A new technique that uses an inexpensive, disposable fiber optics telemetry system to relay real-time information about the drilling process is garnering attention in the oil and gas industry.
"We have come up with a unique system using throwaway fiber optics that relays information of what is going on at the end of the drill string as it is happening," David Holcomb, a researcher employed at Sandia National Laboratories who devised the technique, says. "Information is instantaneously sent to the surface about temperatures, pressure, chemistry and rock formation - all obtained without stopping the drilling operation."