Ultrasound Data Compression for Fluid Conduit Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasound tools for inspecting fluid-carrying conduits, such as oil and water wells, generate vast amounts of data that are difficult to transmit and store effectively, requiring compression to facilitate real-time monitoring and visualization.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that deploy an ultrasound imaging device with a radial array of transducers, applying demodulation, spatial conversion, and video compression to create low-bandwidth images for real-time monitoring and high-bandwidth images for storage, using techniques like AVC, HEVC, or VP9, while determining the speed of sound to optimize spatial conversion and companding for efficient data processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ultrasound imaging data is captured continuously through the conduit, then image quality and diagnostic capability are improved, but data transmission time and storage requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential imaging information from the raw ultrasound data by applying demodulation to retrieve envelope signals and implementing video compression algorithms. This extraction process separates the critical diagnostic content from the voluminous raw data, enabling efficient transmission while preserving image quality for real-time monitoring applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the data representation parameters by converting raw ultrasound signals through demodulation to envelope signals, then applying spatial conversion to map temporal dimensions to spatial dimensions. These parameter changes reduce the data dimensionality and redundancy, allowing high-quality images to be transmitted with reduced bandwidth requirements.
2Loss of information
If raw ultrasound data is transmitted to the surface computer, then complete data availability is improved, but transmission bandwidth requirements and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing actions at the imaging device itself by applying demodulation, spatial conversion, and video compression before data transmission. This preliminary action reduces the data volume and complexity that needs to be transmitted and processed at the surface computer, while still providing complete diagnostic information for real-time monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage between data capture and transmission that applies video compression algorithms (such as H.264 or H.265). This intermediary step acts as a mediator that preserves the essential diagnostic information while significantly reducing the data volume, thereby balancing data availability with reduced processing and transmission requirements.
3Productivity
If data is compressed using video compression algorithms, then transmission efficiency is improved, but computational requirements for compression increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the computational workload by performing demodulation and spatial conversion as separate preliminary steps before applying video compression. This segmentation allows the system to optimize each processing stage independently, reducing the overall computational energy requirement while maintaining high transmission efficiency through effective video compression algorithms.
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
Enables efficient data compression and visualization of fluid conduits, allowing for real-time monitoring and subsequent detailed imaging over long distances, reducing data transmission time and storage requirements while maintaining image quality.
Implementation Method 1
ultrasound imaging device with a radial array of transducers
Implementation Method 2
capturing cross-sectional slices of the conduit
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method used to image cylindrical fluid conduits, such as pipes, wellbores and tubulars, with ultrasound transducers then compress that data for storage or visualization. The compressed images may be stored on the tool and/or transmitted over telemetry, enabling the device to inspect and record long pipes or wells in high resolution on a single trip. This allow the ultrasound imaging tool to record much longer wells in higher resolution than would otherwise be possible. An outward-facing radial array of ultrasound transducers captures cross-sectional slices of the conduit to create frames from scan lines. The frames are compressed by applying a demodulation process and spatial conversion process to the scan lines. Video compression is applied to the to the demodulated, spatially converted ultrasound images to return compressed images.