Publications

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Muons are subatomic particles that can penetrate the earth’s crust several kilometers and may be useful for subsurface characterization. The absorption rate of muons depends on the density of the materials through which they pass. Muons are more sensitive to density variation than other phenomena, including gravity, making them beneficial for subsurface investigation. Measurements of muon flux rate at differing directions provide density variations of the materials between the muon source (cosmic rays and neutrino interactions) and the detector, much like a CAT scan. Currently, muon tomography can resolve features to the sub-meter scale.

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The dynamic stability of deep drillstrings is challenged by an inability to impart controllability with ever-changing conditions introduced by geology, depth, structural dynamic properties and operating conditions. A multi-organizational LDRD project team at Sandia National Laboratories successfully demonstrated advanced technologies for mitigating drillstring vibrations to improve the reliability of drilling systems used for construction of deep, high-value wells. Using computational modeling and dynamic substructuring techniques, the benefit of controllable actuators at discrete locations in the drillstring is determined. Prototype downhole tools were developed and evaluated in laboratory test fixtures simulating the structural dynamic response of a deep drillstring. A laboratory-based drilling applicability demonstration was conducted to demonstrate the benefit available from deployment of an autonomous, downhole tool with self-actuation capabilities in response to the dynamic response of the host drillstring. A concept is presented for a prototype drilling tool based upon the technical advances. The technology described herein is the subject of U.S. Patent Application No. 62219481, entitled "DRILLING SYSTEM VIBRATION SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS AND METHODS", filed September 16, 2015.

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The objective of this project is to perform independent evaluation of high temperature components to determine their suitability for use in high temperature geothermal tools. Development of high temperature components has been increasing rapidly due to demand from the high temperature oil and gas exploration and aerospace industries. Many of these new components are at the late prototype or first production stage of development and could benefit from third party evaluation of functionality and lifetime at elevated temperatures. In addition to independent testing of new components, this project recognizes that there is a paucity of commercial-off-the-shelf COTS components rated for geothermal temperatures. As such, high-temperature circuit designers often must dedicate considerable time and resources to determine if a component exists that they may be able to knead performance out of to meet their requirements. This project aids tool developers by characterization of select COTS component performances beyond published temperature specifications. The process for selecting components includes public announcements of project intent (e.g., FedBizOps), direct discussions with candidate manufacturers,and coordination with other DOE funded programs.

Environments relevant to geothermal energy exploration frequently exceed the temperatures and pressures commonly experienced by downhole tools in the oil and gas industry. As such, pushing the boundaries with geothermal tool development can often necessitate exceeding manufacturer specifications for temperature and pressure of individual circuit components. High-temperature circuit designers often must dedicate considerable time and resources to determine if a component exists that they may be able to knead performance out of to meet their requirements. In light of this difficulty, Sandia National Laboratories has initiated a program funded by the Geothermal Technologies Office at the US Department of Energy to compile and make available an empirically determined, practical dataset of select high-temperature component performances beyond specification. Detailed here are the efforts surrounding geothermal temperature characterization of commercially available HT-Flash memory modules made by Texas Instruments (SM28VLT32-HT) and preliminary results of 3 commercial solid tantalum capacitors. Flash evaluation boards were modified for high temperature application and read, write and erase functionality were tracked as well as prolonged data retention at various temperatures well beyond datasheet specifications. It was observed that each flash function has a different maximum operation temperature above specification. As temperature increases, erase, write, and then read functions successively fail. Within duration and temperature limits, functionality of each operation returns after cooling back below its threshold value. Importantly for logging tools, after cooling the flash modules in this study still retain all memory previously written. Flash lifetime at temperature was examined at several temperatures by 1000hr duration tests in the oven with new writes and periodic full memory reads throughout the test. To test the capacitors, capacitance and equivalent series resistance were tracked over a 1000hr test at 260°C. Results of MatLab fault analyses are described for each aspect of this study to facilitate out-of-spec high temperature tool design.