Abstract: Systems, program product, and methods for monitoring linearity of a down-hole pumping system assembly during deployment within a bore of a casing of a well positioned to extract hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir and selecting an optimal operational position for the down-hole pumping system assembly within the bore of the casing, are provided. Various embodiments of the systems allow an operator to ensure that a motor and pump of a down-hole pumping system assembly are installed in an optimal position in a well by ensuring alignment across the pump stages casing and motor casing. The system includes a groove extending along an outer surface of a housing of the pumping system assembly, and an optical sensing fiber mounted in the groove.

Abstract: A fiber optic cable arrangement includes a core, a sheath surrounding the core and being strain locked to the core, and at least one optical fiber positioned within the sheath being strain locked to the core.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating at least one parameter in a downhole environment includes: an optical fiber configured to be disposed in a borehole, the optical fiber having a property that causes intrinsic backscattering of signals transmitted therein. The property varies along a length of the optical fiber to generate a variable intensity of the backscattering, the intensity of backscattering varying along the optical fiber as a function of distance from an end of the optical fiber. The apparatus also includes a light source configured to send an optical signal into the optical fiber; and a detector configured to receive a return signal including backscattered signals.

Abstract: A system and method to obtain and process interferometer output scans is described. The interferometer-based sensor system includes a tunable laser to transmit a transmit signal and a polarization scrambler to produce a polarization state change on the transmit signal. The system also includes an interferometer to provide an output scan based on the transmit signal with the polarization state change and a processor to process the output scan.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a parameter, the apparatus includes: an optical fiber; a component in communication with the optical fiber and configured to interact with light at a wavelength related to the parameter; and an optical interrogator in communication with the optical fiber and configured to: illuminate the optical fiber with a series of light inputs, each light input in the series having a substantially constant unique optical wavelength and swept-frequency amplitude modulation; and receive a resulting light signal associated with each light input in the series; wherein the resulting light signals associated with the series of light inputs are used to estimate the parameter.

Abstract: A splicable fiber optic sensing system includes, a core, a sheath surrounding the core, an adhesive disposed between the core and the sheath at some locations and not at other locations, and at least one optical fiber disposed between the core and the sheath being sense transmissively locked to the core by the adhesive at the locations containing the adhesive.

Abstract: A system for locating an interface between a first material and a second material including one or more acoustic sensing elements operatively arranged to measure a characteristic of one or more acoustic signals at a plurality of locations along a length thereof. An instrumentation unit is coupled with the one or more acoustic sensing elements, and arranged to determine a difference between at least a first value of the characteristic measured at a first location and a second value of the characteristic measured at a second location of the plurality of locations for identifying the interface between the first material and the second material as being located between the first and second locations if the difference is greater than a preselected threshold amount. A method of locating an interface is also included.

Abstract: A apparatus for monitoring a downhole component is disclosed. The apparatus includes: an optical fiber sensor including a plurality of sensing locations distributed along a length of the optical fiber sensor; an interrogation assembly configured to transmit an electromagnetic interrogation signal into the optical fiber sensor and receive reflected signals from each of the plurality of sensing locations; and a processing unit configured to receive the reflected signals, select a measurement location along the optical fiber sensor, select a first reflected signal associated with a first sensing location in the optical fiber sensor, the first sensing location corresponding with the measurement location, select a second reflected signal associated with a second sensing location in the optical fiber sensor, estimate a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, and estimate a parameter of the downhole component at the measurement location based on the phase difference.

Abstract: A splicable fiber optic sensing system includes, a core, a sheath surrounding the core, an adhesive disposed between the core and the sheath at some locations and not at other locations, and at least one optical fiber disposed between the core and the sheath being sense transmissively locked to the core by the adhesive at the locations containing the adhesive

Abstract: A fiber optic termination arrangement includes a first optical fiber with a core surrounded by cladding having, a first end having a first outer surface and a second end having a second outer surface. The second outer surface is sized to match that of a second optical fiber to facilitate splicing the second end of the first optical fiber to a third end of the second optical fiber. Additionally, the first outer surface is sized and configured to interface with a connector capable of operationally aligning the core of the first optical fiber with a core of a third optical fiber or an optical receiving/transmitting device. The first optical fiber also includes a transition region wherein a third outer surface of the first optical fiber transitions from the first outer surface to the second outer surface.

Abstract: A method for estimating an environmental parameter includes transmitting a first interrogation signal into an optical fiber, receiving a reflected return signal including light reflected from one or more of the plurality of FBG's in the fiber and receiving at a processor data describing the reflected return signal. The received data is comparted to expected data to determine a shift in wavelength of light reflected for one or more of the plurality of FBGs and a change in a length of a dead zone of the optical fiber based on the comparison is also determined. From this, estimates of locations two or more of the plurality of FBG's are formed.

Abstract: An interferometer and a method of monitoring a downhole environment are described. The interferometer includes a coherent light source to emit pulses of light on a fiber, and a plurality of reflectors arranged on the fiber to reflect light from the coherent light source, each of the plurality of reflectors comprising broad band fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), the fiber being rigidly disposed within a cable that is rigidly attached in the downhole environment. The interferometer also includes a processor to process a reflection signal resulting from the light reflected by two or more of the plurality of reflectors.

Abstract: Systems, program product, and methods for monitoring linearity of a down-hole pumping system assembly during deployment within a bore of a casing of a well positioned to extract hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir and selecting an optimal operational position for the down-hole pumping system assembly within the bore of the casing, are provided. Various embodiments of the systems allow an operator to ensure that a motor and pump of a down-hole pumping system assembly are installed in an optimal position in a well by ensuring alignment across the pump stages casing and motor casing. The system includes a groove extending along an outer surface of a housing of the pumping system assembly, and an optical sensing fiber mounted in the groove.

Abstract: A system and method to obtain acoustic information from a borehole penetrating the earth are described. The system includes a light source to provide a continuous output beam and a modulator to modulate the continuous output beam with a modulation signal to provide a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) to be sent out on an optical fiber disposed along the borehole, the optical fiber including a plurality of reflectors at known locations along the optical fiber. The system also includes a processor to process a light reflection signal from the optical fiber to determine the acoustic information.

Abstract: An optical fiber includes: a core including a photosensitive material disposed therein, the core having a first index of refraction; a depressed cladding surrounding the core and having a second index of refraction that is lower than the first index of refraction; and an outer cladding surrounding the depressed cladding and having a third index of refraction that is higher than the depressed cladding.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating at least one parameter in a downhole environment includes: an optical fiber configured to be disposed in a borehole, the optical fiber having a property that causes intrinsic backscattering of signals transmitted therein. The property varies along a length of the optical fiber to generate a variable intensity of the backscattering, the intensity of backscattering varying along the optical fiber as a function of distance from an end of the optical fiber. The apparatus also includes a light source configured to send an optical signal into the optical fiber; and a detector configured to receive a return signal including backscattered signals.

Abstract: Systems, program product, and methods for monitoring linearity of a down-hole pumping system assembly during deployment within a bore of a casing of a well positioned to extract hydrocarbons from a subterranean reservoir and selecting an optimal operational position for the down-hole pumping system assembly within the bore of the casing, are provided. Various embodiments of the systems allow an operator to ensure that a motor and pump of a down-hole pumping system assembly are installed in an optimal position in a well by ensuring alignment across the pump stages casing and motor casing. The alignment and linearity of the pump and motor can be crucial to run life of the pump and/or motor.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and optical network for obtaining a signal from a sensor in a fiber optic cable at a downhole location is disclosed. A reference signal is propagated through the fiber optic cable. A beam of light is received from the fiber optic cable, wherein the beam of light includes the propagated reference signal and the signal from the sensor generated from an interaction of the sensor and the reference signal. The propagated reference signal is obtained from the received beam of light. The signal from the sensors is obtained by sampling the received beam of light using the obtained propagated reference signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a property includes a hollow core tube and an input light guide disposed at least partially within hollow core tube. The apparatus also includes a second gap disposed within the hollow core tube and separated from the input light guide by an air gap width. The second gap is formed of a first solid material and has a second gap width. The apparatus also includes a third gap disposed at least partially within the hollow core tube and being further from the input light guide than the second gap. The third gap is formed of a second solid material and has a third gap width.

Abstract: A temperature sensing arrangement includes a member having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, and an optical fiber having a second coefficient of thermal expansion. The optical fiber is strain transmissively mounted to the member. And the second coefficient of thermal expansion is greater than the first coefficient of thermal expansion such that strain measurable in the optical fiber is correlatable to temperature changes in the member.