Advanced Data Logging Electronics for High Pressure and Temperature Subsurface Environments

Access to the earth’s subsurface requires technologies that can operate at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Well data loggers and boring equipment require electronics that are embedded in the instrument and can operate in-situ. To date, off-the-shelf silicon devices have been modified and made to work at elevated temperatures through enhanced packaging and thermal management. However, the inability of the silicon devices to operate for extended periods at high temperature limits the overall functionality of the instruments, their overall cost and how deep they can operate (via their upper temperature limit). Ozark IC is a leader in the development of integrated Silicon Carbide circuits and is actively developing circuits for NASA suitable for operation on the surface of Venus – with temperatures up to 500oC and pressures up to 100 bar nominal – not unlike subterranean conditions on earth. These wide- bandgap SiC devices are well suited to high-temperature operation and have unique optical properties. A unique opportunity exists to apply these SiC technologies to next- generation down hole instruments. The thrust of the proposed DOE Phase I is to validate and demonstrate the suitability of SiC technology to gather data in the challenging subterranean environment. Ozark IC proposes to design a high-performance data acquisition system in SiC. The complete circuit will include input signal conditioning, multi-channel data conversion and reliable off-chip communication compatible standard busses. Existing circuits will be tested over temperature and pressure. The data collected combined with high-fidelity simulation will allow Ozark IC to design the complete data acquisition system and demonstrate its suitability for DOE applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits In addition to application in subterranean environments, the anticipated public benefits of the proposed research begin with enabling next generation oil and gas exploration and well monitoring. The technology can also be applied to aerospace to enable higher performance turbine engines, and may ultimately be applied to automotive applications to improve the control and efficiency of internal combustion engines.