Wired Pipe Transmission Line With Nested Conduit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wired pipe systems for subterranean drilling and completion operations face challenges in reliably transmitting power and data through threaded connections, as they often experience tensile, compression, and torsional stresses, as well as dynamic accelerations, which can lead to signal disruption and mechanical failure.
Innovation Solution
A wired pipe system with a transmission medium comprising an inner conductor surrounded by insulating material and a fixation element, housed within a tubular outer conductor, which includes a wire channel to provide a stable electrical path and mechanical support, ensuring reliable signal transmission and withstanding downhole stresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a threaded male-female connection is used to transmit power and data through pipe segments, then wired pipe configuration is achieved, but the system experiences tensile, compression, and torsional stresses that lead to signal disruption and mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing the transmission medium (coaxial cable) inside a protective conduit that is integrated within the pipe segment structure. The conduit is nested within the pipe wall, and the transmission medium is nested within the conduit, creating a protected hierarchical structure that shields the electrical path from mechanical stresses while maintaining compact integration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-installing the transmission medium and conduit within the pipe segment during manufacturing, before the pipe is deployed. The conduit is formed as an integral part of the pipe structure, and electrical conductors are pre-positioned and secured within the conduit, ensuring they are protected from stresses before any operational loads are applied
2Adaptability or versatility
If conductors are extended along the length of pipe segments for wired pipe configuration, then power and data transmission is enabled, but the conductors are vulnerable to mechanical stresses and signal disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a conduit as an intermediary protective structure between the electrical conductors and the external mechanical environment. The conduit acts as a mediator that transmits mechanical loads away from the conductors while allowing the conductors to maintain their electrical function, thereby protecting signal integrity under various stress conditions
3Ease of operation
If a threaded connection mechanism is used to couple pipe segments, then additional segments can be connected to form a string, but the connection points become weak points susceptible to mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mechanical connection function with the electrical protection function by integrating the conduit continuity feature into the threaded coupling mechanism. The conduit is designed to extend continuously through the connection interface, merging the structural connection and electrical pathway into a unified system that maintains protection at the joint interface
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a wired pipe transmission line includes: providing an assembly that includes an inner conductor surrounded by an insulating material; attaching a fixation element to the assembly at or near an end thereof; providing a tubular outer conductor; disposing the assembly and the fixation element within the outer conductor; and fixedly attaching the fixation element to the inner portion of the tubular outer conductor.