Methods and apparatus to control the acoustic properties of optical cables used as in-well oil and gas probes for acoustic monitoring, such as distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). One example aspect provides a solid path for the acoustic wave to propagate from an outside armor layer of the cable to the sensing optical waveguide embedded therein. Another example aspect offers ways to spatially dispose the optical sensing elements to create response delays indicative of the propagation speed and/or direction of an acoustic wave. Yet another example aspect provides ways to utilize additional spectral interrogation to increase ultimate spatial resolution. Yet another example aspect provides ways to locally vary the acoustic properties along the length of the cable.

A space active optical cable (SAOC) includes a cable including one or more optical fibers, and two or more electrical transceivers on opposing ends of the cable and interconnected by the cable. Each of the electrical transceivers includes an enclosure that encloses one or more light sources, one or more light detectors, and control electronics. Also included in the enclosure are a coupling medium to couple light into and out of the one or more optical fibers. The coupling medium can be reflecting surface or an on-axis mount. The enclosure provides a suitable heat propagation and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and the cable and the two or more electrical transceivers are radiation resistant. SAOC features optionally support a health check algorithm that allows trending optical performance in the absence of an optical connector and a potential surface treatment to increase nominally low emissivity of an EMI conductive surface.

A downhole cable includes a central core. The central core includes a metal tube having a plurality of optical fibers therein or a copper wire. The downhole cable further includes an extruded aluminum tube surrounding the central core.

A method for performing a fracturing operation in a subterranean formation of a field. The method includes obtaining, during the fracturing operation, distributed optical fiber data from a downhole sensor of a treatment well in the subterranean formation, and determining, based on the distributed optical fiber data, an active perforation location from a number of pre-determined perforation locations of the treatment well. The active perforation location is a location of fluid flow into the subterranean formation during the fracturing operation. The method further includes generating, based at least on the active perforation location, a fracturing model for the subterranean formation, and performing, based on the fracturing model, modeling of the fracturing operation to generate a modeling result.

Systems for generating solar power are provided. One such system includes a solar radiation collector and one or more side-emitting fiber-optic cables, coupled to the solar radiation collector. The system further includes one or more photovoltaic cell enclosures, including an outer housing and one or more photovoltaic cells, wherein the one or more side-emitting fiber-optic cables is positioned within the outer housing and configured to emit, to the one or more photovoltaic cells, solar radiation collected from the solar radiation collector.

The specification relates to a fiber optic cable assembly. The fiber optic cable assembly includes: an outer sheath; fiberglass reinforced panels; a pull material; an inner jacket; a strength material; non-interlocking armor; and a tight buffer of optical fibers.

A fiber optic bundle for incorporation into a cable for use in a well. The bundle includes multiple fiber optic threads that are helically wound about one another at a zero degree lay angle for structural reinforcement. Further, the cable that employs the bundle may be coupled in nature and gas proof thereby rendering the fiber optics mechanically responsive for improved accuracy in detections during use in a well application.

A fiber optic thread assembly configured with a cumulative gap for mechanical responsiveness and protection from micro-bend damage. The assembly may be incorporated into a wireline or slickline cable for obtaining fiber optic readings of enhanced accuracy during an application in a well. The gap is uniquely tailored to allow for a natural reduction during deployment of the cable into the well, thereby providing the enhanced accuracy. However, the gap is also sufficient to help avoid micro-bend damage from the resulting mechanical responsiveness, which is attained upon deployment of the cable into the well.

An optical cable (31) includes: a stress wave detection optical cable (30) having an optical fiber (7) and a plurality of first steel wires (8) which are helically wound so as to surround the optical fiber (7) and which are surrounded by a flexible material (9); and second steel wires (32) different from the first steel wires (8). The stress wave detection optical cable (30) and the plurality of second steel wires (32) are helically wound to form one annular body as a whole, and a winding angle (α) of the stress wave detection optical cable (30) with respect to the axis is determined by a property value prescribed by Lamé constants of the flexible material (9).

An optical-fiber ribbon includes optical fibers (e.g., reduced-diameter optical fibers) arranged in parallel within optical-fiber units, wherein at least one adjacent pair of optical-fiber units is separated by a longitudinal adhesive-free spacing for a portion of the optical-fiber ribbon's length. Typically, each adjacent pair of optical-fiber units is separated by an adhesive-free spacing for a respective portion of the optical-fiber assembly's longitudinal length. In an exemplary embodiment, longitudinal adhesive-free spacings effectively increase the width of an optical-fiber ribbon formed of reduced-diameter optical fibers so that the optical-fiber ribbon achieves a more conventional optical-fiber ribbon width, thereby facilitating mass-fusion splicing using standard splicing equipment.