Laser induced graphene coated optical fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865604-B2
Application number	US-201616315990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include an optical fiber having a graphene coating, a method to apply a graphene coating onto an optical fiber, and a fiber optic cable having a graphene coating. In one embodiment, the optical fiber includes an optical core that extends along a longitudinal axis. The optical fiber also includes a carbon based coating that covers the optical core along the longitudinal axis. The optical fiber also includes a layer of graphene formed on a first surface of the carbon based coating. The layer of graphene is formed from a laser induction process that includes focusing a laser beam at the carbon based coating to photothermally convert the first surface of the carbon based coating into graphene.

First claim

We claim:

1. An optical fiber having a graphene coating, comprising:
an optical core extending along a longitudinal axis;
a carbon based coating covering the optical core along the longitudinal axis;
a layer of graphene formed on a first surface of the carbon based coating; and
a plurality of electrical components formed on the layer of graphene.

2. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the layer of graphene is formed from a laser induction process comprising focusing a laser beam at the carbon based coating to photothermally convert the first surface of the carbon based coating into the layer of graphene.

3. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical components form a power source to provide power to a downhole tool.

4. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical components form sensor components to provide measurements of a downhole environment.

5. The optical fiber of claim 4 , wherein the sensor components are operable to measure at least one of a pressure, a temperature, a resistivity, an electromagnetic field strength and direction, an acoustic field strength, a radioactive flux, water content, and a pH of the downhole environment.

6. The optical fiber of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediary layer having material properties that strengthen the optical fiber.

7. The optical fiber of claim 6 , wherein the intermediary layer has insulating or semiconducting properties that isolate the optical core from one or more electrically conductive layers.

8. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the carbon based coating is formed from polyimides.

9. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the layer of graphene inhibits hydrogen ions from penetrating the carbon based coating.

10. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the graphene layer is electrically conductive.

11. A fiber optic cable having a graphene coating, the fiber optic cable comprising:
a plurality of optical fibers extending along a longitudinal axis;
a carbon based coating encapsulating the plurality of optical fibers along the longitudinal axis;
a layer of graphene having conductive properties and disposed on a first surface of the carbon based coating; and
at least one layer of material disposed on a first surface of the layer of graphene.

12. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of electrical components formed from the layer of graphene and a first layer of the at least one layer of the material.

13. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , wherein the layer of graphene is disposed on the first surface of the carbon based coating via a laser induction process comprising focusing a laser beam at the carbon based coating to photothermally convert carbon atoms of the carbon based coating from having an sp 3 hybridization to an sp 2 hybridization.

14. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of electrical components formed on the layer of graphene.

15. The fiber optic cable of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of electrical components form a power source to provide power to a downhole tool.

16. The fiber optic cable of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of electrical components form sensor components to provide measurements of a downhole environment.

17. The fiber optic cable of claim 16 , wherein the sensor components are operable to measure at least one of a pressure, a temperature, a resistivity, an electromagnetic field strength and direction, an acoustic field strength, a radioactive flux, water content, and a pH of the downhole environment.

18. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , further comprising an intermediary layer having material properties that strengthen the optical fiber optic cable.

19. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , wherein the layer of graphene inhibits hydrogen ions from penetrating the carbon based coating.

20. The fiber optic cable of claim 11 , wherein the graphene layer is electrically conductive.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bhongale Satyan Gopal
• Stark Daniel Joshua
• Samson Etienne
• Gao Li

Classifications

• E21B47/00

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title

• E21B17/003 Primary

  with electrically conducting or insulating means (E21B17/028 and E21B17/023 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/443

  Protective covering · CPC title

• G02B6/02395 Primary

  Glass optical fibre with a protective coating, e.g. two layer polymer coating deposited directly on a silica cladding surface during fibre manufacture (G02B6/02052, G02B6/02057, G02B6/024, G02B6/032, G02B6/105, G02B6/14 take precedence; coating on fibre gratings G02B6/02104; multilayer core or cladding G02B6/036; reinforcing splice joints G02B6/2558; optical cables, i.e. comprising protective structures external to the protective coating such as a jacket or plural coated optical fibres G02B6/44; coating of glass to obtain optical fibres C03C25/104) · CPC title

• G02B6/02 Primary

  Optical fibres with cladding {with or without a coating} · CPC title