Interface, Inc., the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement products, today launched its new downhole force measurement solution for high-pressure, high-temperature applications, the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell (IPCD). The IPCD is a Wheatstone bridge foil-gaged-based force measurement solution using proprietary compensation methods and designed to provide highly accurate force data in harsh environments, like those found in the oil and gas industry, while requiring limited maintenance compared to similar solutions on the market.
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“The Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell provides critical accuracy, dependability and flexibility to our customers at a modest price,” said Brian Peters, vice president of global sales, Interface. “Our hard-earned expertise and experience gained over many decades engineering force measurement solutions for the oil and gas industry, as well as deep collaboration with our customers, enabled us to bring this first-of-its-kind product to the market.”
High-pressure applications for the new IPCD load cell for test and measurement of wireline and slicklines, perforating processes, horizontal drilling, topside and drill-down, as well as offshore solutions. The Interface downhole load cell is also popular with tractor component testing, pipe recovery, plug setting, well servicing and cleaning, tension line testing and instrument fishing applications.
The IPCD is used in oil wells for conveyance operations by installing the load cell on the head of a wire or slickline and being lowered into the well. This is possible because Interface’s proprietary compensation method allows for pressure readings directly from the source. It works by keeping the compensation internal, which protects against heat and pressure while allowing the load cell to collect data underground. It also provides more flexibility because it can be used in both vertical wells and horizontal wells, with the latter becoming more popular in recent years due to the growth in fracking and other extraction use cases.
Current solutions on the market are known as wet load cells, which need regular repairs more frequently due to the bridge and gage being hydraulically compensated. This compensation method exposes the sensors to hazardous environments and requires an electronic signal from underground to be sent to sensors above the ground. This not only damages the product quickly, but it also leads to less accurate data. Externally compensated load cells also cannot be used in horizontal well applications because above ground readings are not acceptable.
Interface released a new Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell technical white paper detailing the testing reports and performance data for this new product release.