Apparatus and method for non-intrusive pressure measurement and early identification of solids formation using selected guided ultrasonic wave modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12013303-B2
Application number	US-202117370414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2021
Priority date	Jul 30, 2020
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

A method of measuring a pressure of a fluid adjacent a wall of a pipe or vessel. A transducer is attached to the wall of the pipe or vessel. A signal is transmitted by the transducer at a characteristic frequency via a plurality of guided wave modes. The characteristic frequency is a frequency at which the guided wave modes are separated in time from each other when received. The signal is received after the plurality of guided wave modes travel in or through the wall a predetermined number of times. The signal has a signal receipt time after the predetermined number of times. The pressure of the fluid is calculated using the signal receipt time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of measuring a pressure of a fluid adjacent a wall of a pipe or vessel, comprising:
attaching a transducer to the wall of the pipe or vessel;
transmitting a signal from the transducer at a characteristic frequency via a plurality of guided wave modes, the characteristic frequency being a frequency at which the plurality of guided wave modes are separated in time from each other when detected;
detecting the plurality of guided wave modes after travel in or through the wall a predetermined number of times, each of the plurality of guided wave modes having a signal receipt time; and
calculating the pressure of the fluid using the signal receipt times.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a first transducer, and further comprising:
attaching a second transducer to the wall of the pipe or vessel.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the wall is an outer wall of the pipe or vessel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a first transducer and the wall is a first wall of the pipe or vessel, and further comprising:
attaching a second transducer to a second wall of the pipe or vessel;
transmitting a signal from the second transducer at a characteristic frequency via a plurality of guided wave modes, the characteristic frequency being a frequency at which the plurality of guided wave modes are separated in time from each other when detected;
detecting from the second transducer the plurality of guided wave modes after travel in or through the second wall a predetermined number of times, each of the plurality of guided wave modes from the second transducer having second signal receipt times after said predetermined number of times; and calculating the pressure of the fluid adjacent the second transducer using the second signal receipt times.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a first transducer and the wall is one of an outer wall and an inner wall of the pipe or vessel, and further comprising:
attaching a second transducer to the other of the outer wall and the inner wall.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wall is an inner wall of the pipe or vessel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wall is an outer wall of the pipe or vessel, and wherein the calculating step calculates the pressure of fluid adjacent an inner wall of the pipe or vessel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of detecting the plurality of guided wave modes is performed by the transducer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of guided wave modes comprise at least one of:
a circumferential shear horizontal (C-SH) wave traveling in the wall;
a circumferential Lamb type (C-LT) wave traveling in the wall; and/or
a cavity acoustic (CA) wave that travels through the fluid in the pipe or vessel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a first transducer, and wherein the characteristic frequency is determined by:
(a) transmitting an excitation pulse from the first transducer at an excitation frequency, the excitation pulse being transmitted in or through the wall, via the plurality of guided wave modes, to a second transducer attached to the outer surface;
(b) receiving the excitation pulse at the second transducer as the excitation pulse is transmitted via the plurality of guided wave modes;
(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) with additional excitation frequencies within a range of 50 kHz to 1 MHz, or in a range of 10 kHz to 2 Mhz; and
(d) selecting as the characteristic frequency the excitation frequency at which the plurality of guided wave modes are identifiably separate when received by the second transducer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic frequency is determined by:
(a) transmitting an excitation pulse from the first transducer at an excitation frequency, the excitation pulse being transmitted in the wall, via the plurality of guided wave modes, to the transducer;
(b) receiving the excitation pulse as the excitation pulse is transmitted via the plurality of guided wave modes;
(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) with additional excitation frequencies within a range of 50 kHz to 1 MHz, or within a range of 10 kHz to 2 Mhz; and
(d) selecting as the characteristic frequency the excitation frequency at which the plurality of guided wave modes are identifiably separate when received by the transducer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the excitation pulse comprises a Hanning windowed 5-cycle sinusoidal wave.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic frequency is in a range of 50 kHz to 1 MHz, or in a range of 10 kHz to 2 Mhz.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number of times is at least one.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the pressure using the signal receipt time comprises correlating the signal receipt times with a pressure at the characteristic frequency.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a temperature of a fluid adjacent the pipe or vessel; and
using the measured temperature and the calculated pressure, identifying conditions conducive to solids formation in the fluid.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a change over time of a time required for the at least one guided wave to travel in or through the wall the predetermined number of times; and
using the measured change over time, determining a deformation of the pipe or vessel.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipe or vessel comprises a tubular, and further comprising:
using the transducer, measuring over time an inner pressure in the tubular and an outer pressure of the tubular; and
using a difference between the inner pressure and the outer pressure, detecting a leak of fluid into or out of the tubular.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipe or vessel comprises a tubular used in a hydrocarbons completion operation, and further comprising:
using the transducer, measuring an inner pressure in the tubular and an outer pressure of the tubular; and
using a difference between the inner pressure and the outer pressure, evaluating a cement seal or a pressure-isolating packer used in the hydrocarbons completion operation.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipe or vessel comprises a subsea riser.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipe or vessel comprises a hydrocarbon production tubular configured to permit hydrocarbon production fluids to flow therein, the hydrocarbon production tubular being surrounded by annular space surrounded by an annular space, and wherein the transducer is attached to an outer wall of the hydrocarbon production tubular, the method further comprising:
using the transducer, measuring a pressure of the hydrocarbon production fluids.

22. A method of measuring a pressure of a fluid inside a pipe or vessel, comprising:
attaching a transducer to an outer wall of the pipe or vessel;
transmitting a signal from the transducer at a characteristic frequency via a plurality of guided wave modes, the characteristic frequency being a frequency at which the plurality of guided wave modes are separated in time when detected, wherein the characteristic frequency is in a range between 50 kHz and 1 MHz, or 10 kHz to 2 Mhz, and wherein the plurality of guided wave modes comprise at least one of
a circumferential shear horizontal (C-SH) wave traveling in the wall,
a circumferential Lamb type (C-LT) wave traveling in the wall, and/or
a cavity acoustic (CA) wave that travels

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Zhang Yibing
• Song Limin
• Wolf Henry Alan
• Disko Mark M
• Long Ted A
• Seabrook Brian C

Classifications

• G01F1/66

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• G01N2291/2634

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• G01N2291/02836

  Flow rate, liquid level · CPC title

• G01N2291/024

  Mixtures · CPC title

• G01N29/222

  Constructional or flow details for analysing fluids (optoacoustic fluid cells G01N29/2425) · CPC title