DOWN-HOLE FLOW METER Russian patent published in 2009 - IPC E21B47/10 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to devices meant for measuring volume flow rate of fluid media in well shafts, including at hydrodynamic surveys. Down-the-hole flow meter consists of a flowing cylindrical housing, hollow ring-shaped guide vanes (flow rotator) with vanes having a non-straight line in section, which are radial relative to a measuring channel, a ball-shaped rolling element made from magnetic material, and an electric signal generation and pick up junction. Rolling element is located in the groove in order to ensure its movement along the normal annular trajectory under the influence of rotational flow of the medium being measured. Additionally, flow meter consists of two hollow cylindrical brackets mounted on external half couplings of magnetic couplings, two centralisers-packers (upper and lower ones) made of spring plates and diaphragms. Some plate ends of upper centraliser-packer are fixed on upper bracket, and other plate ends - on upper part of the housing. Lower centraliser-packer is fixed on lower bracket and lower part of the housing. In the housing there coaxially located is an assembled cylindrical casing with internal cavity. Upper part of the casing is equipped with a tight cable inlet and a cable lug with a collet clamp. To the casing there are two supports with gland seals attached. Flow rotator is structurally located between supports, besides it is made as reverse relative to measured medium flow direction, and rigidly and coaxially attached to the casing with the second informative electric signal generation and pick up junction and microcontroller's cards arranged in its internal cavity. Microcontroller is electrically connected to the ground unit by means of a cable link, and via data inputs - to two informative electric signal generation and pick up junctions which are tightly located in the casing cavity opposite the groove. The latter is made of two symmetric parts comprising, when being connected, saddle-shaped surfaces S₁ and S₂. Informative electric signal generation and pick up junctions (the first one and the second one) are offset in the groove plane at angle α which allows identifying the direction of ball-shaped rolling element rotation depending on direction of measured fluid flow. To microcontroller card there electrically connected are two electric drives, output shafts of which are loaded on internal half couplings of magnetic couplings.

EFFECT: enlarging functional capabilities.

1 dwg