Deposit build-up monitoring, identification and removal optimization for conduits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016199888-A1
Application number	US-201314913232-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2013
Priority date	Dec 4, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of mitigating deposit build-up in a conduit can include an optical distributed acoustic sensing system detecting a substance as the substance flows through the conduit, and determining a location and volume of the deposit build-up along the conduit, based on the detecting. A conduit monitoring system can include a chemical treatment supply and an optical distributed acoustic sensing system, the chemical treatment supply automatically delivering a chemical treatment into a conduit in response to detection by the optical distributed acoustic sensing system of a deposit build-up in the conduit. Another method of mitigating deposit build-up can include an optical distributed acoustic sensing system detecting a substance as it flows through a conduit, determining a location and volume of the deposit build-up along the conduit, based on the detecting, and automatically controlling a chemical treatment supply, based on the determining, thereby optimizing mitigation of the deposit build-up.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of mitigating deposit build-up in a conduit, the method comprising:
detecting a substance as the substance flows through the conduit, the detecting being performed by an optical distributed acoustic sensing system; and determining a location and volume of the deposit build-up along the conduit, based on the detecting.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining further comprises determining a velocity profile of the substance along the conduit.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining further comprises determining a flow area profile along the conduit.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting further comprises detecting an acoustic anomaly along the conduit, the acoustic anomaly being caused by the substance having an acoustic property different from that of ambient fluid in the conduit.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically varying at least one of a chemical treatment location, frequency, quantity, duration and concentration, based on the determining.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substance comprises a chemical treatment which mitigates the deposit build-up.

7 . A conduit monitoring system, comprising:
a chemical treatment supply; and an optical distributed acoustic sensing system, wherein the chemical treatment supply delivers a chemical treatment into a conduit automatically in response to detection by the optical distributed acoustic sensing system of a deposit build-up in the conduit.

8 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of a location, a frequency, a quantity, a duration and a concentration of the chemical treatment delivery by the chemical treatment supply automatically varies in response to a change in the deposit build-up detected by the optical distributed acoustic sensing system.

9 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein the chemical treatment supply is connected to a computer of the optical distributed acoustic sensing system.

10 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein the optical distributed acoustic sensing system includes an optical waveguide which extends along the conduit.

11 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein a flow area profile along the conduit is determined by at least one of the chemical treatment supply and the optical distributed acoustic sensing system.

12 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein a deposit thickness profile along the conduit is determined by at least one of the chemical treatment supply and the optical distributed acoustic sensing system.

13 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein a velocity profile of a substance along the conduit is determined by at least one of the chemical treatment supply and the optical distributed acoustic sensing system.

14 . The conduit monitoring system of claim 13 , wherein the substance has a property different from that of ambient fluid in the conduit, the property comprising at least one of acoustic velocity and density.

15 . A method of mitigating deposit build-up in a conduit, the method comprising:
detecting a substance as the substance flows through the conduit, the detecting being performed by an optical distributed acoustic sensing system; determining a location and volume of the deposit build-up along the conduit, based on the detecting; and automatically controlling a chemical treatment supply, based on the determining, thereby optimizing mitigation of the deposit build-up.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the controlling further comprises automatically varying at least one of a chemical treatment location, frequency, quantity, duration and concentration, based on the determining.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining further comprises determining a velocity profile of the substance along the conduit.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining further comprises determining a flow area profile along the conduit.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the detecting further comprises detecting an acoustic anomaly along the conduit, the acoustic anomaly being caused by the substance having an acoustic property different from ambient fluid in the conduit.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the substance comprises a chemical treatment which mitigates the deposit build-up.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Jaaskelainen Mikko

Classifications

• B08B9/032 Primary

  by the mechanical action of a moving fluid, e.g. by flushing (B08B9/04 takes precedence {; by fluid jets mounted on cleaning devices B08B9/0433}) · CPC title

• G01H9/004

  using fibre optic sensors (light guides per se G02B6/00, acousto-optical devices specially adapted for gating or modulating in optical wave guides G02F1/125) · CPC title

• G01N29/2418

  using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics (photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046) · CPC title

• G01H9/002

  for representing acoustic field distribution (sonar systems for imaging G01S7/56, G01S15/89; acoustic holography G03H3/00) · CPC title

• B08B13/00

  Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning · CPC title