Electrical power and/or electrical signal transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9786431-B2
Application number	US-201113996251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2011
Priority date	Dec 20, 2010
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

An electrical power and/or electrical signal transmission system for transmitting electrical power and/or electrical signals from a location on a first side of a metallic wall to a location on a second side of the metallic wall includes a transmitting apparatus having an electrical source and a first transformer. A receiving apparatus has a receiving module for receiving electrical power and/or electrical signals and a second transformer. First and second ends of a primary winding of the second transformer are electrically connected to respective spaced locations on the second, opposite, side of the metallic wall for picking up electrical power and/or electrical signals from the metallic wall. The receiving module is electrically connected to a secondary winding of the second transformer to enable electrical power and/or electrical signals to be transmitted from the electrical source to the receiving module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical transmission system for transmitting at least one of electrical power and electrical signals from a location on a first side of a metallic wall to a location on a second side of the metallic wall, the system comprising:
a transmitting apparatus comprising an electrical source and a first transformer, the electrical source being electrically connected to a primary winding of the first transformer and first and second ends of a secondary winding of the first transformer being electrically connected to respective spaced locations on the first side of the metallic wall for applying at least one of electrical power and electrical signals to the metallic wall to pass the at least one of electrical power and electrical signals through the material of the metallic wall; and
a receiving apparatus comprising a receiving module for receiving at least one of electrical power and electrical signals and a second transformer, first and second ends of a primary winding of the second transformer being electrically connected to respective spaced locations on the second, opposite, side of the metallic wall for picking up at least one of electrical power and electrical signals from the metallic wall after the at least one of electrical power and electrical signals have been passed through the material of the metallic wall and the receiving module being electrically connected to a secondary winding of the second transfoillter to enable at least one of electrical power and electrical signals to be transmitted from the electrical source to the receiving module.

2. A transmission system as claimed in claim 1 in which the respective spaced locations on the second, opposite, side of the metallic wall are substantially aligned with the respective spaced locations on the first side of the metallic wall.

3. A transmission system as claimed in claim 1 , in which the metallic wall is part of an object having an interior and an exterior and the system is such that one of the transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus is located in the interior of the object and the other of the transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus is located exterior of the object enabling the transmission of at least one of electrical power and electrical signals between the exterior and the interior of the object.

4. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which a first end of the primary winding of the first transformer is electrically connected via a conductor to the electrical source and a second end of the primary winding of the first transformer is one of electrically connected to and electrically connectable to the metallic wall at a location which is spaced from the spaced locations on the first side of the metallic wall to which the secondary winding is connected.

5. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which the electrical source has a first terminal electrically connected to the primary winding of the first transformer and a second terminal electrically connected to the metallic wall at a location which is spaced from the spaced locations on the first side of the metallic wall to which the secondary winding is connected.

6. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which the transmitting apparatus comprises a first plurality of transformers each of the transformers in said first plurality having a primary winding which is electrically connected to the electrical source and each of the transformers in said first plurality having a secondary winding which is electrically connected to the metallic wall with first and second ends of each secondary winding being electrically connected to a respective pair of spaced transmission locations on the first side of the metallic wall for applying at least one of electrical power and electrical signals to the metallic wall, and with each pair of spaced transmission locations being spaced from each other pair of spaced transmission locations.

7. A transmission system according to claim 6 in which a first end of the primary winding of each transformer in the first plurality of transformers is electrically connected via a conductor to the electrical source and a second end of the primary winding of each transformer in the first plurality of transformers is one of electrically connected to and electrically connectable to the metallic wall at a location which is spaced from the spaced locations on the first side of the metallic wall to which the secondary windings are connected.

8. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which there is a plurality of receiving apparatus, or at least a portion of the receiving apparatus is movable relative to the metallic wall to allow pick up of at least one of power and/or signals at different selected locations.

9. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which the transmitting apparatus comprises a control system for controlling operation of one of the first transformer and a first plurality of transformers.

10. A transmission system according to claim 9 in which the control system comprises a control unit which activates one of the first transformer, and a respective one of the first plurality of transformers, upon receipt of a control signal, the control system comprising a central unit for sending said control signal, the system being arranged so that the control signal is transmitted to the control unit along a conductor which is also used to connect the electrical source to the respective transformer.

11. A transmission system according to claim 9 in which the control system comprises a switch, which is arranged to make and break an electrical connection between the primary of the respective transformer and the metallic wall.

12. A transmission system according to claim 1 in which the receiving module comprises a cathodic protection unit which is connected to at least one cathodic protection anode.

13. A transmission system according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission apparatus is one in which:
the electrical source is provided at a first location and is electrically connected to a first plurality of transformers,
each of the transformers in said first plurality has a primary winding which is electrically connected to the electrical source and each of the transformers in said first plurality has a secondary winding which is electrically connected to the metallic wall with first and second ends of each secondary winding being electrically connected to a respective pair of spaced transmission locations on the first side of the metallic wall for applying at least one of electrical power and electrical signals to the metallic wall, and with each pair of spaced transmission locations being spaced from each other pair of spaced transmission locations and spaced from the first location, and
the transmitting apparatus comprises a control system for controlling operation of the first plurality of transformers, the control system comprising a central unit and a plurality of control units each of which control units is arranged to activate a respective one of the first plurality of transformers upon receipt of a control signal from the central unit.

14. An at least one of an oil and gas installation comprising an at least one of electrical power and electrical signal transmission system according to claim 1 and metallic tubing, a sidewall of which comprises said metallic wall.

15. An installation as claimed in claim 14 which is a well installation, with the transmission system arranged for transmitting electrical power and the electrical source of the transmitting apparatus being located at the surface and the or each transfo

Assignees

• Hudson Steven Martin
• Expro North Sea Ltd

Inventors

• Hudson Steven Martin

Classifications

• H04B2203/5475

  adapted for drill or well combined with data transmission · CPC title

• G01D5/06

  acting through a wall or enclosure, e.g. by bellows, by magnetic coupling · CPC title

• E21B47/13

  by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency · CPC title

• H04B3/546 Primary

  Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection (circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00) · CPC title

• H01F38/14 Primary

  Inductive couplings {(for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10)} · CPC title