Intune launches telecom-laser-based oil sensor
The yield of oil and gas wells could be increased by a new instrument that analyzes changes in the properties of laser light transmitted and reflected through an optical fiber strapped to a pipe in a well.
The AltoWave5500, launched by Intune Technologies, is a sensor that performs applications such as temperature and pressure measurements in the oil, gas and civil engineering industries.
John Dunne, CEO of Intune Technologies, explains that oil extraction is often undertaken blindly. “Active electrical sensing is sometimes used, but the combination of high temperatures and dangerous gases mean that it is not suitable for permanent deployment, and it tends to break down.”
Along the fiber, typically at intervals of 100m, are inserted fiber Bragg gratings, each providing reflectance at different wavelengths, and also 20cm lengths of metal. Changes in temperature or pressure around the metal inserts alter the local strain in the fiber, changing the properties of the light transmitted through it.
A semiconductor laser scans from 1528nm to 1568nm in 0.0001nm steps, and examination of the reflected light reveals the local temperature, pressure or strain in the local environment of each sensor.
Dunne explained the advantages the AltoWave5500 system offers over traditional mechanical tuning. “Because the laser is electronically controlled, it can be adjusted to compensate for temperature variations at a much faster rate than the temperature variations can occur,” he said.
“This means that the laser can be controlled very accurately and very quickly over wide temperature ranges. The result is a very accurate system, which is reliable and rugged over a wide temperature range, and can interrogate sensors in real time.”
The AltoWave5500 allows long-term controlled extraction of oil, increasing total output. Dunne believes at least a 5% improvement in yield from oil wells could be achieved, but said: “There are no figures currently in the public domain that reveal the increases in yield associated with using a monitoring system.”
Intune Technologies, founded in 1999 and based in Dublin, Ireland, purchases and integrates optical components and lasers, to produce systems for optical networking, optical sensing and manufacturing applications.
