LONG DISTANCE HIGH POWER OPTICAL LASER FIBER BREAK DETECTION AND CONTINUITY MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20120273269A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foro Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Foro Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Rinzler, Charles C., Gray, William C., Faircloth, Brian O., Zediker, Mark S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,267,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/16
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/14 Drilling by use of heat, e.g. flame drilling
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/35 in which light is transversely coupled into or out of the fibre or waveguide, e.g. using integrating spheres G01M11/31 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0025 of elongated objects, e.g. pipes, masts, towers or railways G01M5/0058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0091 by using electromagnetic excitation or detection

Abstract

There is provided a monitoring and detection system for use with, or in, high power laser system, long distance high power laser system and tools for performing high power laser operations, and in particular for performing high power laser operation on, and in, remote and difficult to access locations.

Claims

1. A high power laser drilling system for use in association with a drilling rig, drilling platform, drilling derrick, a snubbing platform, or coiled tubing drilling rig for advancing a borehole in hard rock, the system comprising:

a. a source of high power laser energy, the laser source capable of providing a laser beam having at least 20 kW of power;

b. a laser bottom hole assembly;

c. the laser bottom hole assembly in optical communication with the laser source thereby defining an operational beam path; and

,

d. a means for monitoring and detecting adverse conditions in the transmission of the high power laser energy along the operational beam path.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operational beam path is at least about 5,000 feet long.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a leak detector associated with a fusion splice.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a plurality of light detecting devices, associated with a monitoring fiber, wherein the monitoring fiber is associated with an ODTR, whereby the light transmitted a light detecting device is analyzed and correlated to a condition along the operation beam path.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a plurality of light detecting devices distributed along a portion of a length of the operational beam path, associated with a monitoring fiber, wherein the monitoring fiber is associated with a monitoring device, whereby the light transmitted a light detecting device is analyzed and correlated to a condition along the operation beam path.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the detected and analyzed light comprises high power laser back reflections.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a photodiode.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a plurality of light detecting devices and a photodiode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprises a distributed temperature sensing fiber with sequential bragg gratings for monitoring temperatures along the operational beam path and detecting anomalies in the temperatures.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and detecting means comprise a fiber having gratings sequentially positioned along a length of the fiber, wherein the gratings are configured to collect light and transmit the collected light to a monitoring device, whereby a anomaly is capable of being detected prior to a failure.

11. A monitoring an detection system for monitoring an operational high power laser beam path associated with a high power laser drilling, workover and completion system, the monitoring and detection system comprising:

a. a monitoring fiber having a length associated with a high power laser fiber having a length;

b. the monitoring fiber having a plurality of light detection devices position along the length of the monitoring fiber and the high power laser fiber; and

,

c. the monitoring fiber in optical association with the a monitoring device;

d. whereby light from the high power optical fiber is transmitted through the monitoring fiber and to the monitoring device, wherein the light is correlated to a condition of the operational high power laser beam path.

12. A system for providing high power laser energy to the bottom of deep boreholes, the system comprising:

a. a source or high powered laser energy capable of providing a high power laser beam;

b. a means for transmitting the laser beam from the high power laser to the bottom of a deep borehole; and

,

c. a means for monitoring and detecting adverse optical conditions in the transmission of the high power laser energy.

13. A method of monitoring and detecting conditions in the transmission of a high power laser beam having a power of greater than about 10 kW, in a high power laser system having an operational beam path, the method comprising:

sampling light from along a plurality of locations along the operation beam path and analyzing the sampled light to determine a condition of the operation beam path.