Announcing the Launch of the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell

Interface, Inc. (United States) – Press Release: Interface is excited to announce the release of a new downhole solution for the energy industry, 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. This is a product line that is many years in the making, as we’ve offered it as a custom solution. In fact, it has been developed across multiple applications to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry.

Interface’s new IPCD product is best suited for tension head applications of wireline services, particularly useful in deviated or horizontal wells where topside measurements are no longer reliable. Many applications include conveyance, pump down, perforating, tractor, and high pressure high temperature deep offshore use.

The key benefit the IPCD provides over existing solutions, commonly referred to as “wet” load cells, is its method of compensation. Wet load cells have a hydraulic compensation mechanism that uses pistons and seals, requiring frequent maintenance. Hydraulic compensation is complex for smaller tool providers and performance was suboptimal. For the IPCD, Interface developed a proprietary technology that compensates for that pressure influence and allows for bridge isolation. This means that the IPCD is far more rugged, needing little to no repairs, and it can be used downhole without risk of damage, a first of its kind in the industry.

It provides accurate measurement of downhole tension conditions in both vertical and horizontal wells and the proprietary internal compensation actively measures only the portion of the load caused by axial force, ignoring the portion of the load caused by pressure. Since it is an inherently passive system with no active pressure measurement being made or using a separate transducer, it is a completely analog solution for reliability and temperature stability.

We also test the IPCD heavily before it leaves our doors. The oil and gas industry can be extremely volatile, so we understand that our load cells need to be at peak performance for every use. Each load cell is tested individually on force, creep, temperature and pressure.

Advantages of the new proprietary Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell include:

• IPCD is a standard product from Interface and available today
• IPCD offers maintenance-free service with significant long-term payback by eliminating disassembly, downtime, calibration, and instrumentation configuration
• Interface’s new product is a precision with unmatched performance
• IPCD has minimal thermal and pressure error, combined with world class linearity and hysteresis
• It has field proven reliability and was designed based on a decades of engineering and force measurement experience

To learn more about the IPCD, we recently published a white paper that goes deeper into how the unit works, the specifications of the solution, as well as providing additional information on our testing process. You can read more about the IPCD in our new technical overview, Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell White Paper available online for download.