Downhole Leak Detection via Virtual Sensor Triangulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current leak detection methods in wellbore environments, particularly those using multiple sensors, face challenges such as high deployment costs, impracticality in certain environments, and potential sensor malfunctions, leading to inaccurate leak location identification.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a single physical sensor deployed along a retractable string, which performs frame decomposition to generate virtual sensors at various locations, allowing for triangulation of leak location through spatial spectrum analysis and beamforming techniques, thereby enhancing leak detection accuracy without the need for multiple sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed in a sensor array to improve leak detection accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and deployment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of the single physical sensor by processing signals at different time instances. The virtual sensor array is generated through mathematical operations on the physical sensor's output, allowing multiple virtual sensors to function as if they were physically present without actually deploying multiple sensors. This resolves the contradiction by achieving multi-sensor measurement precision through signal processing rather than physical multiplication of sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical system of multiple actual sensors with a computational system. Instead of physically deploying multiple sensors and comparing their outputs, the system uses a single physical sensor and substitutes the mechanical multi-sensor arrangement with mathematical signal processing operations that generate virtual sensor readings, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed to obtain accurate leak information, then measurement precision is improved, but deployment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent generates virtual copies of sensors through signal processing, eliminating the need to manufacture, deploy, and maintain multiple physical sensors. The virtual sensor array is created computationally from the output of a single physical sensor, thereby achieving accurate leak detection without the proportional increase in deployment costs that would result from installing multiple physical sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a single durable physical sensor instead of multiple expensive physical sensors. The virtual sensors are computational constructs that have no physical cost to manufacture or deploy. This approach replaces expensive physical multi-sensor deployments with a single sensor plus computational processing, significantly reducing deployment costs while maintaining measurement precision.
3Device complexity
If a single physical sensor is used to reduce costs and complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for using a single physical sensor by creating multiple virtual sensor copies through signal processing. The virtual sensor array is generated by processing the physical sensor's output at different time instances and applying mathematical operations that simulate what multiple physical sensors would have measured. This allows the system to maintain measurement precision equivalent to multiple physical sensors while using only one actual sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary signal processing operations on the data collected by the single physical sensor to generate virtual sensor readings before final leak location determination. By pre-processing the signals to create virtual sensor outputs, the system recovers the measurement precision that would normally require multiple physical sensors, thereby resolving the precision deterioration issue while maintaining device simplicity.
4Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed to improve leak detection, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability decreases due to potential sensor malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual sensor copies that are computational constructs rather than physical devices. Since these virtual sensors are generated through mathematical processing of a single physical sensor's output, they cannot suffer from physical malfunctions, degradation, or failures. This eliminates the reliability issue associated with multiple physical sensors while maintaining the measurement precision benefits of having multiple sensor perspectives.
Solution Approach 2:
The single physical sensor serves multiple functions simultaneously - it provides the raw measurement data and, through signal processing, generates the equivalent information that multiple physical sensors would have provided. The system uses the single sensor's output to create virtual sensor readings that are self-consistent and free from the malfunction issues that plague physical sensor arrays, thereby improving reliability while maintaining precision.
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
This approach provides precise leak location estimation with reduced costs and improved accuracy by leveraging virtual sensors and beamforming methods, effectively overcoming the limitations of traditional multi-sensor arrays.
Implementation Method 1
obtain a direction of arrival estimate... triangulate the first direction of arrival estimate and the second direction of arrival estimate
Implementation Method 2
perform a first frame decomposition operation on a first set of physical signals... to obtain a first plurality of virtual signals associated with a first array of virtual sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes obtaining physical signals detected by a physical sensor traveling along a wellbore. The method also includes performing a first and second frame decomposition operations on a first and second set of physical signals detected by the physical sensor at first and second locations to obtain first and second pluralities of virtual signals associated with first and second arrays of virtual sensors. Each virtual sensor of the first and second arrays of virtual sensors is located at a virtual distance relative to the first and second locations, and the virtual distance corresponds to a physical distance. Additionally, the method includes computing first and second direction of arrival estimates of the first and second locations of the single physical sensor relative to a location of a downhole leak. Further, the method includes triangulating the first and second direction of arrival estimates to estimate the location of the downhole leak.