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So, but that isn't really a "proprietary OS" if it's a Windows 7 image loaded with software. That internship sounds pretty cool. I bet they do have some neat t

• Cyph0n 11y ago
  I guess that's what they're switching from. It seemed to work fine for them, especially since most reporting can be done using MS Office, which everyone is familiar with. Maybe it's getting expensive to support, given how many licenses they need? Yeah, the technology is insane. I'll give you an example of what I mean by that. Think of this situation: all of the parts of the drill string that contain the sensors that provide real-time environment conditions AND control the direction of drilling are, say, 3 km underground. How the hell do you send movement commands or receive sensor data? It's not practical to extend a wire for that distance. Wireless communication is unreliable at best underground. More importantly, how do you provide power to these tools? Luckily for them, mud is continually pumped through the drill string for many reasons, including cooling the drill bit and breaking down the formation. So they used that mud to communicate and transfer power. The general idea is to vary the flow rate on the surface to transmit binary information. To send data upwards, the mud flow is blocked and unblocked, and the pressure change is detected on the surface. It's pretty fascinating stuff!
  • srean 11y ago
    That's pretty amazing. Could you or anyone else elaborate why would providing a conventional electrical conductance based communication channel be difficult ? I am sure it is, otherwise they wouldn't go to such great lengths( or depths, in this case)
    • Cyph0n 11y ago
      I'm no expert on the subject, but according to Wikipedia [1], there is in fact a technique that involves using a wire, but it's still not in widespread use. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurement_while_drilling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurement_while_drilling
      • yakult 11y ago
        That article still mentions the use of mud pulse telemetry, though. Considering the low bandwith of mud, pulling a cable all the way down is probably not an option, or else it would already be done. I wonder if it's possible to use a relay of short-range wireless transmitters, with heavy error correction? Bandwidth of mud telemetry is 'up to' 40 bps or 250 with compression, according to this: http://www.bakerhughes.com/products-and-services/drilling/drilling-services/measurement-while-drilling/axcelerate-high-speed-mud-pulse-telemetry http://www.bakerhughes.com/products-and-services/drilling/dr...
    • ejanus 11y ago
      For now Mud Pulse telemetry is well researched and pretty reliable technology. But I would not make a hazard guess what will happen tomorrow.
  • x5n1 11y ago
    Mud does sound very reliable or having much bandwidth. Plus is the drill not made out of metal? Why not just use the entire drill as a conductive "wire"?
    • Cyph0n 11y ago
      No, mud pulse telemetry doesn't provide much bandwidth - it transmits at around 10 bits/sec. Interesting tidbit: I was told that the flow rate is manually controlled at the surface, as in when a command needs to be sent downhole, a guy goes to the control valve and adjusts it manually. As for using the drill string itself, since there is no separate return path, no current can flow through it. Further, there is no way I can see them setting up a common ground to get a voltage across the drill string. For this reason, they need to run a cable down the drill string to do this.
  • jqm 11y ago
    That is indeed fascinating stuff. Hydraulic circuits. Crazy innovative.