Reliable Wired-Pipe Data Transmission System

摘要

A high-frequency data and/or power transmission system suitable for downhole use including signal/power couplers, transmission line segments and signal repeaters. Signals and power are/is transmitted between couplers and/or between couplers and repeaters by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling. In at least a portion of the system, the transmission line segments form parallel data paths and the repeaters provide crossover capability between the data/power paths, thereby significantly improving reliability. The invention also includes methods of transmitting data and/or distributing high-frequency power through a downhole transmission system including multiple data/power paths and multiple crossovers wherein a fault location in one data/power path is bypassed by routing data and/or power to a parallel data/power path by means of electromagnetic resonance coupling.

主权项

1. A downhole signal transmission system for communicating along a string of interconnected downhole components, comprising:
at least one communications line that carries radiofrequency signals along the string of downhole components; at least one communications sub; and a plurality of signal repeaters spaced along said string of downhole components, said signal repeaters being receptive to radiofrequency signals, wherein said at least one communications sub communicates over said at least one communication line by modulating data onto said radiofrequency signals, and wherein said radiofrequency signals bypass at least one signal repeater when said at least one signal repeater fails.