Inductive coupler assembly for downhole transmission line
First Claim
1. An inductive coupler assembly comprising:
- a housing having at least one boss;
an overmold surrounding an exterior of the housing, the overmold comprising one or more retention lugs positioned on a sidewall of the overmold and removeably insertable into a groove formed in a pipe joint end;
a pin having a through bore, the pin disposed in an interior channel of the housing;
a plurality of ferrites disposed in the interior channel of the housing;
a wire disposed in an interior channel of each ferrite, the wire also passing through the through bore of the pin; and
a seal stack comprising a plurality of annular seals, a plurality of spacers positioned between the seals, and a tapered portion having a first end in engagement with one of the plurality of spacers and a tapered end that wedgingly engages an inner surface of a coaxial tubing that surrounds the wire, wherein the plurality of annular seals are in sealing engagement with an outer surface of the wire and the inner surface of the coaxial tubing;
wherein the pin is configured to fit within the boss and prevent rotation of the housing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Inductive coupler assemblies for controlling the stray magnetic fields of an inductive coupler to reduce the associated losses are disclosed. This results in reduced attenuation (increased efficiency) of the inductive coupler even in the presence of gaps. The assembly includes an inductive coupler having a housing, a biasing element, and a retention mechanism. The assembly further includes a wire surrounded by a ring of flux channel material disposed in the housing. In some embodiments, the retention mechanism is adapted for removal of the inductive coupler from a pipe joint end. The biasing element may be a circumferential spring disposed between the housing and the pipe joint end. The retention mechanism may be a retention snap ring, press fit, or threaded, to removably couple the housing to the pipe joint end.
17 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An inductive coupler assembly comprising:
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a housing having at least one boss; an overmold surrounding an exterior of the housing, the overmold comprising one or more retention lugs positioned on a sidewall of the overmold and removeably insertable into a groove formed in a pipe joint end; a pin having a through bore, the pin disposed in an interior channel of the housing; a plurality of ferrites disposed in the interior channel of the housing; a wire disposed in an interior channel of each ferrite, the wire also passing through the through bore of the pin; and a seal stack comprising a plurality of annular seals, a plurality of spacers positioned between the seals, and a tapered portion having a first end in engagement with one of the plurality of spacers and a tapered end that wedgingly engages an inner surface of a coaxial tubing that surrounds the wire, wherein the plurality of annular seals are in sealing engagement with an outer surface of the wire and the inner surface of the coaxial tubing; wherein the pin is configured to fit within the boss and prevent rotation of the housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An inductive coupler assembly comprising:
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a housing having a channel; a plurality of bushings coupled to a pipe joint end; and a plurality of pins coupled to the housing, each pin being coaxial with one of the plurality of bushings; wherein each bushing receives one of the plurality of pins in a bore of the bushing; wherein a biasing element is positioned radially between each bushing and each pin for coupling the bushing with the pin; wherein an electrical contact is positioned radially between each bushing and each pin to provide a ground path between the inductive coupler assembly and the pipe joint end, and wherein the electrical contact is axially spaced from the biasing element. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An inductive coupler assembly comprising:
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an inductive coupler including a ferrite and a wire; and a shield disposed between the inductive coupler and a pipe joint end and configured to contain a magnetic flux from the inductive coupler, wherein the shield is received in a groove extending into an annular surface of the pipe joint end; wherein the shield comprises a shell having a U-shaped cross-section, and wherein the ferrite and the wire are positioned in the shell; wherein the shell comprises a top surface and a bottom surface that engages a bottom of the groove, and wherein a gap is formed between the top surface of the shell and the annular surface of the pipe joint end. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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Specification