Modeling and studying ionograms of oblique sounding of HF radio channels for radio links of various length using a digital ionosonde with USRP platform
The paper analyses the outcomes of numerical studies into the effect of phase dispersion on broadband elements of a FMCW signal with varying central spectrum frequencies corresponding to the central frequencies of radio channels. We used the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model as the background ionosphere, which takes into account the spatiotemporal variability of the radio channel. The data corresponding to the extreme values in the annual distribution of solar activity were selected for modeling ionograms. The effect of the second-order phase dispersion on power delay profile distortions was analyzed.
BPSK signal shaping and processing for digital SDR ionosonde
The paper presents the algorithms of BPSK signal shaping and processing for vertical incidence ionospheric sounding with the use of a hardware platform USRP which implements SDR technology. The principle “ADC to an antenna”, which provides completely digital processing, allows to apply new algorithms. The developed algorithms allow to obtain a quality images of ionograms with the use of low-power signals (less than 20 W). The algorithm of coherent spectral integration, which causes the increase in the SNR, and the algorithm of narrowband interferences mitigation, which uses median equalization, are presented. The efficiency of the algorithms was verified in the full-scale experiments on vertical incidence ionospheric sounding in Yoshkar-Ola.
Prevention of Barite Sag in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids Using a Mixture of Barite and Ilmenite as Weighting Material
Drilling high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) wells requires a special fluid formulation that is capable of controlling the high pressure and is stable under the high downhole temperature. Barite-weighted fluids are common for such purpose because of the good properties of barite, its low cost, and its availability. However, solids settlement is a major problem encountered with this type of fluids, especially at elevated downhole temperatures. This phenomenon is known as barite sag, and it is encountered in vertical and directional wells under static or dynamic conditions leading to serious well control issues. This study aims to evaluate the use of barite-ilmenite mixture as a weighting agent to prevent solids sag in oil-based muds at elevated temperatures. Sag test was conducted under static conditions (vertical and inclined) at 350 °F and under dynamic conditions at 120 °F to determine the optimum ilmenite concentration. Afterward, a complete evaluation of the drilling fluid was performed by monitoring density, electrical stability, rheological and viscoelastic properties, and filtration performance to study the impact of adding ilmenite on drilling fluid performance. The results of this study showed that adding ilmenite reduces sag tendency, and only 40 wt.% ilmenite (from the total weighting material) was adequate to eliminate barite sag under both static and dynamic conditions with a sag factor of around 0.51. Adding ilmenite enhanced the rheological and viscoelastic properties and the suspension of solid particles in the drilling fluid, which confirmed sag test results. Adding ilmenite slightly increased the density of the drilling fluid, with a slight decrease in the electrical stability within the acceptable range of field applications. Moreover, a minor improvement in the filtration performance of the drilling fluid and filter cake sealing properties was observed with the combined weighting agent. The findings of this study provide a practical solution to the barite sag issue in oil-based fluids using a combination of barite and ilmenite powder as a weighting agent to drill HPHT oil and gas wells safely and efficiently with such type of fluids.