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At least 19 records

Laboratory evaluation of distributed coaxial cable temperature sensors for application in CO 2 sequestration well characterization: Original Research Article: Laboratory evaluation of distributed coaxial cable temperature

Downhole monitoring plays a crucial part in a geological carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration project, especially in providing early warnings of failure. However, most downhole monitoring technologies are often low in spatial resolution and time-consuming, or expensive and have system longevity issues. To address this issue, a robust and cost-effective distributed coaxial cable Fabry-Perot interferometer-based temperature sensor is proposed for real-time downhole monitoring. The coaxial cable sensor (CCS) was made in house and tested using a high pressure high temperature (HPHT) testing apparatus to study the sensor accuracy, sensitivity, stability, and crosstalk effect in simulated downhole conditions. The laboratory test results indicate that the sensor can work under simulated downhole conditions of pressures up to 1000 psia and temperatures up to 110°C. At 1 ATM, the sensor has an accuracy of about 1%. At 1000 psia, the hysteresis phenomenon is observed, but it is reduced and tends to stabilize after repeated heating and cooling treatments. The pressure crosstalk effect was observed on the flexible cable sensor and minimized on the rigid cable sensor. The temperature and pressure range of the distributed CCS allows long-term in situ monitoring for a well depth up to 2500 feet, which would prove of great value in detecting temperature change associated with wellbore leakage that may lead to groundwater contamination.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Coaxial cable connector

A coaxial cable connector is provided, which resists radio frequency breakdown in coaxial cables used in the vacuum of outer space. The connector body surrounds an insulator which includes an easily compressible elastomeric portion. An insulated coaxial cable is prepared so that its insulation projects beyond the outer conductor and compresses the elastomeric portion of the connector insulator.

Caro, Edward R.↗

System for stabilizing cable phase delay utilizing a coaxial cable under pressure

Stabilizing the phase delay of signals passing through a pressurizable coaxial cable is disclosed. Signals from an appropriate source at a selected frequency, e.g., 100 MHz, are sent through the controlled cable from a first cable end to a second cable end which, electrically, is open or heavily mismatched at 100 MHz, thereby reflecting 100 MHz signals back to the first cable end. Thereat, the phase difference between the reflected-back signals and the signals from the source is detected by a phase detector. The output of the latter is used to control the flow of gas to or from the cable, thereby controlling the cable pressure, which in turn affects the cable phase delay.

Clements, P. A.↗

Coaxial cable stripper for confined areas

Manual coaxial cable stripper quickly and accurately prepares a coaxial cable in a confined area. With this tool, preparation time is greatly reduced, and a completely inexperienced technician can perform the operation.

Brown, J. D.↗

RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Acceptance Test

The ECSE Solid State Pulsed Power unit is a high current, high power solid-state pulse modulator. The RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly is the interface cable between the Solid State Pulser and the load. This document covers the testing procedure for the RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly. This assembly is comprised of RG217 Coaxial Cable with a LRU Connector on either end. This test procedure verifies the cable is undamaged and assembled correctly, the correct cable connectors are installed properly onto the cable, and that the entire assembly meets conductivity and holdoff voltage requirements. This procedure will verify that the RG217 Coaxial Cable Assembly meets all assembly and functional requirements. In particular, this procedure verifies the Cable Shield and Center Conductor meet conductivity requirements by testing their resistances. Additionally, this procedure ensures the RG217 Coaxial Cable Assembly meets holdoff voltage requirements by applying high voltage and verifying the RG217 Coaxial Cable Assembly does not experience any breakdowns or arcing.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Coaxial Cables for Martian Extreme Temperature Environments

Work was conducted to validate the use of the rover external flexible coaxial cabling for space under the extreme environments to be encountered during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. The antennas must survive all ground operations plus the nominal 670-Martian-day mission that includes summer and winter seasons of the Mars environment. Successful development of processes established coaxial cable hardware fatigue limits, which were well beyond the expected in-flight exposures. In keeping with traditional qualification philosophy, this was accomplished by subjecting flight-representative coaxial cables to temperature cycling of the same depth as expected in-flight, but for three times the expected number of in-flight thermal cycles. Insertion loss and return loss tests were performed on the coaxial cables during the thermal chamber breaks. A vector network analyzer was calibrated and operated over the operational frequency range 7.145 to 8.450 GHz. Even though some of the exposed cables function only at UHF frequencies (approximately 400 MHz), the testing was more sensitive, and extending the test range down to 400 MHz would have cost frequency resolution. The Gore flexible coaxial cables, which were the subject of these tests, proved to be robust and displayed no sign of degradation due to the 3X exposure to the punishing Mars surface operations cycles.

Ramesham, Rajeshuni↗

Test and Validate Distributed Coaxial Cable Sensors for in situ Condition Monitoring of Coal-Fired Boiler Tubes

This project aims to test, validate, and advance the technology readiness level (from TRL5 to TRL7) of a novel low-cost distributed stainless-steel/ceramic coaxial cable sensing (SSC-CCS) technology for in situ monitoring of the boiler tube temperature in existing coal-fired power plants. The novel SSC-CCS sensing technology and associated condition-based monitoring (CBM) software to be demonstrated in this project will lead to an improved understanding of the boiler tube failure mechanisms and a prognostic system to improve the overall performance, reliability, and flexibility of the nation’s coal-fired power plant fleet. A boiler tube monitoring system with distributed coaxial cable temperature sensors and a sensor acquisition system was constructed. The high-temperature coaxial cable sensor with a length of 1.3m was made by using a quartz tube (1mm inner diameter (ID) and 6mm outer diameter (OD)) to concentrically separate a 304 stainless-steel (SS) rod (1mm OD) and SS tube (7.94mm OD and 6.16mm ID). The sensor acquisition system includes a vector network analyzer (VNA), a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier, multiple switches and a USB hub. The distributed stainless-steel quartz coaxial cable sensor (SSQ-CCS) had a linear response to temperature with a resolution uncertainty of σ = 0.77℃. To withstand the harsh conditions of 3,300 steam pressures and 800℃ high temperatures, the sensor was shielded by a protective tube made of the same material as the boiler tube. The protection tube had an OD of 1.5 inches and a thickness of 0.25 inches. In the laboratory tests, the sensor showed good sensitivity and fast response. The drift was bounded between +0.33% and -0.67% during a test at 600℃ for 350 hours, indicating good stability of the sensor. A field test was conducted where four sensors were welded on four superheat tubes (SH-Ts) at a coal-fired power station over 400 days. Conventional thermocouples were welded to the superheater tubes alongside the coaxial cable sensors for the purpose of comparison. Two sensors were capable of distributed sensing, with three multiplexed sensing sections. The other two sensors were single section. During the 400-day test period, the power plant experienced startups and shutdowns. At the steady state operations, the temperature of the boiler tube is about 600℃ (1112°F). The sensors recorded the entire coal-firing processes (start-up, steady state, and shut-down) and the glitch event. A GSM modem and a Watchdog were added to the system to ensure reliable data recording. The GSM modem sent daily messages to plant managers and Clemson team to inform the status of the sensor system. If the system was not normally working, the Watchdog would reboot the system automatically. The new coaxial cable based distributed sensing technology has been proven to be successful in both laboratory and field tests. A comprehensive four-stage multi-physics computational framework has been developed to assist the design, optimization, installation, and operation of SSQ-CCS. With the consideration of various operation conditions, we predict the distributions of flue gas temperatures within coal-fired boilers, the temperature correlation between the boiler tube and SSQ-CCS, and the safety of SSQ-CCS. A conditional-based monitoring system is implemented as well. The computational framework developed in this work can guide the future operation of coal-fired plants and other power plants for the safety prediction of boiler operations.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Phase Drifts and Signal Dispersion in Coaxial Cables

Phase reference distribution is a critical challenge in modern linear particle accelerators, such as European Spallation Source (ESS), European X-ray Free Electron Laser (E-XFEL), or Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II). Similar issues may also arise in other RF systems that need to synchronize many independent circuits. Achieving low phase drift of the reference signal requires careful selection of cables and their environmental operating conditions. Due to the limited data provided by cable manufacturers, it is necessary to characterize the cable performance. This article investigates the phase drifts in coaxial cables and presents a dedicated measurement methodology. The dispersion characteristics of the cables are also examined. The measurement results of various coaxial cables are presented, along with conclusions and practical guidelines for designers of phase reference distribution lines.

coaxial cables↗

A Coaxial Cable Fabry-Perot Interferometer for Sensing Applications

This paper reports a novel coaxial cable Fabry-Perot interferometer for sensing applications. The sensor is fabricated by drilling two holes half-way into a coaxial cable. The device physics was described. The temperature and strain responses of the sensor were tested. The measurement error was calculated and analyzed.

temperature and strain measurement↗

RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Soldering Procedure

The ECSE Solid State Pulsed Power unit is a high-current, high power solid-state pulse modulator. The RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly is the interface cable between the Solid State Pulser and the load. This document covers the soldering procedure for the RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly. This assembly is comprised of RG217 Coaxial Cable with a LRU Connector on either end. This soldering procedure describes the process used to solder cable tips properly onto the cable center conductor.

42 ENGINEERING↗

RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly Procedure

The ECSE Solid State Pulsed Power unit is a high-current, high power solid-state pulse modulator. The RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly is the interface cable between the Solid State Pulser and the load. This document covers the assembly procedure for the RG217 V2-V2 Coaxial Cable Assembly. This assembly is comprised of RG217 Coaxial Cable with a LRU Connector on either end. This assembly procedure describes the process used to install cable connectors properly onto the cable.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Fabrication and Testing of a Stainless Steel Quartz Coaxial Cable Structure for High Temperature Measurement

This paper presents a stainless-steel quartz coaxial cable structure for distributed sensing of high temperatures. The coaxial cable sensor uses stainless steel as the inner and outer conductors and quartz as the insulator in order to achieve mechanical strength and temperature resilience. Girdle-shaped reflectors are fabricated on the quartz tubing by CNC grinding and CO 2 laser resurfacing. The sensor operates by measuring the temperature dependent change in the effective electromagnetic length between the two adjacent reflectors on the quartz tubing. A retaining collar is fabricated at the tip of the quartz tubing by 3D printing and laser resurfacing to secure the connection between the sensor and the signal cable. The prototype sensor was tested for high temperature measurements up to 600°C, and the performance characteristics of the sensor such as sensitivity, resolution uncertainty, repeatability, and stability were estimated based on the test results.

Jiao, Xinyu↗

Robust Ceramic Coaxial Cable Down-Hole Sensors for Long-Term In Situ Monitoring of Geologic CO 2 Injection and Storage

Energy generation by use of fossil fuels produces large volumes of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases, whose accumulation in the atmosphere is widely seen as undesirable. CO 2 Capture followed by sequestration has been identified as the solution. Subsurface geologic formations offer a potential location for long-term storage of CO 2 because of their requisite size. Unfortunately, the inaccessibility and complexity of the subsurface, the wide range of scales of variability, and the coupled nonlinear processes, impose tremendous challenges to determine the transport and predict the fate of the stored CO 2 . Among the various monitoring approaches, in situ down-hole monitoring of the various state parameters provides critical and direct data points that can be used to validate the models, optimize the injection, detect leakage and track the CO 2 plume. However, down-hole sensors that can withstand the harsh conditions and operate over decades of the project lifecycle remain unavailable. Given that the widespread of carbon capture and storage will be the necessity and reality in the future, fundamental and applied research is required to address the significant challenges and technological gaps in lack of long-term reliable down-hole sensors This project focused on the development and demonstration of a novel, low-cost, distributed, robust ceramic coaxial cable sensor platform for in situ down-hole monitoring of geologic CO 2 injection and storage with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The coaxial cable Fabry-Perot interferometer (CCFPI) has been studied as a general sensor platform for in situ, long-term, measurement of temperature, pressure and strain, which are critical to CO 2 injection and storage. A novel signal processing scheme has been developed and demonstrated for dense multiplexing of the sensors for low-cost distributed sensing with high spatial resolution. The developed temperature, pressure and strain sensors have been extensively tested under laboratory conditions that are similar to the downhole CO 2 storage environment, showing excellent capability for in situ monitoring the various parameters that are important to model, optimize the injection, detect leakage and track the CO 2 plume. In addition, the interactions between the sensor datum and the geological models have been investigated in details for the purposes of model validation, guiding sensor installation/placement, enhancement of model prediction capability and optimization of the injection processes. This project has resulted in the successful development of new ceramic coaxial cable based sensor systems that can monitor directly the changes in pressure, temperature, and strain caused by increased reservoir pressure and reduced reservoir temperature due to the supercritical CO 2 injection. Integrated with geological models, the sensors and measurement data can improve the possibility to identify plume movement and leakage in the cap rock and wells with higher precision and more accuracy. The low cost, ease of deployment, small size and dense multiplexing features of the new sensing technology will allow a large number of sensors to be deployed to address the objective to demonstrate that 99% of the CO 2 remains in the injection zone.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Development of metal-ceramic coaxial cable Fabry-Pérot interferometric sensors for high temperature monitoring

Metal-ceramic coaxial cable Fabry-Pérot interferometric (MCCC-FPI) sensors have been developed using a stainless steel tube and a stainless steel wire as the outer and inner conductors, respectively; a tubular α-alumina insulator; and a pair of air gaps created in the insulator along the cable to serve as weak reflectors for the transmitting microwave (MW) signal. The MCCC-FPI sensors have been demonstrated for high temperature measurements using MW signals in a frequency range of 2–8 GHz. The temperature measurement is achieved by monitoring the frequency shift (Δƒ) of the MW interferogram reflected from the pair of weak reflectors. The MW sensor exhibited excellent linear dependence of Δƒ on temperature; small measurement deviations (±2.7%); and fast response in a tested range of 200–500 °C. The MCCC has the potential for further developing multipoint FPI sensors in a single-cable to achieve in situ and continuous measurement of spatially distributed temperature in harsh environments.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Optimized cryogenic setup for microwave loss characterization of superconducting coaxial cables

As superconducting quantum systems scale up to enable applications like large-scale quantum computing, challenges such as fabrication yield, wiring complexity, and microwave crosstalk drive the need for high-fidelity, low-loss, modular interconnects. In recent experiments, the performance of these interconnects is often limited by cable loss, a factor that becomes even more critical as we aim for higher fidelity operations and connect increasingly coherent modules. In this talk, we present our cryogenic microwave loss characterization setup, carefully designed to minimize losses external to the coaxial cables under test. We also share results for several commercially-available superconducting cables measured with this setup and briefly discuss our ongoing efforts to develop custom coaxial cables capable of achieving state-of-the-art performance.

Vallières, André [Northwestern U.]↗