Pressure compensated sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11029177-B2
Application number	US-201715598159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2017
Priority date	May 17, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A pressure compensated sensing system and methods for using the same are provided. The system can include a housing, a seal, an incompressible fluid, and sensing elements. The seal can be positioned within a housing cavity and divide the cavity into two portions. A first cavity portion can be sealed from the fluid environment by the seal and contain the sensing elements and the incompressible fluid. A second cavity portion can be in fluid communication with the fluid environment. The fluid environment can apply an external pressure to the seal that is opposed by an internal pressure of the sealed cavity applied to the seal by the incompressible fluid. When the internal pressure and the external pressure are different, the seal can move in a manner that changes the volume of the sealed cavity by an amount sufficient to equalize the internal pressure with the external pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pressure compensated sensor system, comprising:
a housing extending along a longitudinal axis between a proximal end and a distal end and defining a cavity therein;
an inner tube positioned within the housing and extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis;
a seal positioned within the cavity and extending laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis between the housing and the inner tube, the seal dividing the cavity into a first fluidly sealed cavity portion and a second cavity portion configured for exposure to a fluid environment surrounding the housing;
a cap directly secured to the distal end of the housing, wherein the first cavity portion includes a cap volume defined by the cap;
one or more sensing elements positioned within the cap volume; and
an incompressible fluid disposed within the first cavity portion;
wherein the seal is configured to move in response to pressure differences between the first cavity portion and the second cavity portion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an aperture in a sidewall configured to allow fluid to flow from the fluid environment into the second cavity portion.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seal comprises a diaphragm seal configured to elastically deform in response to pressure differences between the first cavity and the second cavity.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the incompressible fluid substantially fills the first cavity portion, and the sensing elements are submerged in the incompressible fluid.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the incompressible fluid comprises a dielectric.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing elements include a proximity sensor configured to induce an eddy current in a target.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid environment is a subsea environment.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Baker Hughes Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Lu Dan Tho

Classifications

• E21B47/017

  Protecting measuring instruments · CPC title

• E21B47/09

  Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes · CPC title

• G01D11/26

  Windows; Cover glasses; Sealings therefor · CPC title

• G01D11/245 Primary

  Housings for sensors · CPC title

• G01D11/30

  Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments · CPC title