Avo Photonics and Weatherford create deep-downhole photometer

Horsham, PA--Avo Photonics, in collaboration with an optical-sensor group at oil and natural-gas service company Weatherford International (Geneva, Switzerland), has designed and validated the performance of a downhole multichannel photometer that does fluid analysis in deep boreholes. The sensor has completed several field trials and is being volume manufactured by Avo Photonics for commercial deployment by Weatherford.

The Reservoir Fluid Analyzer (RFA) sensor fits in a 4.5-in.-diameter hole, performing downhole fluid analysis up to 5 km below the Earth’s surface. The sensor design allows the device to perform photometric analysis while withstanding operating temperatures from -20 to 177°C and total differential pressures up to 30,000 psi.

“Designing and manufacturing an optical fluid analyzer for downhole is challenging, and Weatherford’s extended long wavelength requirements compounded the difficulties of high-temperature performance,” said Thomas Haslett, Avo Photonics chief technology officer. “We created an original design from our unique perspective.”