Snorkel System for Flexible Sensor Placement in Tubular Strings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing downhole sensor systems for measuring fluid properties in wellbore completion processes require complex operations like welding and splicing, and lack flexibility in sensor placement, making them inefficient and difficult to deploy.
Innovation Solution
A snorkel system that allows fluid communication from a sensor to a sensor port in a tubular string, using a collar with a connector for sealed coupling, enabling flexible sensor placement without the need for exact alignment or electrical connections, and allowing sensors to measure both internal and annulus fluid properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sensor installation methods are used, then sensors can measure fluid properties, but complex operations like welding and splicing are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the sensor assembly into separate functional components: sensors mounted on a collar that can be independently installed on the tubular string. This segmentation eliminates the need for complex welding and splicing operations, as each component can be installed separately using simpler connection methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar acts as an intermediary component between the sensors and the tubular string. It provides a standardized interface that simplifies the connection process, eliminating the need for direct welding or splicing of sensors to the tubular, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining measurement reliability.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are placed exactly at specific locations, then measurement accuracy is improved, but flexibility in sensor placement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic adjustment of sensor positions along the tubular string by enabling the collar to be installed at different locations. Sensors can be positioned at optimal points based on measurement requirements without being fixed to specific predetermined locations, thus maintaining both precision and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar design provides a universal mounting interface that can accommodate sensors at various positions along the tubular string. This universal interface allows the same collar structure to be used regardless of sensor placement location, enabling flexible positioning while maintaining consistent measurement quality across different installation scenarios.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sensors are enclosed in a shroud, then sensor protection is improved, but fluid communication to the sensor is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is designed as a protective enclosure that can be made from flexible or porous materials, allowing it to protect the sensor from mechanical damage while still permitting fluid to reach the sensor through the shroud structure. This resolves the contradiction by providing both protection and fluid access simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates fluid channels that route process fluid around or through the shroud to the sensor. These hydraulic pathways ensure that even when the sensor is enclosed for protection, fluid communication is maintained through dedicated flow paths, preserving measurement reliability while providing sensor protection.
Data Source
AI summary
An array of sensors provided on the outside of a tubular string for measuring a property within the tubular string. The array of sensors may include a plurality of connected sensors, wherein at least one of the plurality of connected sensors is at least partially encompassed in a shroud. A snorkel line may extend from the shroud, the snorkel line capable of coupling with a sensor port in a tubular of the tubular string. The snorkel line may establish fluid communication between one of the sensors at least partially encompassed in the shroud and a corresponding sensor port of a tubular in the tubular string.