Fluid-Immersion Microsystem Packaging for Density and Pressure Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microsystems deployed in harsh fluid environments, such as wellbores, face challenges in withstanding caustic conditions and efficiently sensing and recording environmental parameters like pressure, temperature, and magnetic fields while maintaining structural integrity and minimizing disruption.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous microsystem with a deformable polymeric shell and hollow filler particles, equipped with a wireless power transfer circuit and a flexible pouch, is designed to control density and withstand extreme conditions, allowing for efficient data logging and power management in fluid environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the microsystem uses a rigid encapsulating package to withstand high pressure and temperature, then structural integrity is improved, but the ability to sense and transmit pressure data is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a deformable shell made of elastomeric material that can withstand high pressure and temperature while deforming to transmit pressure changes to the sensing elements. This flexible shell resolves the contradiction by providing structural integrity through material selection (resisting harsh environments) while maintaining pressure sensitivity through controlled deformability.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system uses composite construction combining deformable elastomeric shell with internal support structures and filler particles. This composite approach allows the outer shell to resist chemical corrosion and high temperature while the internal structure manages mechanical strength and pressure transmission, resolving the contradiction between durability and sensing capability.
2Measurement precision
If the microsystem uses a deformable shell to transmit pressure data, then pressure sensing is improved, but the ability to withstand extreme pressure and temperature is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable shell is constructed from elastomeric materials selected for their ability to withstand high temperature and pressure while maintaining flexibility. The material composition and thickness are optimized to survive extreme downhole conditions while transmitting pressure deformations to the sensors, resolving the contradiction between deformability and environmental resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates filler particles within the packaging system that act as cushioning elements to distribute and absorb extreme pressure loads before they reach the electronics and sensing elements. This pre-cushioning approach allows the deformable shell to transmit pressure changes while the filler particles protect internal components from damage during extreme pressure events.
3Reliability
If the microsystem uses conventional packaging to protect electronics, then environmental protection is improved, but density control and fluid compatibility are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the density parameter of the packaging system by incorporating filler particles with specific density characteristics. This allows the overall microsystem density to be matched to the surrounding fluid, enabling neutral buoyancy and free-flowing behavior in vertical wells. The filler particles are selected to provide the required density adjustment while maintaining environmental protection for the electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system uses composite construction combining protective elastomeric shell with internal filler particles and support structures. This composite approach simultaneously achieves environmental protection for electronics, density control for fluid compatibility, and mechanical strength for withstanding extreme conditions, resolving the contradiction between protection and adaptability.
4Reliability
If the microsystem uses heavy shielding to protect against caustic wellbore fluids, then chemical resistance is improved, but pressure and temperature sensing is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin-walled deformable shells made of chemically resistant elastomeric materials that provide adequate chemical protection without the thickness required for rigid metal shielding. These thin flexible walls maintain chemical resistance while allowing pressure deformations to transmit to the sensing elements, resolving the contradiction between chemical protection and sensing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system employs composite construction where the outer shell provides chemical resistance through elastomeric material selection, while internal structures and filler particles provide mechanical support and pressure transmission. This composite approach achieves chemical resistance equivalent to heavy shielding without the weight and stiffness that would degrade sensing capability.
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 microsystem effectively senses and records environmental conditions in high-pressure and high-temperature environments, ensuring durability and efficient data transmission while reducing operational costs and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of filler particles disposed in the internal space and configured to control a density of the autonomous microsystem in relation to the fluid
Implementation Method 2
The electronics can include a wireless power transfer circuit that can be configured to receive electrical power wirelessly from an external power source
Data Source
AI summary
In various aspects, the present disclosure provides an example autonomous microsystem for immersion into a fluid. The autonomous microsystem includes electronics, a power source, and a packaging system that surrounds the electronics and the power source. The electronics can be configured to sense and record one or more environmental conditions. The packaging system may include a deformable shell that defines an internal space and a plurality of filler particles disposed in the internal space and configured to control a density of the autonomous microsystem in relation to the fluid. The filler particles may comprise a low-density material having a bulk density greater than or equal to about 100 kg/m3 and less than or equal to about 1,000 kg/m3 and have a packing density greater than or equal to about 1011/m3 and less than or equal to about 1021/m3.