Frequency Based Measurement of Characteristics of a Substance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016202385-A1
Application number	US-201414899436-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a downhole environment, utilizing one or more ICE modules, in response to detecting light by one or more channels of a light to voltage converter, the detected light is converted into one or more voltages. The light has previously interacted with a downhole substance and has been processed by an integrated computational element. The one or more voltages are converted into one or more analog frequencies. The one or more analog frequencies are converted into one or more digital frequencies. One or more intensities are determined from one or more digital frequencies. One or more components of the substance are determined in response to the determined one or more intensities.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An optical computational system to determine characteristics of a substance, the system comprising:
at least one integrated computational element (ICE) module housed within the system, at least one ICE module being placed proximate to the substance to determine at least one characteristic of the substance, at least one ICE module comprising:
an integrated computational element operable to optically process electromagnetic radiation, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has previously interacted with the substance,
an electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter that detects the processed light using at least one channel of the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter and converts the detected electromagnetic radiation into at least one voltage,
a voltage to analog frequency converter that converts the at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency,
an analog to digital frequency converter that converts the at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency, and
a processor operable to:
determine at least one intensity from the at least one digital frequency, and
determine at least one characteristic of the substance in response to at least one intensity profile.

2 . The system of claim 1 , the system further comprising a multiplexer to multiplex at least one voltage prior to converting at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency.

3 . The system of claim 1 , the system further comprising a multiplexer to multiplex the at least one analog frequency prior to converting at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency.

4 . The system of claim 1 , the system further comprising a multiplexer to multiplex at least one digital frequency prior to determining at least one intensity.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter is a thermopile detector array and each channel is a thermocouple.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter is a photodiode detector array and each channel is a photodiode.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one voltage to analog frequency converter comprises a voltage controlled oscillator.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein to determine at least one intensity from at least one digital frequency, the processor is further operable to:
determine at least one dark frequency, wherein at least one dark frequency is determined with an electromagnetic radiation source turned off, calculate at least one intensity gain based on at least one dark frequency, determine at least one digital frequency with the electromagnetic radiation source on, and determine at least one intensity based on at least one digital frequency, at least one dark frequency, and at least one intensity gain.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter, the voltage to analog frequency converter, and the analog to digital frequency converter comprises an application-specific integrated circuit.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine a concentration of the at least one characteristic.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter, the voltage to analog frequency converter, and the analog to digital frequency converter comprises a circuit fabricated using at least one of a silicon on sapphire process and a silicon on insulator process.

12 . A method to determine at least one characteristic of a substance, the method comprising:
placing at least one integrated computational element (ICE) module proximate to the substance, wherein the at least one ICE module is housed within a tool; processing, by an integrated computational element in the ICE module, electromagnetic radiation, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has previously interacted with the substance; detecting the processed electromagnetic radiation by at least one channel of an electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter in the ICE module; converting the detected electromagnetic radiation into at least one voltage; converting at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency; converting at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency; determining at least one intensity from at least one digital frequency; and determining at least one characteristic of the substance in response to the determined at least one intensity profile.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising multiplexing at least one voltage prior to converting at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising multiplexing at least one analog frequency prior to converting at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a concentration of at least one characteristic.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein determining least one intensity profile from at least one digital frequency comprises:
determining at least one dark frequency, wherein at least one dark frequency is determined with an electromagnetic radiation source turned off; calculating at least one intensity gain based on at least one dark frequency, determining at least one digital frequency with the electromagnetic radiation source on; determining the at least one intensity profile based on at least one digital frequency, at least one dark frequency, and at least one intensity gain.

17 . An integrated computational element (ICE) module housed within a tool to determine at least one characteristic of a substance, the ICE module comprising:
an integrated computational element that optically processes electromagnetic radiation, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has previously interacted with the substance; an electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter that detects the processed light using at least one channel of the electromagnetic radiation to voltage converter and further converts the detected electromagnetic radiation into at least one voltage; a voltage to analog frequency converter that converts at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency; an analog to digital frequency converter that converts at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency; and a processor operable to:
determine at least one intensity profile from at least one digital frequency, and
determine at least one component of the substance in response to the determined at least one intensity profile.

18 . The ICE module of claim 17 , further comprising a multiplexer to multiplex at least one voltage prior to converting at least one voltage into at least one analog frequency.

19 . The ICE module of claim 17 , further comprising a multiplexer to multiplex at least one analog frequency prior to converting at least one analog frequency into at least one digital frequency.

20 . The ICE module of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine a concentration of at least one characteristic.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Pelletier Michael T
• Soltmann William J
• Perkins David L
• Pai Raj
• Masino James E

Classifications

• E21B49/0875

  determining specific fluid parameters · CPC title

• E21B47/135

  using light waves, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet waves · CPC title

• G01V3/18

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title

• G01V8/12 Primary

  using one transmitter and one receiver · CPC title

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title