Borehole Camera System Design
Factors
Elegance, Fact, and Fallacies
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If you are
considering the purchase of a borehole video camera system, a review of these
twelve design factors may be the best investment of your time you can make. With
years of experience focused on video camera systems for boreholes and water
wells, GeoVISION™ has effectively resolved the important design issues
necessary to provide convenient, cost effective video camera systems for
boreholes 600 meters (2000 feet) deep or less.
Professional Quality Standards for
Borehole and Water Well Video Systems
This list
explains the balance between costs and professional quality standards in
determining ideal borehole and water well design configurations. There are
other ways to achieve a professional grade camera system. GeoVISION™ achieves
this standard at the most economical level.
1. Borehole
Depth Design Challenge
Design a
borehole camera system to go into most water wells and still be portable and
inexpensive.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Generally,
the deeper a camera can go, the better; however, as depth capability increases,
so does
1. The wire
size and signal strength needed to carry a clear signal over a greater distance
2. The
expense, weight, and complexity of the power supply and related electronics
become greater as cable length is extended.
3. The
cable or wire strength in order to support the additional downhole weight.
Borehole
camera systems designed for greater water pressure require greater case
strength, which adds to the weight and cost. Some systems can withstand extreme
pressure at great depth. These systems are often used in the gas and oil
industry but are usually not cost effective for well drillers, borehole
inspectors, and many geology consultants.
GeoVISION™ Solution - Depths to 2000 feet
The
GeoVISION™ Deluxe systems are designed for maximum depths of 2000 feet with
their longest cable. These depths are adequate for the vast majority of
borehole applications. The cost is reasonable and GeoVISION™ systems are light
enough for one person to carry. One or two people can carry the Deluxe system.
All GeoVISION™ systems will fit into almost any vehicle, including automobiles.
2. Camera
Housing Design Challenge
Design a
durable camera housing that can withstand the pressure of a deep water well and
yet be small enough to fit into a small borehole and be repaired if necessary.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Manufactures
of underwater cameras solve this problem by making the housing strong enough to
withstand high pressure. One way to strengthen the housing is to support it by
filling all the voids in the camera with a potting compound so there is no air
left inside (the optical path and lens cannot be filled with potting compound.
This makes that area still subject to leaks). The potting compound provides
support for the housing and might even allow for a thinner housing; however, if
epoxy or an equivalent substance is used, the camera cannot be repaired. With
hundreds of electronic parts, it only takes one to go bad for the entire camera
to be worthless. While disposable products are appropriate for some uses,
throwing away a borehole camera is an expensive proposition. Filling all the voids in an underwater camera
with a potting compound may tempt a designer to save costs by using a flexible
rubber like tube as a housing. This housing will require clamps at the ends
effectively increasing the diameter of the camera and if the clamp becomes loose
water can enter the optical path and cause failure of the camera. They may also attach the cable directly to
the housing without a connector. If the camera or the cable fails, both will
have to be replaced.
GeoVISION™
Solution – Stainless steel and High Temperature Plastic Housing
A strong,
well-designed repairable housing is better for borehole cameras. Protrusion on
the housing can be minimal and only the head tilting bracket option adds to the
diameter of the case. GeoVISION™ uses a housing sealed at the factory. This
housing can be opened at the factory for repair if necessary or upgrades to the
circuitry can be made. All GeoVISION™
cameras can be repaired at the factory for much less than the price of a new one.
GeoVISION™ cables can be repaired or replaced without the need to replace the
camera.
3. Lens
Window Design Challenge
Design a
strong, durable, scratch resistant lens window.
A Design
alternative and resulting problem
A designer
might use plastic for a lens window, thinking that it is less likely to break.
While this is a questionable advantage, plastic has one serious disadvantage.
It scratches much more easily than glass and when it is scratched can degrade
the image quality.
Solving one
design problem may create a very different problem - The air bubble problem.
One camera
manufacturer protects the lens window by placing a cup-like extension in front
of it. If the lens window were plastic, one would be especially tempted to use
a protective cup. This is a good idea when the camera is not used in water. The
camera points down and the protective cup captures an air bubble and dirt
particles, making the underwater downhole image very distorted until the air
bubble is removed.
Cascading
problems
An open
water camera designer might place LEDs in a clear plastic housing/lens window.
While this may work well under normal light conditions, in low light situations
the refraction and reflections from the clear plastic will be visible and
degrade the image as the camera electronic shutter attempts to compensate for
the low light conditions. Some designs
place the lights and lens behind a single lens/light window. This design is also subject to the refraction
and reflections problem.
GeoVISION™
Solution - Glass or Sapphire Lens Covers
GeoVISION
uses a sapphire lens cover on all its stainless steel cameras.
Some design
concepts are not always intuitive. A layperson might think of glass as brittle
or easily cracked. In actual use, properly designed glass lens window is
difficult to break. It would take a deliberate act for a glass lens window to
be broken in a camera. GeoVISION™ cameras use glass in its Jr plastic cameras
and sapphire in its stainless steel cameras. They have a flat surface so that
air bubbles cannot be easily trapped in front of the lens. GeoVISION Jr. camera use opaque plastic to
mount the LED lights to avoid the refraction and reflections problem.
4. Lighting
Design Challenge
Provide an
unbreakable light source sufficient to illuminate most boreholes
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Manual dimmers
are used with the old style incandescent lights with some success. However,
when using LEDS as the primary light source and with the cameras automatic
electronic shutter controls, manual brightness controls are not necessary. Any
increase in a manual brightness control causes the electronic shutter to
decrease exposure, and any decrease in a manual control causes the automatic
electronic shutter in increase exposure. Manual override controls just increase
the complexity of the system, and provide additional parts that can break. The
only time a manual light brightness control can be used effectively, is when
the camera can have its auto exposure control turned off. This also adds more complexity and the operator
must constantly control the light brightness.
GeoVISION™
Solution - Automatic Electronic Shutter
When simple
is better, keep it simple for the operator. There are no manual dimmers in
GeoVISION™ camera systems; the automatic electronic shutter does it all. LED
lights provide the best all-round light source for borehole applications due to
the advent of low light video cameras. LEDs produce the most light for the
energy consumed and are almost indestructible. GeoVISION Jr™ uses LEDs with all
systems and has optional means for attaching other light sources for large
boreholes.
The best solution
is to set the LED light output to maximum value and allows the automatic
electronic exposure control to adjust the exposure level down as necessary. In
large boreholes, a supplemental dive light is available or you the ultra low
light camera option is available.
5.
Stabilize and Centralize Design Challenge
Provide a
stable view from the middle of the borehole while moving the camera up or down.
.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Sewer
cameras rest on skids and open water camera systems have plenty of room to
operate. The designers of these types of cameras do not use centralizers.
Without centralizers, a camera in a borehole will slide against a side of the
casing or borehole when it is lowered downhole. The one side of the picture
will be very bright and mostly out of focus and the other side will be very
dark. A sewer or open water camera designer who never used a camera in a
borehole might not realize that a camera on a cable will not stay in the center
of the borehole. A camera without
centralizers will not work well in a borehole.
GeoVISION™
Solution - Adjustable Centralizers
All
GeoVISION™ camera systems have adjustable
centralizers.
6. Quality
Image Design Challenge
Provide a
good resolution image sufficient to analyze boreholes problems.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Designers
operate under economic constraints. Sometimes they settle for marginal optics.
GeoVISION™
Solution - Wide-angle Coated Glass Lenses with Large Depths of Field
All
GeoVISION™ cameras are supplied with wide-angle fully coated glass lenses with
large depths of field.
Picture
quality GeoVISION™ customers say GeoVISION has the best picture. A good
high-resolution image is obtained from all GeoVISION™ systems. The standard
focus range of GeoVISION™ cameras is 2 inches to 3 feet and the camera is in
usable focus from 1 inch to infinity. A 5 inch to infinity focus range is
available for mining and related uses as an alternative and can be adjusted at
the factory.
7. Getting
Past a Protrusion Design Challenge
Provide a
means to push or pull the camera past a protrusion.
Provide a
means of firm control of the camera in unstable or damaged boreholes.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Most
borehole camera systems can be supported by a cable only. This causes the
operator to have very little control over pushing the camera past objects and
no control over where they can have the camera look.
GeoVISION™
Solution A – Pipe-string Ready
All
GeoVISION™ systems have a threaded pipefitting, ready for attaching a user
supplied pipe string, and so the camera can be pushed or pulled past
obstructions. The camera can thus be pushed and pulled horizontally or
overhead. When used in conjunction with the manual camera tilt assembly, pipe
string also provides the user with the option to view to the side and up. Most
users make their pipe strings out of ¾” CPVC pipe with a male fitting on one
end and a female fitting on the other. To avoid high shipping expenses, it is
more cost effective to have the users make their own pipe stings as opposed to
shipping them from the factory.
GeoVISION™
Solution B - The nano Camera
The nano
camera is only ¾ in diameter and can usually get past a pump and other
protrusions.
8. View in
All Directions Design Challenge
Provide a
system to allow the camera to view to the side in any direction and up.
A design alternative
and resulting problem
All serious
designers of borehole camera systems provide one of a couple alternatives for a
camera to view to the side. Designers provide a camera head tilting mechanism
or supply two cameras with their system to allow viewing down or to the side.
Either of these methods works well; however, the duel camera approach increases
the initial cost of the system significantly. Neglecting both of these
alternative methods places severe limits on the usefulness of the system.
GeoVISION™
Solution A – Manual pan and tilt
By using a pipe string and the GeoVISION™ supplied manual
head tilting assembly the operator can view in any direction including upward.
GeoVISION™
Solution B - Side-looking Mirror
An optional
side-looking mirror is available to allow side viewing in small diameter bore
(2” & 3”). A motorized side looking mirror is available for the micro and
nano cameras.
GeoVISION™
Solution C - Motorized Pan and Tilt
The
optional motorized pan and tilt option allows the operator to view in any
direction including up by controlling a single joy stick on the control panel.
The best view of detail in a borehole can be obtained from viewing an object
from several diffident angles. The tilting ability of the pan and tilt camera
allows the camera to go below the object and look at it at an infinite number
of angles and to do the same from above. The dual cameras can only view
straight to the side or straight down.
9. Many
Different Uses Design Challenge
Provide
customers with different camera options to meet special viewing and light
conditions
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Product managers
prefer to make only one type of product, since it is easier to produce. That is
good if the camera does what you want it to do, not so good if it does not.
GeoVISION™
Solution A – Many Systems and Options
GeoVISION™
has three winch systems and seven camera options available in both color and
black and white. Black and white ultra low light cameras for large boreholes
and voids are available. GeoVISION™, it has 20 other options and upgrades. The
micro and nano are high quality cameras and are often used to record images in
the smallest boreholes, since they are the smallest diameter borehole camera
available anywhere.
The
standard LED lighting systems used in GeoVISION™ cameras provide the
appropriate amount of light for boreholes less than 12 inches in diameter.
Supplemental lights provide adequate light sufficient for larger boreholes.
Mine inspection and viewing other voids requires either much more light or a
much lower lux. For regular use in large voids, using an ultra low light camera
is the most economical and convenient means of providing a sharp image with
limited light.
10. Upgrade
Design Challenge
Allow
borehole camera users to modify and upgrade after the original purchase.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
Some
manufactures prefer to make their product only one way and not allow subsequent
additions.
GeoVISION™
Solution
Should your
needs and/or resources change, you can add optional features. Modular GeoVISION
Jr™ systems starting in 2003 are completely upgradeable. You may buy just the features you want. If you need
something else later, you may buy it later.
The
GeoVISION Jr™ Deluxe systems are now designed in a modular configuration that
allows owners to upgrade to any GeoVISION™ option.
11. Replace
or Upgrade Cable Design Challenge
Design a
strong cable that can be replaced or repaired.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
A designer
of borehole cameras might be concerned that the cable should be attached very
well to the camera so that the camera can be retrieved under adverse
conditions. Such a designer might jump to the conclusion that the cable should
be permanently attached inside the camera. If a cable is permanently attached
inside the camera and if the camera cannot be opened for repair then such a system
is worthless if the cable is damaged. This combination of cable and cable
attachment makes such a system camera impossible to repair and more likely to
be disposed at an early age.
GeoVISION™
Solution
The
GeoVISION Jr™ configuration uses 3-conductor polyethylene sheath cables that
can be spliced and repaired or replaced. The cable connects outside the camera.
The cable is connected to the camera head tilting mechanism and centralizer
when it is used. These attachments hold the camera.
12. Cable
Storage Design Challenge
Design a
convenient way to store and inspect the cable.
A design
alternative and resulting problem
A marketing
person might want to have an enclosed reel for the cable so that the system
would always have a neat appearance. Such
a design gives the impression that if the cable is out of sight it is free from
maintenance. The enclosed reel design
sometimes contributes to the cable tangles, as the operator may not see how the
cable is feeding onto the reel.
GeoVISION™
Solution – Open winch
All
GeoVISION™ systems have an open reel or winch that allows the cable to be fed
neatly onto the winch as it is cleaned and rewound. This process prevents tangles. The open winch
design allows easier inspection to insure proper cable cleaning before use in
the next well.
13.
Durability and Convenience Design Challenge
Most
GeoVISION™ systems sold are still in use by the original owner, even those
manufactured in 1989 when the first GeoVISION™ borehole system was
produced. Resale value of GeoVISION™
systems remains high after many years. All GeoVISION™ systems are repairable.
Marks
Products has 18 years of borehole camera system design experience, so you will
find all MPI systems convenient to use and systems that produce effective
results.
GeoVISION™
by Marks Products, Inc.
Products with VISION
Durable -
Portable - Versatile - Cost Effective
Maneuverable
and Small Cameras with High Quality Picture Resolution
Borehole
Video Camera Systems Engineered for Elegant Simplicity
Made in
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information, sales, brochures, demo tapes, and pricing on all of our products
you may:
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Fax
Email: john@geovision.org or wilsonjml@msn.com