Segmented Metallic Profiles for Optical Fiber Cable Enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical fibers used in oil and gas wellbore wireline cables are vulnerable to damage from hydrogen exposure, mechanical stress, and hydrolytic attack, and encasing them in solid metallic tubes is expensive, prone to pinholes, and lacks flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A cable component with shaped profiles that form an enclosure for the optical fiber, using conductive or polymeric materials, and an insulation layer to protect the fiber, with complementary mating ends to prevent separation under radial forces, reducing the need for thick, inflexible metallic tubes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If optical fibers are encased in solid metallic tubes, then protection from hydrogen exposure and mechanical stress is improved, but cost increases, manufacturing complexity increases, and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic tube is divided into multiple separate metallic profiles (e.g., semi-circular or U-shaped sections) that are positioned around the optical fiber. These segmented profiles are then joined together using welding or other joining methods to form a complete enclosure. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing compared to creating and welding a complete tube, while still providing the protective enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses thin metallic profiles instead of thick solid metallic tubes. These thin-walled profiles provide the necessary protection against hydrogen exposure and mechanical stress while maintaining flexibility and reducing manufacturing complexity. The thin-walled construction allows the cable to bend and flex more easily compared to thick-walled metallic tubes.
2Strength
If solid metallic tubes are made thick to prevent collapse under torque, then structural strength is improved, but space within the cable core is reduced and flexibility is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The use of multiple separate metallic profiles positioned around the optical fiber creates a structured enclosure that provides structural strength against torque and collapse. The segmented design with proper spacing and joining allows the structure to resist radial forces while maintaining a compact overall configuration that maximizes the space available for the optical fiber within the cable core.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines metallic profiles with insulation layers and other protective materials to create a composite structure. This composite construction provides the necessary mechanical strength and torque resistance while using materials efficiently to maximize the space available for the optical fiber, avoiding the need for excessively thick single-material walls.
3Reliability
If solid metallic tubes are used to encase optical fibers, then protection from hydrolytic attack is improved, but the tube must be excessively thick which reduces cable flexibility and increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses thin-walled metallic profiles instead of thick solid metallic tubes to encase the optical fiber. These thin-walled profiles provide the necessary protection from hydrolytic attack while maintaining cable flexibility. The thin-walled construction allows the cable to bend and flex more easily, improving ease of operation during installation and use.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite construction by combining metallic profiles with insulation layers and other protective materials. This composite structure provides effective protection from hydrolytic attack through the combination of materials, while avoiding the need for excessively thick single-material walls that would reduce cable flexibility.
4Length of moving object
If metallic tubes are welded end-to-end to create sufficient cable length, then cable length is achieved, but pinholes are created that are difficult to detect and welding gases can deteriorate the optical fibers
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic enclosure is constructed from multiple separate profiles that are joined together using welding or other joining methods. This segmented approach allows for modular assembly and reduces the need for extensive end-to-end welding of long tubes. The joining of profiles at discrete locations minimizes the creation of pinholes and trapping of welding gases compared to welding entire tube lengths end-to-end.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the optical fiber from the interior space during the profiling and joining process, allowing the metallic profiles to be formed and joined around the fiber without trapping welding gases inside the enclosure. This extraction approach prevents gas entrapment and pinhole formation that would occur if welding were performed on enclosed tubes containing the fiber.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable component is provided that includes at least one optical fiber; and a two shaped profiles having inner and outer surfaces such that the inner surfaces combine to from an enclosure for the at least one optical fiber, wherein a first of the two shaped profiles has a cross sectional arc that is greater than a cross sectional arc of a second of the two shaped profiles.