CN109642459B

CN109642459B - Communication network, relay node for communication network, and method of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes

Info

Publication number: CN109642459B
Application number: CN201780052667.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张艺兵; 宋利民; M·M·迪斯科
Original assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co
Current assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Co
Priority date: 2016-08-30
Filing date: 2017-08-01
Publication date: 2022-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-01
Also published as: AR109459A1; AR109470A1; WO2018044464A1; CA3035370C; CN109642459A; CA3035370A1; AU2017320734B2; AU2017320734A1; AR109460A1; AR109441A1; AR109442A1; MX2019001988A; AR109440A1

Abstract

The communication network comprises an elongate tubular body (30) and a wireless data transmission network (50) comprising a plurality of relay nodes (100). The relay node comprises an array of electro-acoustic transmitters (112,122,132) and electro-acoustic receivers (114,124, 134). The method comprises inducing a first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave in the elongate tubular body with a first relay node (110), transmitting the first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave along the elongate tubular body to a second relay node (120), and receiving the first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave with the second relay node (120), the method further comprising inducing a second non-dispersive guided acoustic wave in the elongate tubular body with the second relay node (120), transmitting a second acoustic wave along the elongate tubular body to a third relay node (130), and receiving the second acoustic wave with the third relay node (130).

Description

Communication network, relay node for communication network, and method of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Serial No.62/381,330 entitled "Communication Networks, Relay Nodes for Communication Networks, and Methods of Transmitting Data amplitude a compliance of Relay Nodes" filed on 2016, 8, 30, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication networks, relay nodes for communication networks, and/or to methods of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes.

Background

It may be beneficial to transmit data along an elongate tubular body, such as a pipeline and/or drill pipe, without the use of wires and/or radio frequency (electromagnetic) communication equipment. An example where installation of the wires is technically difficult and/or economically impractical is well known. The use of radio transmission may also be impractical or unavailable in the event of a wirelessly activated blast and/or in the event of significant attenuation of the radio wave in the vicinity of the elongate tubular body.

Also, it may be desirable to collect and transmit data along the elongate tubular body in the wellbore, such as during the drilling process and/or during production of reservoir fluids via the wellbore. Such data may include temperature, pressure, rock permeability, dip angle, azimuth angle, fluid composition, and/or local geology. In drilling oil and gas wells, a wellbore is formed using a drill bit that is pushed down at the lower end of a drill string. The drill bit is rotated while applying force through the drill string and against the rock face of the formation being drilled. To obtain the desired data, special downhole assemblies have been developed. These downhole assemblies are commonly referred to as Logging While Drilling (LWD) and/or Measurement While Drilling (MWD) assemblies.

LWD and MWD assemblies may allow for more efficient drilling plans. In particular, a downhole assembly having LWD and MWD capabilities may store and/or transmit information about subsurface conditions for review by drilling and/or production operators at the surface. LWD and MWD technologies generally seek to reduce the need to trip the drill string and/or run wireline logs to obtain downhole data.

Various techniques have been proposed and/or developed for downhole communication using LWD or MWD. In one form, the LWD and MWD information may simply be stored in a memory, such as a memory associated with a processor used in the LWD or MWD process. The memory may be retrieved and the information may be downloaded later when the drill string is pulled, such as when the drill bit is replaced or a new downhole assembly is installed. However, this method does not allow for the utilization of information during the drilling operation in which it is obtained, and therefore does not allow for the real-time utilization of information.

Several real-time data telemetry systems have also been proposed. One system involves the use of a physical cable, such as an electrical conductor or a fiber optic cable, secured to an elongate tubular body. The cable may be secured to the inner diameter and/or the outer diameter of the elongate tubular body. The cable provides a hard-wired connection that allows real-time transmission of data and immediate assessment of the subsurface conditions. Additionally, the cable may allow for high data transmission rates and/or direct power delivery to downhole sensors.

However, placing a physical cable along the drill pipe during drilling can be problematic. As an example, if fixed along a rotating drill string, the cable may tangle and/or may break. This problem can be mitigated when using a downhole mud motor that allows for a generally non-rotating drill pipe. However, even in such cases, the harsh downhole environment and the considerable force of the tubing in scraping the surrounding borehole can damage the cable.

It has been proposed to place a physical cable along the outside of the casing string during completion. However, this can be difficult because placing the wires along the casing string requires careful retrieval and feeding of thousands of feet of cable during pipe connection and break-in. Additionally, the use of hardwiring in well completions requires the installation of specially designed wellheads that include through-bores for electrical wiring. In addition, if the wires pass outside of the casing string, potential weaknesses can be created in the cement sheath surrounding the casing string. This may result in a loss of pressure isolation between subsurface intervals. Furthermore, in general, it is not feasible to thread the line through a casing mandrel for subsea applications. In summary, passing the cable in the annulus increases equipment and rig time as well as significant challenges and costs of completing the well.

Mud pulse telemetry or mud pressure pulse transmission may be utilized during drilling to obtain real-time data from sensors at or near the drill bit. Mud pulse telemetry utilizes pressure changes in the drilling mud to send signals from the downhole assembly to the surface. The change in pressure may be sensed and analyzed by a computer at the surface.

Mud pulse telemetry suffers from the disadvantage that it transmits data to the surface at a relatively slow rate, typically less than 20 bits per second (bps), and this data rate decreases even further as the length of the wellbore increases. For the drilling process, the data transfer rate can be slow, which can be expensive. For example, the time taken for downlink commands and uplink survey data (such as azimuth and inclination) may be two to seven minutes during which the drill string is typically held stationary. This downlink/uplink time can be very expensive, as many survey stations may be required, especially on deep water drilling platforms where daily operating rates can exceed $ 200 million. Similarly, the time it takes for downlink instructions and uplink data associated with many other tasks, such as setting parameters in a rotary controllable directional drilling tool and/or obtaining pressure readings from a while-drilling pressure tool, can be very expensive.

Another telemetry system that has been proposed involves Electromagnetic (EM) telemetry. EM telemetry employs electromagnetic waves or alternating magnetic fields to "jump" a pipe joint. In practice, a specially milled drill rod may be provided having a wire machined along its inner diameter. The wire sends a signal to an induction coil at the end of the pipe. The induction coil in turn sends the EM signal to another induction coil that sends that signal through a wire in the next pipe. Thus, each threaded connection provides a pair of special milled pipe ends for EM communication.

Faster data transmission rates and a degree of clarity have been achieved using EM telemetry. However, it has been observed that the induction coils in EM telemetry systems must be accurately positioned in the box and pin ends of the joints of the drill string to ensure reliable data transmission. For long (e.g., 20,000 feet) wells, there may be over 600 tool joints. This represents over 600 sections of pipe threaded together, and each threaded connection is preferably tested at the rig to ensure proper operation. Therefore, there are economic and functional challenges to effectively utilizing EM telemetry systems.

More recently, the use of Radio Frequency (RF) signals has also been proposed. While high data transmission rates can be achieved using RF signals in a downhole environment, the transmission range is typically limited to a few meters. This in turn requires the use of many repeaters.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved communication network, an improved relay node for a communication network, and/or an improved method for transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes.

Disclosure of Invention

Communication networks, relay nodes for communication networks, and methods of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes using non-dispersive guided acoustic waves are disclosed. The method includes introducing a first acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body with a first relay node, transmitting the first acoustic wave along the elongate tubular body to a second relay node, and receiving the first acoustic wave with the second relay node. The method also includes introducing a second sound wave within the elongated tubular body with the second relay node, transmitting the second sound wave along the elongated tubular body to a third relay node, and receiving the second sound wave with the third relay node.

The communication network comprises an elongate tubular body and a wireless data transmission network comprising a plurality of relay nodes. The plurality of relay nodes includes a first relay node, a second relay node, and a third relay node. The communication network is programmed to transmit data between the first relay node, the second relay node and the third relay node by performing these methods.

The relay node comprises an array of electro-acoustic transmitters and electro-acoustic receivers. The array of electro-acoustic transmitters may include at least 3 electro-acoustic transmitters spaced circumferentially around the circumference of the elongate tubular body. The electroacoustic transmitter array is configured to induce non-dispersive guided acoustic waves within the elongate tubular body.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a communication network according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a portion of a communication network according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a less schematic example of a piezo-electric stack that may be included in and/or used with a communication network, relay node and method according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a less schematic representation of a prior art relay node.

Fig. 5 is a less schematic side view illustrating a relay node according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a less schematic cross-sectional view of the relay node of fig. 5 taken along line 6-6 of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side view illustrating a relay node according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the relay node of fig. 7 taken along line 8-8 of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a schematic side view illustrating a relay node according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating a relay node according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 is a schematic representation of an in-plane torsional shear acoustic wave that may be used with communication networks, relay nodes, and methods according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 is a schematic representation of a compression wave that may be used with a communication network, relay node and method according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 is a graph comparing the propagation of shear sound waves to compression sound waves along the length of an elongate tubular body.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart depicting a method of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes spaced along an elongate tubular body in accordance with the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1-3 and 5-14 provide examples of a communication network 20, a wireless data transmission network 50, a relay node 100 that may be included in the communication network 20 and/or in the wireless data transmission network 50, and/or a method 200 according to the present disclosure. Elements that serve a similar or at least substantially similar purpose are labeled with the same reference number in each of fig. 1-3 and 5-14, and such elements may not be discussed in detail herein with reference to each of fig. 1-3 and 5-14. Similarly, not all elements may be labeled in each of fig. 1-3 and 5-14, but for consistency, the reference numbers associated therewith may be used herein. Elements, components, and/or features discussed herein with reference to one or more of fig. 1-3 and 5-14 may be included in and/or used with any of fig. 1-3 and 5-14 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In general, elements that may be included in a particular embodiment are shown in solid lines, while optional elements are shown in dashed lines. However, elements shown in solid lines may not be necessary and, in some embodiments, may be omitted without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a communication network 20 according to the present disclosure. The communication network 20 includes an elongate tubular body 30 and a wireless data transmission network 50 configured to wirelessly transmit data along the length of the elongate tubular body.

Fig. 1 illustrates that a wireless data transmission network 50 may be associated with, may be present in, may be operatively attached to, and/or may be in communication with any suitable portion of the elongate tubular body 30. Further, the elongate tubular body 30 can be positioned within and/or through any suitable environment 10 and/or can extend therein and/or therethrough.

As shown in fig. 1, a wireless data transmission network 50 may be associated with a well 11, such as a hydrocarbon well 12. As an example, the wireless data transmission network may be associated with the surface tree 13 of the well. As another example, a wireless data transmission network may be associated with a portion of the elongate tubular body 30 extending within the subterranean region 14 and/or subterranean formation 15, which may include hydrocarbons.

As also shown in fig. 1, a data transmission network 50 may be associated with the fluid transport infrastructure 16 (such as the pipe 32 extending within the surface area 17 and/or within the subsea area 18). As shown in fig. 1, the data transmission network 50 may be associated with the container 19, the container 19 may be in fluid communication with the elongate tubular body 30, and the container 19 may be positioned within the subterranean zone 14, the surface zone 17, and/or the subsea zone 18.

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a communication network 20 according to the present disclosure. The communication network 20 of fig. 2 may include and/or be in communication with the communication network 20 of fig. 1. As such, communication network 20 of fig. 2 may be positioned at least partially within any suitable environment 10, such as subterranean zone 14, surface zone 17, and/or underwater zone 18 shown in fig. 1.

The communication network 20 includes an elongate tubular body 30 and a wireless data transmission network 50. The wireless data transmission network 50 comprises a plurality of relay nodes 100 spaced along the length of the elongate tubular body or along the longitudinal axis 31. In the example of fig. 2, the wireless data transmission network 50 comprises at least a first relay node 110, a second relay node 120 and a third relay node 130.

The first relay node 110 comprises a first electro-acoustic transmitter array 112 configured to induce a first acoustic wave 113 in and/or within the elongate tubular body 30. The first acoustic wave may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of a first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave (NDGAW). Furthermore, the first relay node 110 further comprises a first electro-acoustic receiver 114.

The second relay node 120 comprises a second electro-acoustic transmitter array 122 configured to induce second acoustic waves 123 in and/or within the elongate tubular body 30. The second acoustic wave may include, consist essentially of, or consist of the second NDGAW. Furthermore, the second relay node 120 further comprises a second electro-acoustic receiver 124 configured to receive the first sound waves 113 from the elongated tubular body 30.

The third relay node 130 includes a third electro-acoustic transmitter array 132. Furthermore, the third relay node 130 further comprises a third electro-acoustic receiver 134 configured to receive the second sound waves 123 from the elongated tubular body 30.

Fig. 2 illustrates a portion of a communication network 20 that includes three relay nodes 100 (e.g., a first relay node 110, a second relay node 120, and a third relay node 130). However, it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the communication network may include any suitable number of relay nodes 100 spaced along the length of the elongate tubular body 30, such as at least 3, at least 5, at least 10, at least 20, at least 30, at least 40, or at least 50 relay nodes.

Under these conditions, the relay node 100 may be configured to induce respective induced acoustic waves within the elongate tubular body and/or receive respective received acoustic waves from the elongate tubular body. As an example, the relay node 100 may be configured to receive from the elongate tubular body a respective received acoustic wave induced by a first adjacent relay node on a first side thereof. Further, the relay node 100 may be further configured to induce a corresponding induced acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body such that the induced acoustic wave is transmitted via the elongate tubular body to a second adjacent relay node on a second side thereof. The second side may be opposite the first side such that the relay node acts as an intermediary for signal transmission or propagation between relay nodes adjacent thereto.

As shown by the dashed lines in fig. 2, the communication network 20 may also include one or more sensor nodes 170, which may be spaced apart from the relay node 100. The sensor node 170 (when present) may be configured to sense a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body 30. Additionally, sensor node 170 may be further configured to induce sensed acoustic waves 172 within the elongate tubular body, which may be indicative of or based on a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body. Examples of sensing acoustic waves are disclosed herein. The characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body may be sensed within a portion or region of the elongate tubular body that is proximate to a given sensor node 170 or even in contact with a given sensor node 170.

Although not required by all embodiments, the distance or average distance between a given relay node 100 of the plurality of relay nodes 100 and the closest another relay node 100 of the plurality of relay nodes 100 may be greater than the average distance between the given sensor node 170 and the closest one of the plurality of relay nodes 100. In other words, one or more sensor nodes 170 may be positioned between adjacent relay nodes 100 along the length of the elongate tubular body 30. As such, a given sensor node 170 may communicate with a corresponding relay node 100 via a corresponding sensed acoustic wave 172 over a shorter communication distance than between the corresponding relay node 100 and other relay nodes 100 that are closest, and this shorter communication distance may allow and/or facilitate low-power and/or dispersive-mode communication between the given sensor node and the corresponding relay node.

Sensor node 170 (when present) may be configured to sense any suitable characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body. As an example, sensor node 170 may detect, quantify, and/or sense one or more of the following: measurement of scale formation within the elongate tubular body, measurement of hydrate formation within the elongate tubular body, measurement of viscosity of a fluid extending within the elongate tubular body and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of viscosity of a fluid extending outside of and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of a fluid composition of a fluid extending within the elongate tubular body and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of a fluid composition of a fluid outside of and in contact with the elongate tubular body, and/or measurement of integrity of the elongate tubular body. Examples of structures that may be included in sensor node 170 include acoustic transmitters, acoustic receivers, temperature detectors, pressure detectors, and/or chemical composition detectors.

During operation of the communication network 20, data may be transmitted and/or communicated between the relay nodes 100 via corresponding acoustic waves (such as the first acoustic wave 113 and/or the second acoustic wave 123). This may include transmitting the data in any suitable manner, such as via and/or with method 200, which will be discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 14.

As an example, the first electro-acoustic transmitter array 112 of the first relay node 110 may sense a first acoustic wave 113 indicative or encoded to represent data within the elongate tubular body 30. The first acoustic wave may be transmitted through the elongate tubular body to the second relay node 120 and may then be received by the second electro-acoustic receiver 124 of the second relay node. In response to receiving the first sound wave, the second electro-acoustic transmitter array 122 of the second relay node 120 may induce a second sound wave 123 within the elongate tubular body, and the second sound wave may be based at least in part on the first sound wave. The second acoustic wave may be transmitted through the elongate tubular body to the third relay node 130 and may then be received by the third electro-acoustic receiver 134 of the third relay node. This process may be repeated any suitable number of times to send any suitable data stream along any suitable portion, fraction and/or region of the length of the elongate tubular body. Further, this process may be reversed, with data being sent from the third relay node 130 to the second relay node 120 and/or from the second relay node 120 to the first relay node 110, such as to allow data transfer in both the uphole and downhole directions within the hydrocarbon well 12 of fig. 1.

Furthermore, and when the communication network 20 includes sensor nodes 170, a given relay node 100 may also receive a given sensed acoustic wave 172 from a corresponding sensor node 170. Under these conditions, a given relay node may induce a corresponding acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body that is based at least in part on a given sensed acoustic wave, thereby allowing the data stream transmitted along the length of the elongate tubular body to include information about the characteristic related to the elongate tubular body sensed by the sensor node.

The relay node 100 may comprise any suitable structure that may be adapted, configured, designed and/or configured to induce and/or receive corresponding acoustic waves within and/or from the elongate tubular body.

Further, the relay node 100 may be powered or energized in any suitable manner. As examples, each relay node may include and/or be one or more of a battery-powered relay node including a battery 102, a self-powered relay node including a power generator 104, and/or a line-powered relay node attached to a power cable 106.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the relay node 100 may be incorporated into the communication network 20 in any suitable manner. As an example, one or more of the relay nodes may be directly and/or operatively attached to the elongate tubular body 30 via attachment structures 160, the attachment structures 160 being shown in fig. 2 and 8. Examples of attachment structures 160 include any suitable glue, weld, braze, fastener, spring, and/or clamp.

It is also within the scope of the present disclosure that the relay node 100 may be operably attached to any suitable portion of the elongate tubular body 30. As an example, one or more relay nodes 100, or portions thereof, may be operably attached to the inner surface 34 of the elongate tubular body, may be operably attached to the outer surface 36 of the elongate tubular body, and/or may extend at least partially within the elongate tubular body, as discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 8. As another example, the elongate tubular body may include a plurality of tubular segments 38 and a plurality of couplers 40, each tubular segment being operatively attached to an adjacent tubular segment by a respective coupler. Under these conditions, the relay node 100 may be operatively attached to or integral with the tubular segment 38 and/or coupler 40.

As shown by the dashed lines in fig. 2, the relay node 100 (such as the first relay node 110, the second relay node 120, and/or the third relay node 130) may include a corresponding controller (such as the first controller 116, the second controller 126, and/or the third controller 136). Under these conditions, the controller may be programmed to control the operation of the relay node, such as via performing any suitable portion of the method 200 discussed herein with reference to fig. 14.

The first electro-acoustic transmitter array 112, the second electro-acoustic transmitter array 122, and the third electro-acoustic transmitter array 132 are collectively referred to herein as electro-acoustic transmitter arrays. As discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 5-10, each electro-acoustic transmitter array may be configured to induce a respective acoustic wave at a plurality of locations around the circumference of the elongate tubular body 30. This configuration may allow the electroacoustic transmitter array to induce NDGAW (such as longitudinal acoustic waves, L (0, 2) acoustic waves, in-plane torsional shear acoustic waves, and/or T (0, 1) acoustic waves) within the elongate tubular body. NDGAW may be non-dispersive in nature and may propagate over longer distances or along a greater length of the elongate tubular body than dispersive acoustic waves such as compressional waves.

Each electro-acoustic transmitter array may include and/or may be defined by any suitable structure, which is within the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, each electro-acoustic transmitter array may include at least 2, at least 3, at least 4, at least 5, at least 6, at least 8, at least 10, at least 12, at least 18, or at least 36 electro-acoustic transmitters. The number of electroacoustic transmitters in a given electroacoustic transmitter array may be selected based on any suitable criteria, examples of which include the material of construction of the elongate tubular body, the diameter of the elongate tubular body, the wall thickness of the elongate tubular body, the composition of the fluid extending within the fluid conduit defined by the elongate tubular body, and/or the composition of the material extending in contact with the outer surface of the elongate tubular body. The electroacoustic transmitters in a given electroacoustic transmitter array may be circumferentially spaced or equally spaced around the circumference of the elongate tubular body.

As another example, each electroacoustic transmitter array may include a transducer ring extending circumferentially around the circumference of the elongate tubular body, as shown in fig. 9, and discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 9. Regardless of the specific structure, and as discussed, the electro-acoustic transmitter arrays disclosed herein are configured to induce corresponding acoustic waves at a plurality of locations around the circumference of the elongate tubular body.

The first electro-acoustic receiver 114, the second electro-acoustic receiver 124, and/or the third electro-acoustic receiver 134 may be collectively referred to herein as electro-acoustic receivers. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that each electro-acoustic receiver may be configured to receive any suitable corresponding acoustic wave. As an example, the second electro-acoustic receiver 124 may be configured to receive the first NDGAW from the first electro-acoustic transmitter array 112, and the third electro-acoustic receiver 134 may be configured to receive the second NDGAW from the second electro-acoustic transmitter array 122. As another example, the elongate tubular body 30 may include one or more reflective points 90, an example of a reflective point 90 being an interface area between a given tubular segment 38 and a corresponding coupler 40, and is within the scope of the present disclosure. Under these conditions, the acoustic waves transmitted by the elongate tubular body 30 may be reflected at the reflection point 90, thereby generating reflected acoustic waves. In this regard, the second electro-acoustic receiver 124 may additionally be configured to receive a first reflected sound wave from the elongate tubular body and/or from the first reflection point, and the third electro-acoustic receiver 134 may be configured to receive a second reflected sound wave from the elongate tubular body and/or from the second reflection point.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the first electro-acoustic receiver 114, the second electro-acoustic receiver 124, and/or the third electro-acoustic receiver 134 may be or may be referred to herein as an electro-acoustic receiver array comprising a plurality of individual electro-acoustic receivers spaced circumferentially or equidistantly around the circumference of the elongate tubular body. This is shown in fig. 7-8 and discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 7-8. When the communication network 20 includes an array of electro-acoustic receivers, the array of electro-acoustic receivers may include any suitable number of individual electro-acoustic receivers. As an example, the array of electro-acoustic receivers may comprise at least 2, at least 3, at least 4, at least 5, at least 6, at least 8, at least 10, at least 12, at least 18, or at least 36 electro-acoustic receivers.

The electro-acoustic transmitter array and/or electro-acoustic receiver disclosed herein may include and/or may be defined by any suitable structure. As an example, each electroacoustic transmitter array may include one or more piezoelectric transmitter stacks and/or one or more electromagnetic acoustic transmitters. As additional examples, each electro-acoustic receiver may include one or more piezoelectric receiver stacks and/or one or more electromagnetic acoustic receivers.

An example of a piezoelectric element 180 that may be used in the piezoelectric transmitter stack and/or the piezoelectric receiver stack disclosed herein is shown in fig. 3. The piezoelectric element 180 may comprise and/or be an in-plane shear piezoelectric transducer, as shown in solid lines in fig. 3, configured to transition from an unexcited conformation 182 to an excited conformation 184 in response to application of an excitation voltage V thereto, as shown in dashed and dotted lines in fig. 3. As also shown, this transition occurs in the excitation plane 186 and along the excitation axis 188. Accordingly, an in-plane shear piezoelectric transducer can be used to generate directionally-directed acoustic waves (such as NDGAW) within an elongate tubular body (such as elongate tubular body 30 of fig. 1-2).

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that a single element and/or device may define a given electro-acoustic transmitter array and corresponding electro-acoustic receiver for a given relay node 100. Alternatively, separate and/or distinct elements may define a given array of electro-acoustic transmitters and corresponding electro-acoustic receivers of a given relay node 100, which is also within the scope of the present disclosure. Under these conditions, and with reference to fig. 2, at least a portion or even the entirety of the first electro-acoustic transmitter array 112 may be spaced apart and/or distinct from the first electro-acoustic receiver 114. Additionally or alternatively, at least a portion or even the entirety of the second electro-acoustic transmitter array 122 may be spaced apart and/or distinct from the second electro-acoustic receiver 124. Similarly, at least a portion or even the entirety of the third electro-acoustic transmitter array 132 may be spaced apart and/or distinct from the third electro-acoustic receiver 134.

With continued reference to fig. 2, the relay nodes 100 (such as the first relay node 110, the second relay node 120, and/or the third relay node 130) are spaced apart from one another along the length or longitudinal axis 31 of the elongate tubular body 30. Accordingly, the relay nodes 100 may also be referred to herein as spaced apart relay nodes 100, and the average spacing or distance between adjacent relay nodes 100 may have any suitable value, which is within the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, the average distance between adjacent relay nodes may be at least 1 meter (m), at least 2.5 meters, at least 5 meters, at least 7.5 meters, at least 10 meters, at least 12.5 meters, at least 15 meters, at least 20 meters, at least 25 meters, at least 30 meters, at least 40 meters, at least 50 meters, or at least 60 meters. Additionally or alternatively, the average distance between adjacent relay nodes may be at most 100 meters, at most 90 meters, at most 80 meters, at most 70 meters, at most 60 meters, at most 50 meters, at most 40 meters, at most 30 meters, at most 25 meters, at most 20 meters, or at most 15 meters.

The elongate tubular body 30 can include any suitable structure in which acoustic waves can be induced and/or transmitted. By way of example, the elongate tubular body 30 can comprise and/or be a metal elongate tubular body. As additional examples, the elongate tubular body 30 may additionally or alternatively include and/or be tubing 32, a drill string 42, a casing string 44, and/or production tubing 46. In other words, and as discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 1, the elongate tubular body 30 may be included in and/or may form a portion of the well 11, the hydrocarbon well 12, the production tubing 46 for the hydrocarbon well 12, the casing string 44 for the hydrocarbon well 12, the tubing 32, the hydrocarbon tubing 32, and/or the container 19. Furthermore, and as discussed herein with reference to fig. 1, the elongate tubular body 30 and any suitable portion of the wireless data transmission network 50 associated therewith may extend at least partially or even completely within the subterranean zone 14, may extend at least partially or even completely underwater or in the underwater zone 18, and/or may extend at least partially or even completely above ground or in the surface zone 17.

As discussed, a communication network, relay node and method according to the present disclosure may utilize an array of electro-acoustic transmitters to induce non-dispersive guided acoustic waves (NDGAW) within an elongate tubular body. Such NDGAWs may be aligned with the elongate axis of the elongate tubular body and/or may be directional in nature. To sense such NDGAW, and as discussed, each electroacoustic transmitter array may sense NDGAW at a plurality of locations around the circumference of the elongate tubular body. Such a configuration, shown in fig. 5-10 and discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 5-10, may be contrasted with a prior art relay node 70, an example of which is shown in fig. 4. Such prior art relay nodes utilize a single electro-acoustic transmitter to generate non-directional sound waves 72 at a single location. Such non-directional acoustic waves dissipate faster or over a shorter distance than NDGAWs generated by an array of electro-acoustic transmitters according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 5-10 illustrate examples of a relay node 100 according to the present disclosure. The relay node 100 of fig. 5-10 may form part of the wireless data transmission network 50 and/or the communication network 20 and may be similar to or may be identical to the relay node 100 of fig. 1-2. In this regard, any of the structures, functions, and/or features discussed herein with reference to the relay node 100 of fig. 5-10 may be included in and/or used with the communication network 20, the wireless data transmission network 50, and/or the relay node 100 of fig. 1-2 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Similarly, any of the structures, functions, and/or features discussed herein with reference to the communication network 20, the wireless data transmission network 50, and/or the relay node 100 of fig. 1-2 may be included in and/or used with the relay node 100 of fig. 5-10 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, any of the structures, functions, and/or features shown and/or disclosed herein with reference to any of the relay nodes 100 of any of fig. 5-10 may be included in and/or used with any of the other relay nodes 100 of any of fig. 5-10 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a less schematic side view illustrating a relay node 100 according to the present disclosure, while fig. 6 is a less schematic cross-sectional view of the relay node of fig. 5 taken along line 6-6 of fig. 5. The relay node 100 of fig. 5-6 is operatively attached to the elongate tubular body 30 and includes a plurality of electroacoustic transmitters 140 spaced circumferentially or equidistantly around the circumference of the elongate tubular body 30. The electro-acoustic transducer 140 may include and/or be any suitable structure, examples of which include a piezoelectric transducer stack 142, an in-plane shear d36 type PMNT piezoelectric wafer, and/or an electro-acoustic transducer. When the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 includes a piezoelectric transmitter stack 142, the piezoelectric transmitter stack may include any suitable number of stacked piezoelectric transmitter wafers, including at least 2, at least 3, at least 4, or at least 5 stacked piezoelectric transmitter wafers. The electro-acoustic transmitter 140 is configured to induce transmitted acoustic waves in the form of non-dispersive guided acoustic waves (NDGAW) within the elongate tubular body 30.

In the example of fig. 5-6, at least one and optionally all of the electro-acoustic transmitters 140 also function as electro-acoustic receivers 150. As such, the relay node 100 of fig. 5-6 may also be referred to herein as including an array of electro-acoustic transmitters and an array of electro-acoustic receivers. The relay node 100 shown in fig. 5-6 comprises four electro-acoustic transmitters 140 and up to four electro-acoustic receivers 150; however, this is not required and the relay node 100 may comprise any suitable number of electro-acoustic transmitters 140, examples of which are disclosed herein.

The individual electro-acoustic transmitters 140 within the relay node 100 are oriented relative to each other such that the relay node 100 is configured to induce NDGAW within the elongate tubular body 30. Such NDGAW may comprise, consist of, consist essentially of, or be a torsional shear wave 60, wherein the torsional shear wave 60 propagates along a propagation axis 62 parallel to the longitudinal axis 31 of the elongate tubular body or parallel to the propagation axis 62 and vibrates along a vibration axis 64 perpendicular to or rotating about the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body or parallel to the vibration axis 64.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side view illustrating an additional relay node 100 according to the present disclosure, and fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the relay node of fig. 7 taken along line 8-8 of fig. 7. The relay node 100 of fig. 7-8 includes an array of electro-acoustic transmitters including a plurality of electro-acoustic transmitters 140 spaced circumferentially around the circumference of the elongate tubular body 30. In addition, the relay node 100 of fig. 7-8 further comprises at least one electro-acoustic receiver 150 and optionally a plurality of circumferentially spaced electro-acoustic receivers 150, as shown in dashed lines. The electro-acoustic transmitter array is configured to induce transmitted sound waves in the form of NDGAW within the elongate tubular body, and the at least one electro-acoustic receiver is configured to receive received sound waves from the elongate tubular body.

Similar to fig. 5-6, the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 of fig. 7-8 may include and/or be any suitable structure, examples of which are discussed herein with reference to fig. 5-6. Also similar to fig. 5-6, the relay node 100 may include any suitable number of electro-acoustic transmitters 140, and the electro-acoustic transmitters 140 may be configured to induce transmitted sound waves in the form of NDGAW in the elongate tubular body 30 to which the electro-acoustic transmitters are attached.

In the embodiment of fig. 7-8, the at least one electro-acoustic receiver 150 is distinct and/or spaced apart from the plurality of electro-acoustic transmitters 140. Such a configuration may allow one or more characteristics and/or features of the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 to be selected and/or optimized to generate sound waves within the elongate tubular body 30, while one or more characteristics and/or features of the electro-acoustic receiver 150 may be selected and/or optimized to receive sound waves from the elongate tubular body 30. The at least one electro-acoustic receiver may comprise any suitable structure. As an example, the electro-acoustic receiver may include or be a piezoelectric receiver stack 152. The piezoelectric receiver stack may comprise at least 2, at least 3, at least 4 or at least 5 stacked piezoelectric receiver wafers. As another example, the electro-acoustic receiver may comprise or be an electro-magnetic acoustic receiver. Regardless of the exact configuration, the at least one electro-acoustic receiver 150 may be configured to receive received sound waves from the elongate tubular body 30.

As discussed herein with reference to fig. 2, the elongate tubular body 30 can include a reflection point 90, and the reflection point 90 can reflect the transmitted sound waves. As such, the received sound wave may be different from the transmitted sound wave, or have a different mode than the transmitted sound wave. Under these conditions, the received sound wave may also be referred to herein as a reflected sound wave, and the electro-acoustic receiver 150 may be configured to receive the reflected sound wave. As an example, the reflection point 90 may convert at least a portion of the NDGAW comprising the transmitted sound waves into a compressed sound wave comprising the reflected sound waves. Under these conditions, the electro-acoustic receiver 150 may include a reflected acoustic wave receiver 154 and an NDGAW receiver 156, as shown in fig. 7. The reflected acoustic wave receiver 154 may be different, structurally different, spaced apart, and/or not coextensive with the NDGAW receiver 156. The reflected sound waves may also include one or more of the following: higher order torsional sound waves such as T (0, 2) sound waves, longitudinal sound waves such as L (0, 2) sound waves, and/or flexural sound waves, and the electro-acoustic receiver may be configured to receive any or even all of these sound waves.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the relay node 100 of fig. 5-8 may include and/or be operatively attached to at least a portion of the elongate tubular body 30 (such as to the coupler 40). Under these conditions, the acoustic transmitter 140 and one or more electro-acoustic receivers 150 of the electro-acoustic transmitter array may be operably attached to a portion of the elongate tubular body, such as via the attachment structure 160. Examples of attachment structures 160 are disclosed herein.

Fig. 9 is another schematic side view illustrating another relay node 100 according to the present disclosure. The relay node 100 of fig. 9 includes an electro-acoustic transmitter 140 in the form of a ring 144 that may be operably attached to the elongate tubular body 30 and extend circumferentially around the elongate tubular body 30. Similar to the plurality of individual, distinct and/or spaced apart electroacoustic transmitters 140 of fig. 5-8, the ring 144 of fig. 9 may be configured to induce transmitted acoustic waves within the elongate tubular body 30 at a plurality of locations around the circumference of the elongate tubular body and/or within a line extending continuously around the elongate tubular body. The ring 144 may include and/or be defined by any suitable structure, examples of which are disclosed herein with reference to the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 of fig. 5-8.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating a relay node 100 according to the present disclosure. Fig. 10 illustrates that the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 and/or electro-acoustic receiver 150 of the relay node 100 may be operably attached to the elongate tubular body 30 and/or incorporated into the communication network 20 in any suitable manner. By way of example, and as shown in phantom in fig. 10, the electroacoustic transmitter 140 and/or the electroacoustic receiver 150 may be operably attached to the outer surface 36 of the elongate tubular body 30. As another example, and as shown in phantom in fig. 10, the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 and/or electro-acoustic receiver 150 may be operatively attached to the inner surface 34 of the elongate tubular body 30. As yet another example, and as shown by the phantom lines in fig. 10, the electroacoustic transmitter 140 and/or the electroacoustic receiver 150 may extend through the elongate tubular body 30 and/or may extend between the outer surface 36 and the inner surface 34. As another example, and as shown in dotted lines in fig. 10, the electro-acoustic transmitter 140 and/or electro-acoustic receiver 150 may be positioned at least partially within the elongate tubular body 30 and/or may be encapsulated within the elongate tubular body 30.

Fig. 11 is a schematic representation of an in-plane torsional shear acoustic wave 60 that may be used with communications networks, relay nodes, and methods according to the present disclosure, and fig. 12 is a schematic representation of a compression wave 80 that may be used with communications networks, relay nodes, and methods according to the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 11, the in-plane torsional shear acoustic wave 60 may propagate along a propagation axis 62 or parallel to the propagation axis 62, the propagation axis 62 being parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 31 of the elongate tubular body 30. The in-plane torsional shear acoustic waves may also cause the material comprising the elongate tubular body 30 to vibrate along or parallel to a vibration axis 64 that is perpendicular, or at least substantially perpendicular, to the longitudinal axis 31, and/or to rotate about the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis 31 may also be referred to herein as the elongated shaft 31.

The compression wave 80 shown in fig. 12 may also propagate along a propagation axis 82 or parallel to the propagation axis 82, the propagation axis 82 being parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 31 of the elongate tubular body 30. However, the compression waves cause the material comprising the elongate tubular body to vibrate along or parallel to the vibration axis 84, the vibration axis 84 being parallel or at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

The communication networks, relay nodes, and methods disclosed herein preferably transmit, induce, and/or utilize non-dispersive guided acoustic waves (NDGAW), such as the in-plane torsional shear acoustic waves 60 shown in fig. 11, for communication between adjacent relay nodes. Such waves are essentially non-dispersive and therefore propagate over longer distances than dispersive waves, such as the compressional wave 80 shown in fig. 12. This is illustrated in fig. 13, which is a graph comparing the propagation of in-plane torsional shear acoustic waves 190 with compression acoustic waves 192 along the length of the elongate tubular body. Fig. 13 depicts the relative power of in-plane torsional shear sound waves 190 and compressional sound waves 192 as a function of frequency for three different distances from the transmitter, 3 feet (indicated at 194), 95 feet (indicated at 196), and 295 feet (indicated at 198). As can be seen from fig. 13, the in-plane torsional shear acoustic wave 190 generally exhibits higher relative power at a given distance from the transmitter and over a wide portion of the plotted frequency range compared to the compressional acoustic wave 192.

While the communication networks, relay nodes, and methods disclosed herein preferably utilize NDGAW, these communication networks, relay nodes, and methods also recognize that NDGAW may be converted into a dispersed wave through a transmission medium, such as through a reflection point 90 within the elongate tubular body 30, which is shown in fig. 2 and discussed herein with reference to fig. 2. Accordingly, the electro-acoustic receivers disclosed herein may include both a reflected sonic receiver 154 and an NDGAW receiver 156, as shown in fig. 7 and discussed herein with reference to fig. 7. Such a configuration may provide increased flexibility and/or improved acoustic detection in which acoustic waves are transmitted within the elongate tubular body 30 of fig. 1-12. Additionally or alternatively, such a configuration may also allow the sensor node 170 of fig. 2 to communicate with the relay node 100 via dispersive acoustic waves (such as the compression wave 80 of fig. 12).

Fig. 14 is a flow chart depicting a method 200 of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes spaced along an elongate tubular body in accordance with the present disclosure. The method 200 may be used to transmit data in any suitable direction and/or along any suitable elongate tubular body, examples of which are disclosed herein. By way of example, and as shown in fig. 1, method 200 may be used to transmit data from subterranean formation 15 to surface region 17, from surface region 17 to subterranean formation 15, within surface region 17, from surface region 17 to subsea region 18, and/or from subsea region 18 to surface region 17.

The method 200 can include sensing a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body at 210 and including sensing a first acoustic wave at 220, transmitting the first acoustic wave at 230, and receiving the first acoustic wave at 240. The method 200 also includes sensing a second acoustic wave at 250, transmitting the second acoustic wave at 260, and receiving the second acoustic wave at 270. The method 200 may also include repeating at least a portion of the method at 280.

Sensing a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body at 210 may include sensing any suitable characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body in any suitable manner. As an example, sensing at 210 may include sensing with a sensor node (such as sensor node 170 of fig. 2) spaced apart from a plurality of relay nodes. However, this is not required, and sensing at 210 may include sensing with, via, and/or with one or more of the plurality of relay nodes, which is within the scope of the present disclosure. Examples of characteristics related to the elongate tubular body and/or components of the sensor node are disclosed herein with reference to the sensor node 170.

As a more specific example, sensing at 210 may include sensing with and/or via the first acoustic wave. Under these conditions, the sensor node may be configured to detect and/or determine the first acoustic wave as a function of time and/or a change over time, which may be indicative of a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body.

As another more specific example, sensing at 210 may include inductively sensing sound waves within the elongate tubular body and with a sensor electro-acoustic transmitter of the sensor node. The sensed acoustic waves may be indicative of a property associated with the elongate tubular body and may include and/or be any suitable acoustic wave, examples of which include compressional acoustic waves, shear acoustic waves, non-dispersive guided acoustic waves, longitudinal acoustic waves, and/or in-plane torsional shear acoustic waves. The sensing at 210 may further include transmitting the sensed acoustic wave to a first electro-acoustic receiver of a first relay node of the plurality of relay nodes via the elongate tubular body. Sensing at 210 may also include receiving a sensed acoustic wave from the elongate tubular body with the first electro-acoustic receiver.

When the method 200 includes sensing at 210, the data transmitted between the plurality of relay nodes may include and/or indicate a characteristic related to the elongate tubular body. In other words, the sensing at 220 may be based at least in part on the sensed acoustic wave and/or may be initiated in response to the sensed acoustic wave being received by the first electro-acoustic receiver.

Inducing the first acoustic wave at 220 can include inducing the first acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body. The sensing at 220 may further include sensing a first acoustic wave with a first electro-acoustic transmitter array of the first relay node. The first acoustic wave is indicative of data and comprises, consists essentially of, consists of, and/or consists essentially of a first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave (NDGAW), examples of which are disclosed herein. In other words, the first electro-acoustic transmitter array is specifically adapted, configured, designed and/or constructed to preferentially generate and/or induce NDGAW within the elongate tubular body. As discussed in greater detail herein, such NDGAWs may propagate a greater distance than dispersive acoustic waves within the elongated tubular body, thereby allowing the communication networks, relay nodes, and methods disclosed herein to operate with fewer relay nodes and/or with greater spacing between relay nodes than prior art wireless data transmission networks that do not utilize NDGAWs for communication between relay nodes that may be associated therewith.

The sensing at 220 may include sensing any suitable first acoustic wave, and is within the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, the inducing at 220 may include inducing a first ultrasonic wave within the elongate tubular body. As another example, the inducing at 220 may include inducing sound waves having a frequency of at least 20 kilohertz (kHz), at least 30kHz, at least 40kHz, at least 50kHz, at least 75kHz, at least 100kHz, at most 200kHz, at most 175kHz, at most 150kHz, at most 125kHz, or at most 100 kHz.

As discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 5-8 and 10, the first electro-acoustic transmitter array may include a plurality of first electro-acoustic transmitters spaced circumferentially around a circumference of the elongate tubular body. Under these conditions, the sensing at 220 may include cooperatively and/or collectively sensing the first acoustic wave with, via, and/or with the first plurality of electro-acoustic transmitters. Additionally or alternatively, and as discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 9, the first electroacoustic transmitter array may comprise a first ring extending circumferentially around a circumference of the elongate tubular body. Under these conditions, the inducing at 220 may include inducing the first acoustic wave with, via, and/or with the first loop.

Transmitting the first acoustic wave at 230 can include transmitting the first acoustic wave via, through, within, and/or with the elongate tubular body. The transmitting at 230 may further include transmitting the first acoustic wave to a second relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, and the second relay node may be spaced apart from the first relay node along a longitudinal axis, an elongated axis, or a length of the elongated tubular body. In other words, a portion or sub-region of the elongate tubular body may extend or be divided between the first relay node and the second relay node; however, neither the first relay node nor the second relay node need intersect or be partially coextensive with the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the first acoustic wave may be transmitted primarily through or within the elongate tubular body between the first relay node and the second relay node. In other words, the transmitting at 230 may consist essentially of transmitting the first acoustic wave within or via vibrations of the elongate tubular body, such as by generating the first vibrations within the elongate tubular body. This may include generating a first vibration such that the first vibration propagates along or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body and/or generating a first vibration such that the first vibration generates motion within the elongate tubular body and along an axis of rotation perpendicular to or about the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body.

The transmitting at 230 may include transmitting the first acoustic wave at any suitable first transmission distance or first distance, which is within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the first distance may be at least 1 meter (m), at least 2 meters, at least 5 meters, at least 10 meters, at least 15 meters, at least 20 meters, at least 25 meters, at least 30 meters, at least 40 meters, at least 50 meters, or at least 60 meters.

Receiving the first sound wave at 240 may include receiving the first sound wave with a second electro-acoustic receiver of the second relay node. Examples of a second electro-acoustic receiver are disclosed herein. The receiving at 240 may include receiving at least a portion of the first NDGAW with a second electro-acoustic receiver. Additionally or alternatively, and as discussed herein with reference to fig. 2, the elongate tubular body may comprise a first reflection point. Under these conditions, the transmitting at 230 may include converting at least a portion of the first sound wave into a first reflected sound wave in response to the reflection of the first sound wave at the first reflection point, and the receiving the first sound wave may include receiving at least a portion of the first reflected sound wave with the second electro-acoustic receiver.

Sensing the second acoustic wave at 250 may include sensing the second acoustic wave within the elongated tubular body and/or with a second electro-acoustic transmitter of the second relay node. The second acoustic wave may consist essentially of the second NDGAW, and the induction at 250 may be initiated in response to receiving the first acoustic wave by a second electro-acoustic receiver of the second relay node or in response thereto.

The sensing at 250 may include sensing any suitable second acoustic wave, and is within the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, the inducing at 250 can include inducing a second ultrasonic wave within the elongate tubular body. As another example, the inducing at 250 may include inducing the second sound wave having a frequency of at least 20 kilohertz (kHz), at least 30kHz, at least 40kHz, at least 50kHz, at least 75kHz, at least 100kHz, at most 200kHz, at most 175kHz, at most 150kHz, at most 125kHz, or at most 100 kHz.

As discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 5-8 and 10, the second electro-acoustic transmitter array may include a plurality of second electro-acoustic transmitters spaced circumferentially around the circumference of the elongate tubular body. Under these conditions, the sensing at 250 may include cooperatively and/or collectively sensing a second acoustic wave with, via, and/or with a plurality of second electro-acoustic transmitters. Additionally or alternatively, and as discussed in more detail herein with reference to fig. 9, the second electro-acoustic transmitter array may include a second ring extending circumferentially around a perimeter of the elongate tubular body. Under these conditions, the inducing at 220 may include inducing a second acoustic wave with, via, and/or with the second loop.

Conveying the second acoustic wave at 260 can include conveying the second acoustic wave via, through, within, and/or with the elongate tubular body. The transmitting at 260 may also include transmitting the second sound wave to a third relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, and the third relay node may be spaced apart from the first relay node and the second relay node along the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that the second acoustic wave may be transmitted between the second relay node and the third relay node primarily through or within the elongate tubular body. In other words, the transmission at 260 may substantially transmit the second sound waves by vibrations within or via the elongate tubular body, such as by generating second vibrations within the elongate tubular body. This may include generating the second vibration such that the second vibration propagates along or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body and/or generating the second vibration such that the second vibration generates motion within the elongate tubular body and along an axis that is perpendicular to or rotates about the longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body.

The transmitting at 260 may include transmitting the second acoustic wave at any suitable second transmission distance or second distance, and is within the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, the second distance may be at least 1 meter (m), at least 2 meters, at least 5 meters, at least 10 meters, at least 15 meters, at least 20 meters, at least 25 meters, or at least 30 meters.

Receiving the second sound wave at 270 may include receiving the second sound wave with a third electro-acoustic receiver of a third relay node. Examples of a third electro-acoustic receiver are disclosed herein. The receiving at 270 may include receiving at least a portion of the second NDGAW with a third electro-acoustic receiver. Additionally or alternatively, and as discussed herein with reference to fig. 2, the elongate tubular body may comprise a second reflection point. Under these conditions, the transmitting at 260 may include converting at least a portion of the second sound wave into a second reflected sound wave in response to the reflection of the second sound wave at the second reflection point, and the receiving the second sound wave may include receiving at least a portion of the second reflected sound wave with the third electro-acoustic receiver.

Repeating at least part of the method at 280 may include repeating any suitable part of the method 200 in any suitable manner. As an example, the plurality of relay nodes may comprise a plurality of relay nodes sufficient to transmit data along a substantial portion, or even the entirety, of the length of the elongate tubular body. Under these conditions, the repeating at 280 may include repeating the sensing at least 220, the transmitting at 230, and the receiving at 240 for one or more subsequent or additional relay nodes to transmit data along a majority or even the entirety of the length of the elongate tubular body.

The elongate tubular body may have and/or define any suitable length. As an example, the length of the elongate tubular body may be at least 1 meter, at least 50 meters, at least 100 meters, at least 250 meters, at least 500 meters, or at least 1000 meters.

The plurality of relay nodes may include any suitable number of relay nodes. As an example, the plurality of relay nodes may include at least 3, at least 5, at least 10, at least 20, at least 30, at least 40, or at least 50 relay nodes spaced along the length of the elongate tubular body.

In this disclosure, several illustrative, non-exclusive examples have been discussed and/or presented in the context of flow diagrams, where the method is shown and described as a series of blocks or steps. Unless specifically set forth in the accompanying description, the order of the blocks may be different from that shown in the flowchart, including when two or more blocks (or steps) occur in different orders and/or concurrently, and remain within the scope of the disclosure. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that blocks or steps may be implemented as logic and that logic may also be described as implementing blocks or steps as logic. In some applications, a block or step may represent an expression and/or an action performed by a functionally equivalent circuit or other logic device. The illustrated blocks may, but need not, represent executable instructions that cause a computer, processor, and/or other logic device to respond, perform an action, change state, generate an output or display, and/or make a decision.

As used herein, the term "and/or" placed between a first entity and a second entity means one of (1) the first entity, (2) the second entity, and (3) the first entity and the second entity. Multiple entities listed with "and/or" should be interpreted in the same way, i.e., "one or more" of the entities so combined. In addition to the entities specifically identified by the "and/or" clause, other entities may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open language such as "including," references to "a and/or B" may refer in one embodiment to only a (optionally including entities other than B); in another embodiment to B only (optionally including entities other than a); in yet another embodiment, refer to both a and B (optionally including other entities). These entities may refer to elements, acts, structures, steps, operations, values, etc.

As used herein, the phrase "at least one" referring to a list of one or more entities should be understood to mean at least one entity selected from any one or more entities in the list of entities, but does not necessarily include at least one of each and every entity specifically listed in the list of entities, and does not exclude any combination of entities in the list of entities. This definition also allows for entities that may optionally be present other than the specifically identified entities in the list of entities referred to by the phrase "at least one," whether related or unrelated to those specifically identified entities. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of a and B" (or, equivalently, "at least one of a or B," or, equivalently "at least one of a and/or B") may refer in one embodiment to at least one, optionally including more than one, a, absent B (and optionally including an entity other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, a is absent (and optionally includes an entity other than a); in yet another embodiment, at least one, optionally including more than one, a, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other entities). In other words, the phrases "at least one," "one or more," and/or "are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, the expressions "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "one or more of A, B and C", "one or more of A, B or C", and "A, B and/or C" may denote any one of a alone, B alone, C, A and B alone together, a and C together, B and C together, A, B and C together, and optionally in combination with at least one other entity above.

In the case where any patent, patent application, or other reference is incorporated by reference herein and (1) defines a term in a manner that is inconsistent with either the unincorporated portion of the present disclosure or any other incorporated reference and/or (2) is otherwise inconsistent with either the unincorporated portion of the present disclosure or any other incorporated reference, the unincorporated portion of the present disclosure should predominate, and the term or incorporated disclosure therein should only be predominant over the reference in which that term is defined and/or in which the incorporated disclosure originally existed.

As used herein, the terms "adapted to" and "configured" mean that an element, component, or other subject matter is designed and/or intended to perform a given function. Thus, use of the terms "adapted to" and "configured" should not be construed to mean that a given element, component, or other subject matter is only "capable of" performing a given function, but rather that the element, component, and/or other subject matter is specifically selected, created, implemented, utilized, programmed, and/or designed to perform that function. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that elements, components, and/or other stated subject matter that are stated as being adapted to perform a particular function may additionally or alternatively be described as being configured to perform that function, and vice versa.

As used herein, the phrase "for example," the phrase "as an example" and/or the term "example" merely, when referring to one or more components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods according to the present disclosure, is intended to convey that the described components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods are illustrative, non-exclusive examples of components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods according to the present disclosure. Thus, the described components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods are not intended to be limiting, required, or exclusive/exhaustive; and other components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods (including structurally and/or functionally similar and/or equivalent components, features, details, structures, embodiments, and/or methods) are also within the scope of the disclosure.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The communication network, relay node and method disclosed herein are applicable to the oil and gas industry.

The above disclosure is believed to cover a number of different inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Similarly, where the claims recite "a" or "a first" element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

It is believed that the following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations directed to one of the disclosed inventions and are novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data between a plurality of relay nodes spaced along an elongate tubular body, the method comprising:

inducing, within the elongated tubular body and with a first electro-acoustic transmitter array of a first relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, a first acoustic wave indicative of data and consisting essentially of a directionally oriented first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW having an ultrasonic frequency greater than 20 kHz;

transmitting, via the elongate tubular body, the first acoustic wave to a second relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, wherein the second relay node is spaced apart from the first relay node along a longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body;

receiving a first sound wave with a second electro-acoustic receiver of the second relay node;

in response to receiving the first acoustic wave, inducing a second acoustic wave within the elongated tubular body and with a second electro-acoustic transmitter array of the second relay node, the second acoustic wave indicative of data and consisting essentially of a directionally oriented second non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW having an ultrasonic frequency greater than 20 kHz;

transmitting, via the elongate tubular body, the second sound wave to a third relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, wherein the third relay node is spaced apart from the first relay node and the second relay node along a longitudinal axis of the elongate tubular body;

receiving the second acoustic wave with a third electro-acoustic receiver of the third relay node;

wherein each of the first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW and the second non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW includes a torsional acoustic wave mode and a longitudinal acoustic wave mode, and the second non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW is responsive to the first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW; and

wherein prior to inducing the first acoustic wave, the method further comprises sensing a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body, the data transmitted between the plurality of relay nodes being indicative of the characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first acoustic wave substantially comprises transmitting the first acoustic wave within the elongated tubular body, and wherein transmitting the second acoustic wave substantially comprises transmitting the second acoustic wave within the elongated tubular body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first acoustic wave includes receiving at least a portion of the first non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW with a second electro-acoustic receiver, and wherein receiving the second acoustic wave includes receiving at least a portion of the second non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW with a third electro-acoustic receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the elongate tubular body includes a first reflection point, wherein transmitting the first acoustic wave includes converting at least a portion of the first acoustic wave into a first reflected acoustic wave in response to reflection of the first acoustic wave at the first reflection point, and further wherein receiving the first acoustic wave includes receiving at least a portion of the first reflected acoustic wave with the second electro-acoustic receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body comprises at least one of: measurement of scale formation within the elongate tubular body, measurement of hydrate formation within the elongate tubular body, measurement of viscosity of a fluid extending within and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of viscosity of a fluid outside of and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of fluid composition of a fluid extending within and in contact with the elongate tubular body, measurement of fluid composition of a fluid outside of and in contact with the elongate tubular body, and measurement of integrity of the elongate tubular body.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein sensing comprises sensing with a sensor node spaced apart from the plurality of relay nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

(i) sensing a sensed acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body and with the sensor electro-acoustic transmitter of the sensor node, the sensed acoustic wave indicative of a characteristic associated with the elongate tubular body;

(ii) transmitting the sensed acoustic waves via the elongate tubular body to a first electro-acoustic receiver of a first relay node; and

(iii) receiving, via the elongate tubular body, a sensed acoustic wave with the first electro-acoustic receiver of the first relay node, wherein the inducing the first acoustic wave is based at least in part on the receiving the sensed acoustic wave.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electro-acoustic transducer array includes a first plurality of electro-acoustic transducers circumferentially spaced around a circumference of the elongate tubular body, and further wherein sensing the first acoustic wave includes sensing with the first plurality of electro-acoustic transducers.

9. A communication network, comprising:

an elongate tubular body; and

a wireless data transmission network comprising:

a first relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, wherein the first relay node comprises (i) a first electro-acoustic transmitter array configured to induce a first acoustic wave within an elongate tubular body, and (ii) a first electro-acoustic receiver;

a second relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, wherein the second relay node comprises (iii) a second electro-acoustic transmitter array configured to induce a second acoustic wave within the elongate tubular body, and (iv) a second electro-acoustic receiver configured to receive the first acoustic wave from the elongate tubular body; and

a third relay node of the plurality of relay nodes, wherein the third relay node comprises (v) a third electro-acoustic transmitter array, and (vi) a third electro-acoustic receiver configured to receive second acoustic waves from an elongate tubular body;

wherein the wireless data transmission network is programmed to transmit data between the first relay node, the second relay node and the third relay node using the method of any of claims 1-8.

10. The communication network of claim 9, further comprising:

a relay node configured to transmit the transmitted acoustic waves along and receive the received acoustic waves from the elongate tubular body, the relay node comprising:

an electro-acoustic transmitter array comprising at least three electro-acoustic transmitters, wherein the at least three electro-acoustic transmitters are circumferentially spaced around a perimeter of the elongate tubular body, wherein the at least three electro-acoustic transmitters are configured to induce transmitted sound waves within the elongate tubular body in the form of non-dispersive guided sound waves, NDGAW; and

an electro-acoustic receiver circumferentially spaced around a perimeter of the elongate tubular body from the at least three electro-acoustic transmitters, wherein the electro-acoustic receiver is configured to receive received sound waves from the elongate tubular body.

11. The communications network of claim 10, wherein each respective electro-acoustic transmitter of said array of electro-acoustic transmitters comprises at least one of:

a respective piezoelectric transmitter stack;

a respective piezoelectric transmitter stack comprising at least one stacked piezoelectric transmitter wafer;

a corresponding in-plane shear d36 type PMNT piezoelectric wafer; and

a corresponding electromagnetic acoustic transmitter.

12. The communication network of claim 10, wherein said electro-acoustic receiver comprises at least one of:

a piezoelectric receiver stack;

a piezoelectric receiver stack comprising at least one stacked piezoelectric receiver wafer;

a corresponding in-plane shear d36 type PMNT piezoelectric wafer; and

an electromagnetic acoustic receiver.

13. The communications network of claim 10, wherein said electro-acoustic receiver comprises:

(i) a reflected acoustic wave receiver configured to receive reflected acoustic waves from the elongate tubular body; and

(ii) a non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW receiver configured to receive a non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW from an elongate tubular body, wherein the reflected acoustic wave receiver is distinct from the non-dispersive guided acoustic wave NDGAW receiver.

14. The communications network of claim 10, wherein a single transverse cross-section of said elongated tubular body intersects each of said at least three electro-acoustic transmitters and said electro-acoustic receivers.