Innovative Thermal Management of Electronics Used in Oil Well Logging

Juan-Carlos Jakaboski

Background

The oil and gas industries use sophisticated logging tools during drilling. These logging tools employ internal electronics for sensing viscosity, pressure, temperature and other important quantities. To protect the sensitive electronics, which typically have a maximum temperature of 100 ^oC, they are shielded and insulated from the harsh external drilling environment. The insulation keeps heat out, but it also keeps heat in. Eventually, the heat generated by the electronics causes them to fail due to thermal stress, requiring a time consuming and expensive logging tool replacement process. Better thermal management of the electronics in logging tools promises to save oil and gas companies time and money. The research work will focus on this critical thermal management challenge.

Objectives

The research will involve the design, fabrication and test of an innovative thermal management system capable of cooling commercial-off-the-shelf electronics for extended periods in harsh ambient temperatures exceeding 200 ^oC. A mathematically based computer model using Matlab^® software will aid the system design.  Resistive heaters embedded in quad flat packages will simulate the electronics used in oil well logging.  A laboratory scale prototype of the thermal management system will be demonstrated using a custom oven to create high temperature conditions. It is anticipated that the prototype device will validate the modeling efforts on which its design was based, and advance the future designs of the thermal management system.