irradiated by parallel non-coherent illumination lights produced by a light emitting diode and an illumination collimation lens at a specific angle; a sampling light path is put in a direction of first-stage diffraction light of the transmission grating so as to form a light beam information monitor; the light beam information monitor simultaneously acquiresinformation of a near field and a far field of a light beam; the output of the light beam information monitor is connected to a computer; deviation values of the near field and far field of the lightbeam relative to the respective set positions are determined through an image processing technology; and a corresponding near field adjusting device and a corresponding far field adjusting device areselected according to the respective deviation values so as to adjust light path collimation. The light path collimation integrated device has the characteristics of integration, modularization, simple structure and high precision, and can meet a monitoring requirement of the high-power laser device on large-aperture light beam collimation.

Bi-directional laser communications system comprising a first transceiver and a second transceiver for establishing two optical channels there between. The first transceiver comprises a first transmitter with a pulsed high-power laser source for transmitting a pulsed beacon laser signal into a first of said optical channels. The second transceiver comprises a receiver with an optical antenna for receiving said pulsed beacon laser signal, said second transceiver and/or a receiving optic of said second transceiver being adjustable so that it can be adjusted with respect to said pulsed beacon laser signal. The second transceiver further comprises a second transmitter with a laser for transmitting a high energy laser signal into a second of said optical channels, and means for a separation of said first optical channel and said second optical channel. These means prevent the high energy laser signals from being transmitted into said second optical channel whenever said pulsed beacon laser signal is expected to arrive through said first optical channel.