High-temperature and closed-loop MEMS accelerometer for energy market applications

TDK Corporation has extended its MEMS inertial sensors portfolio with the Tronics AXO315T0, a high-temperature MEMS accelerometer with ±14g input range and a digital interface for measurement while drilling (MWD) applications in the energy market.

Employing the company's unique closed-loop architecture that delivers an unprecedented level of vibration rectification and resistance to operational shocks, the device exhibits a bias residual error of 0.8mg over its operating temperature range of -30C to +150C, allowing a precise and continuous inclination measurement for directional drilling tools exposed to high temperatures.

To cope with the stringent reliability constraints required to maximise the productivity of complex drilling operations in severe environments, the company has qualified the device through extensive reliability testing. This includes more than 1000 hours of powered life testing at +165C, temperature cycling from -55C to +165C, and high-temperature vibration tests (20g RMS random vibration combined with 50g sine sweep).

With a typical bias drift of less than 1 mg without recalibration after 1000 hours at high temperature, the device offers a digital and low-SWaP alternative to legacy quartz accelerometers, paving the way for a new generation of MWD tools that can operate for long periods at high temperatures with no compromise on performance.

AXO315T0 sensors and evaluation boards are available for sampling and customer evaluations.

Main applications include measurement while drilling (MWD), logging while drilling (LWD), directional drilling, and wireline.