14.4 Defining the DTS Instrument Box

The DTS Instrument Box object represents all the hardware equipment located at the site which is responsible for generating DTS measurements. The DTS Instrument Box is usually located next to the facility element for which DTS surveys are taken (a well or a pipeline, for example). It consists of, among other devices, an optoelectronic instrument to which the optical fiber is attached. This contains a controllable light source, optical switches, photonic detection devices, and a reference temperature chamber. In some cases there is a computer or server connected to the instrument that will be responsible for capturing the measurements and initiating the data transmission.

Hardware setup can wildly vary from one deployment to the next, and will also depend on the vendor, make/model of the hardware used. The data schema was created to allow you to capture the relevant parameters of the installation without worrying about how the hardware is physically laid out. Attributes available for the instrumentation cover areas such as:

• Make/model of the instrument
• Number of channels
• Software Version
• Factory Calibration information
• Warmup and Startup times
• Oven location
• Reference temperature
• Calibration parameters

The PRODML data schema will also supports keeping track of inventory, including old equipment, as it is possible to specify decommissioning details to every instrument box.