Compacted Conductor Electromechanical Cable for Low Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electromechanical cables used in oil and gas well logging suffer from high electrical resistance, leading to significant power loss due to heat dissipation, which limits the power delivered to down-hole tools and increases cable weight, making them inefficient and hazardous during extended use.
Innovation Solution
A high-power low-resistance electromechanical cable design featuring a conductor core with multiple copper wires surrounded by an insulating jacket and wrapped with synthetic or steel strength members, utilizing materials like ETFE and PTFE for reduced resistance and weight, and incorporating a compacted wire configuration to minimize voids and enhance conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the diameter of the conductor is increased to reduce electrical resistance, then power transfer capability is improved, but cable weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining copper conductors with aluminum conductors in a single cable assembly. The copper sections provide low electrical resistance for high current capacity, while the aluminum sections provide lighter weight. This composite structure resolves the contradiction between reducing electrical resistance (by using thicker copper) and reducing cable weight (by using lighter aluminum), allowing the cable to achieve both low resistance and reduced weight simultaneously.
2Loss of energy
If the diameter of the conductor is increased to reduce electrical resistance, then power transfer capability is improved, but the cable becomes harder to transport and install
Solution Approach 1:
The composite copper-aluminum conductor structure allows the cable to achieve high power transfer capability through copper sections while maintaining lighter overall weight through aluminum sections. This reduces the physical burden during transport and installation, making the cable easier to handle despite its enhanced power capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is segmented into multiple conductors of different materials (copper and aluminum) rather than using a single solid thick conductor. This segmentation allows the cable to achieve the electrical performance of a thick conductor while maintaining a more manageable structure that is easier to transport and install.
3Power
If high current is transmitted through the cable to deliver more power, then down-hole tool power supply is improved, but heat generation increases causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite copper and aluminum conductors where copper sections handle high current transmission with low resistance, minimizing I²R heat generation. The aluminum sections provide additional current capacity with lighter weight. This composite structure enables high power delivery to down-hole tools while controlling heat generation, preventing the temperature rise that would otherwise occur with single-material high-current cables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from a single material to a composite of copper and aluminum, each with different electrical and thermal properties. This parameter change allows optimization of both power delivery capability and heat generation characteristics, enabling high current transmission while maintaining safer operating temperatures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The cable effectively reduces electrical resistance and weight, enabling higher power transfer with reduced heat generation, enhancing efficiency and safety by maintaining lower operating temperatures and reducing the energy demands on tractor devices used in horizontal drilling.
Implementation Method 1
The amount of electric current transmitted through the electromechanical cable that is actually received by the down-hole tools is dependent upon many factors, including the conductivity of the material
Implementation Method 2
an electromechanical cable loses electrical energy through heat dissipation generated by the resistive effect of the copper conductors
Data Source
AI summary
A high-power low-resistance electromechanical cable constructed of a conductor core comprising a plurality of conductors surrounded by an outer insulating jacket. Each conductor has a center conductor element surrounded by a plurality of copper wires, wherein the plurality of copper wires is compacted to have a non-circular cross-section. The center conducting element may be one of a fiber optic strand, a copper wire having an indented outer surface, or a twisted conductor pair. Each conductor also includes a conductor insulating jacket encapsulating the plurality of copper wires and center conducting element. A first armoring layer of a plurality of strength members is wrapped around the outer insulating jacket. A second armoring layer of a plurality of strength members may also be wrapped around the first layer. A polymer jacket layer may encapsulate the first and/or second armoring layers of strength members.