Flexible Collar Acoustic Sensor Linear Arrangement

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional acoustic sensors used in downhole environments are inflexible and prone to fatigue and breakage due to extreme forces, making them unsuitable for capturing high-resolution data and withstanding severe alternating loads.

Innovation Solution

The acoustic sensor system is designed with a linear arrangement of components, including an electrical connector, transducer, and fluid compensating piston, housed in a flexible collar that can bend up to 20 degrees, allowing for high-resolution data capture and withstanding extreme environmental conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional acoustic sensors are used in downhole environments, then they can capture acoustic data, but they become inflexible and prone to fatigue and breakage due to extreme forces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensor durabilityVSAvoidflexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a flexible collar housing that can bend up to 20 degrees to accommodate extreme downhole forces while protecting the acoustic sensor components. This flexible shell allows the device to adapt to bending and buckling conditions without breaking, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and flexibility by providing structural adaptability while maintaining component integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from rigid conventional housings to a dynamic flexible collar that can bend and flex in response to extreme forces. This dynamic structure allows the device to adapt its shape and flexibility based on environmental conditions while maintaining sensor functionality, resolving the contradiction by making the housing adaptable rather than static

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Volume of stationary object

If conventional acoustic sensors are arranged in traditional configurations, then they can be housed in conventional shells, but the shell becomes too large and bulky requiring components to be stacked upon one another

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehousing sizeVSAvoidcomponent arrangement

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent arranges acoustic sensor components in a linear configuration along the longitudinal axis of the collar rather than stacking them radially. This dimensional reorganization allows components to be distributed along the length of the flexible collar, reducing the radial footprint and overall bulk of the housing while simplifying the component arrangement structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent divides the acoustic sensor system into discrete modular components (electrical connector, transducer, fluid compensating piston) that are arranged linearly and can be independently positioned along the collar. This segmentation allows for optimized space utilization and simplifies the overall device complexity by enabling flexible component layout rather than rigid stacking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If conventional acoustic sensors are used, then they can be housed in standard shells, but the components suffer from fatigue, weaken, and break as a result of extreme forces causing bending, buckling, and deforming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent strengthVSAvoidextreme forces

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible collar housing acts as a protective shell that can bend and flex under extreme forces without transmitting excessive stress to the internal components. This flexible protection absorbs and distributes the harmful effects of bending and buckling forces, maintaining component strength while withstanding extreme downhole environmental conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates a fluid compensating piston system that provides cushioning and pressure compensation to protect components from extreme forces before they can cause damage. This preemptive protection mechanism compensates for pressure changes and extreme forces, preventing fatigue and breakage by cushioning the components against harmful environmental factors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 system enables the capture of high-resolution visual scans in downhole environments, capable of handling 20 G of vibration and 1000 G of shock loads, while maintaining the integrity of the sensor components.

Implementation Method 1

at least one transducer connected to the electrical connector... the transducer facilitates image processing of data captured by the acoustic sensor system

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAcoustic transduction:

Data Source

PatentUS11525350B2Acoustic sensor systems and methods

Publication Date: 2022.12.13 HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES INC

AI summary

Disclosed is an acoustic sensor system comprising an electrical connector, at least one transducer connected to the electrical connector, a fluid compensating piston connected to the electrical connector, a housing having the electrical connector, the at least one transducer, and the fluid compensating piston arranged in a linear arrangement, and a collar having the housing mounted along an interior surface of the collar.