Abstract:
A stacked-ring, slow-wave acoustic telemetry isolation system and method for use with tubular assemblies such as drillpipe or production tubing comprising an acoustic wave transmitter, the acoustic isolator behaving such that a “down” wave propagated toward the isolator is reflected back substantially in phase with an “up” wave propagated from the acoustic wave source away from the isolator. The acoustic isolator is similarly effective in reflecting “up” propagating waves originating from below the isolator, hence further protecting the acoustic wave source from possible deleterious interference. It causes substantially all of the emitted wave energy to travel in a chosen direction along the drill pipe, thus aiding the efficiency of acoustic telemetry said pipe.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/152,337, entitled “Acoustic Telemetry Stacked-Ring Wave Delay Isolator System and Method,” filed Feb. 13, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to telemetry apparatus and methods, and more particularly to acoustic telemetry isolation apparatus and methods for the well drilling and production (e.g., oil and gas) industry. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Acoustic telemetry is a method of communication used, for example, in the well drilling and production industries. In a typical drilling environment, acoustic extensional carrier waves from an acoustic telemetry device are modulated in order to carry information via the drillpipe as the transmission medium to the surface. Upon arrival at the surface, the waves are detected, decoded and displayed in order that drillers, geologists and others helping steer or control the well are provided with drilling and formation data. In production wells, downhole information can similarly be transmitted via the well casings. 
     The theory of acoustic telemetry as applied to communication along drillstrings has a long history, and a comprehensive theoretical understanding has generally been backed up by accurate measurements. It is now generally recognized that the nearly regular periodic structure of drillpipe imposes a passband/stopband structure on the frequency response, similar to that of a comb filter. Dispersion, phase non-linearity and frequency-dependent attenuation make drillpipe a challenging medium for telemetry, the situation being made even more challenging by the significant surface and downhole noise generally experienced. 
     The design of acoustic systems for static production wells has been reasonably successful, as each system can be modified within economic constraints to suit these relatively long-lived applications. The application of acoustic telemetry in the plethora of individually differing real-time drilling situations, however, presents other challenges. This is primarily due to the increased noise due to drilling, and the problem of unwanted acoustic wave reflections associated with downhole components, such as the bottom-hole assembly (or “BHA”), typically attached to the end of the drillstring, which reflections can interfere with the desired acoustic telemetry signal. The problem of communication through drillpipe is further complicated by the fact that drillpipe has heavier tool joints than production tubing, resulting in broader stopbands; this entails relatively less available acoustic passband spectrum, making the problems of noise and signal distortion more severe. 
     To make the situation even more challenging, BHA components are normally designed without any regard to acoustic telemetry applications, enhancing the risk of unwanted and possibly deleterious reflections caused primarily by the BHA components. 
     When exploring for oil or gas, in coal mine drilling and in other drilling applications, an acoustic transmitter is preferentially placed near the BHA, typically near the drill bit where the transmitter can gather certain drilling and geological formation data, process this data, and then convert the data into a signal to be transmitted up-hole to an appropriate receiving and decoding station. In some systems, the transmitter is designed to produce elastic extensional stress waves that propagate through the drillstring to the surface, where the waves are detected by sensors, such as accelerometers, attached to the drill string or associated drilling rig equipment. These waves carry information of value to the drillers and others who are responsible for steering the well. Examples of such systems and their components are shown in: Drumheller U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,901 for Acoustic Data Transmission through a Drillstring; Drumheller U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,474 for Reducing Injection Loss in Drill Strings; Camwell et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0258326 for Telemetry Wave Detection Apparatus and Method; and Camwell et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0253228 for Drill String Telemetry Methods and Apparatus. These patents and publications include common inventors with the present application and are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Exploration drilling in particular has become a highly evolved art, wherein the specification and placement of the BHA components is almost entirely dictated by the driller&#39;s need to drill as quickly and accurately as possible while gathering information local to the drill bit. A large variety of specialized BHA modules or tools are available to suit local conditions, and their inclusion in a BHA usually takes priority over the requirements of telemetry methods, acoustic or otherwise. The diversity of these BHA tools and the decision regarding whether or not to even include them in a drillstring, pose major issues for consideration; these issues have a significant impact when dealing with acoustic energy questions. Cyclic acoustic waves suffer multiple reflections and amplitude changes even in a very simple BHA, and the net effect of these changes may destructively interfere with the required acoustic telemetry broadcast signal. The reflections are caused by impedance mismatches which are the result of mechanical discontinuities present in all BHAs presently in use. 
     An initial response to this problem would be to place the acoustic telemetry device above the BHA and simply direct the acoustic energy up the drillstring, away from the BHA components. Unfortunately, this does not fully address the problem because typical acoustic transmitters emit waves of equal magnitude both up-hole and downhole, and the downward travelling waves in particular may be reflected resulting in destructive interference with the upward travelling waves. In the worst cases, this can cause virtually complete cancellation of the upward travelling communication signal. 
     It is known in other fields, for example in radio frequency (RF) transmitter design and electrical transmission lines, that wave reflections can be controlled by inserting simple specific impedance changes at certain distances from a transmitter, such that the combination of the original wave and the reflected wave combine constructively to produce a single wave travelling in one direction with increased amplitude. The standard approach is to insert a “quarter wave” (λ/4) impedance change (or odd multiples thereof) adjacent to the transmitter so that one wave (the “down” wave) is reflected in phase with the intended transmitted wave (the “up” wave) and constructively aids the intended transmitted wave by increasing its amplitude. 
     Downhole applications typically employ transmitters that emit stress waves of nearly equal, but not necessarily equal, magnitude in both directions. Moreover, each wave has the same sign in stress but opposite sign in material velocity. In such cases, the appropriate reflection device would be a λ/4 tuning bar (pipe section) placed below the transmitter. However, such a simple solution is often impractical because the equipment below the acoustic transmitter is designed to drill and steer the well rather than to aid telemetry. Equipment such as drill collars, crossover pipes, drilling motors and bits can easily nullify the benefit of simply introducing a λ/4 section of pipe below the acoustic transmitter because the equipment will generally be of differing lengths and impedances that can add to the λ/4 section and eliminate the intended benefit. 
     Other styles of transmitters which emit waves in both directions, but by design have different relationships between their stresses and material velocity, would require tuning bars of different lengths, not necessarily λ/4 sections, further complicating the problem. 
     As mentioned above, downhole noise is also of concern in acoustic telemetry. The problem of downhole noise is addressed to some extent in U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,458 to Meehan, wherein is taught a baffle filter comprising a periodic structure of typically 20 m length interposed above or below the acoustic source; this is intended to cause stopbands over a certain range of frequencies, the position of the baffle being to protect the acoustic transmitter from the sources of the noise. This teaching, however, does not address or anticipate the more serious problem of energy propagating in a “down” direction being reflected in a relatively unattenuated manner back to the transmitter where it may combine in a destructive manner with the energy propagating in an “up” direction, thereby causing possibly significant destruction of the signal intended to reach the surface. 
     As can be seen, then, the required upward travelling acoustic telemetry waves are often interfered with by unwanted reflections from impedance mismatches below the transmitter. The known art of inserting a tuning bar of appropriate length is usually ineffective because the local conditions often necessitate the addition of further BHA components that cause further reflections that can often destructively interfere with the upward travelling wave. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to control wave reflections, in particular, in such a manner as to mitigate the otherwise potentially destructive reflections. Specifically, the present invention comprises an apparatus for placement adjacent to the transmitter, and a method for using same, that will beneficially reflect waves, such that:
         A. the apparatus can be configured to be effective over a certain broadcast bandwidth, such that all the desired frequencies in a modulated telemetry signal are significantly and beneficially reflected at known places; and   B. the apparatus aids the transmitted wave by adding in phase, providing up to a 3 dB gain in the amplitude of the wave motion amplitude and a 6 dB gain in the wave energy.       

     An isolator according to the present invention seeks to effectively isolate essentially all down waves from the subsequent (i.e., downhole) BHA components, thus curtailing the possibility of waves that would have entered the BHA and returned with potentially destructive phases. Positioning an isolator according to the present invention below the transmitter can, in effect, make the lower BHA components essentially “acoustically invisible” over a bandwidth useful for acoustic telemetry. 
     The present invention is also intended to be applicable in situations other than real-time drilling with drillpipe or production wells with production tubing. For example, many relatively shallow wells are drilled with coiled tubing. Although coiled tubing drilling systems do not have the passband/stopband features of drillpipe sections connected by tool joints, they do have BHA components similar to those in jointed pipe applications. Thus, the isolator and the isolation method taught herein are intended to apply equally to the situation of coiled tubing. 
     It is intended that the present invention be applicable in still further applications. For example, an isolation/reflection means as described herein can also be beneficial in production wells where there may not be a BHA as such, but there may instead be production components such as valves, manifolds, screens, gas lift equipment, etc., below the acoustic source. Thus, the apparatus and method taught herein are intended to apply equally to this situation. 
     It is not intended that an exhaustive list of all such applications be provided herein for the present invention, as many further applications will be evident to those skilled in the art. 
     Thus it is to be understood that downward traveling acoustic energy is reflected upward, and upward traveling acoustic energy is reflected downward. Moreover, it is to be understood that acoustic energy could be arriving simultaneously from both directions and the acoustic isolator is simultaneously reflected back towards the drilling components that originally injected the energy. 
     A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is given in the following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be construed as limited to this embodiment. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular member exhibiting low wave speed and constructed of a number of rings of differing materials arranged in a periodic pattern comprising:
         identical first rings of a first material and first inner diameter, first outer diameter, and first length; identical second rings of a second material and second inner diameter, second outer diameter, and second length; two identical third rings of a third material and third inner diameter, third outer diameter, and third length; these rings being stacked as follows: a third ring, a first ring, a second ring, an arbitrary number, including zero, of repeating first-second ring patterns ending with a first ring, and a third ring; the properties and sizes of these rings selected to yield a period structure exhibiting stopband and passbands, such as the aforementioned drill string, containing frequencies with low wave speeds and high acoustic impedances.       

     The mandrel of the isolator is loaded by series of alternating low-high density rings, the lengths of which cause reflections in the acoustic wave such that the net wave velocity is significantly slowed by their action. This speed disparity sets up an efficient means of producing a phase shift across a useful band of frequencies. The phase shift provides a means of reflecting acoustic waves. 
     A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is given in the following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be construed as limited to this embodiment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of the present invention and an exemplary embodiment thereof: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a typical drilling rig, including an acoustic telemetry isolation system embodying an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the acoustic telemetry isolation system, particularly showing an isolator thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the isolator; 
         FIG. 4  is a plot of the wave speed through the isolator over a frequency range from 0 to 800 Hz; 
         FIG. 5  is a plot of the impedance values for the isolator over a frequency range from 0 to 800 Hz; 
         FIG. 6  is a plot of the pole equation for the isolator over a frequency range from 0 to 800 Hz; and 
         FIG. 7  is a plot of the transfer function for the isolator over a frequency range from 0 to 1200 Hz. 
         FIG. 8   a  is a diagram showing the equally-divided acoustic sinusoidal telemetry signal transmitted uphole (50%) and downhole (50%). 
         FIG. 8   b  is a diagram showing the downhole portion of the acoustic wave split into slow and fast (Cslow and Cfast) signal paths with corresponding short and long wavelengths (λ 1  and λ 2 ) at the same frequency (f). 
         FIG. 8   c  is a diagram showing the slow and fast (Cslow and Cfast) downhole portions of the acoustic wave reflected, traveling upward and recombined in-phase in the transmitter, further combining with the uphole (50%) signal, resulting in a cumulative, maximum-amplitude (100%, theoretical) up-wave being transmitted to the surface for optimal reception with minimal interference. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, reference is made to “up” and “down” waves, but this is merely for convenience and clarity. It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited in this manner to conceptually simple applications in acoustic communication from the downhole end of the drillstring to the surface. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention applies equally, for example, to subsurface stations, such as would be found in telemetry repeaters. 
     Referring to the drawings more detail, the reference numeral  2  generally designates a stacked-ring acoustic telemetry isolation system embodying an aspect of the present invention. Without limitation on the generality of useful applications of the system  2 , an exemplary application is in a drilling rig  4  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, the rig  4  can include a derrick  6  suspending a traveling block  8  mounting a kelly swivel  10 , which receives drilling mud via a kelly hose  11  for pumping downhole into a drillstring  12 . The drillstring  12  is rotated by a kelly spinner  14  connected to a kelly pipe  16 , which in turn connects to multiple drill pipe sections  18 , which are interconnected by tool joints  19 , thus forming a drillstring of considerable length, e.g. several kilometers, which can be guided downwardly and/or laterally using well-known techniques. The drillstring  12  terminates at a bottom-hole apparatus (BHA)  20 . Other rig configurations can likewise employ the acoustic isolation system of the present invention, including top-drive, coiled tubing, etc. 
     The acoustic isolation system  2  is incorporated along the drillstring  12 , e.g., just above the BHA  20 , or at other desired locations therealong. An upper, adjacent drillpipe section  18   a  is connected to a stacked-ring acoustic isolator  26  at an upper interface  28   a . The isolator  26  is connected to a downhole adjacent drillpipe section  18   b  at a lower interface  28   b . Without limitation, the isolator  26  can be located below a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) transmitter  22 . Examples of such acoustic transducers and their construction are shown in Drumheller U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,836 for Acoustic Transducer and Drumheller U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,647 for Extension Method of Drillstring Component Assembly, which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The focus of the present invention is to implement designs of isolators  26  comprising stacked rings such that judicious control of their impedances and transient times may result in a useful and necessary apparatus, i.e. the stacked-ring acoustic isolator  26  which can be incorporated in the acoustic isolation system  2 . 
     The wave speed c and characteristic acoustic impedance z of a tubular pipe or ring of uniform material properties and wall area are
 
 c=√{square root over (E/ρ)}   [1]
 
 z=√{square root over (ρE)}A=ρcA   [2]
         where
           ρ=material mass density and   E=material stiffness (Young&#39;s modulus)   A=wall area of the pipe   
               

     Wave speeds and impedances of individual pipes or rings are limited by the selection of candidate materials for application to the drilling environment. Lead is perhaps the limiting example of a material with low wave speed of 1188 m/s and high impedance of 180 Mg/s for tubular sizes typical of the oilfield drilling environment. The object of this invention is to provide assemblies of rings or pipes that exhibit still lower values of wave speed and comparable values of impedance. This object can be achieved with a periodic structure of individual tubular elements. The analysis of this periodic structure begins with a well-known matrix relationship that expresses the forces and material velocities at the top end of an individual tubular element to those at the bottom end: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
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             where 
           
         
       
    
               [   P   ]     =     [           cos   ⁢           ⁢   ϕ             -   ⅈ     ⁢           ⁢   z   ⁢           ⁢   sin   ⁢           ⁢   ϕ                 -     (     ⅈ   /   z     )       ⁢   sin   ⁢           ⁢   ϕ           cos   ⁢           ⁢   ϕ           ]           φ=ω l/c  
             F t =force at the top of the element   v l =material velocity at the top of the element   F b =force at bottom the element   v b =material velocity at bottom the element   l=length of the element   ω=circular frequency in radians per second           

     A stack of tubular or cylindrical elements or “rings” is constructed by placing the bottom end of one element on the top end of its neighbour. The corresponding matrix relationship between the forces and material velocities at the top and bottom of the assembled stack of elements is 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
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             where the matrix [T] is the ordered product of the individual matrices [P] for each of the individual elements forming the stack. As an example, a stack  28  illustrated in  FIG. 2  has individual [P] matrices and the ordered product of these matrices yields the matrix [T]. 
           
         
       
    
     Special solutions of equation [4] exist for which 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
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             where
           c=wave speed of the stack   L=length of the stack   
         
           
         
       
    
     The combination of [4] and [5] yields a classical eigenvalue problem: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     
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             where [0] and [1] are the null vector and the unit matrix, respectively. For a specified frequency the solution of [6] yields the eigenvalue c and the eigenvector z=F B /v B =F T /v T . It is known that these solutions yield small values of wave speed c in combination with large values of impedance z. These are the required parameters used in designing a parallel path isolator (see, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/148,995. 
           
         
       
    
     Example 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Material 
                 Nylon 
                 WCuNi 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 ρ (kg/m 3 ) 
                 2600 
                 17000 
               
               
                   
                 E (GPa) 
                 3.37 
                 276 
               
               
                   
                 A (m 2 ) 
                 0.0021 
                 0.008 
               
               
                   
                 Cylinder length (m) 
                 0.0356 
                 0.243 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Consider exemplary tubular elements or rings made of Nylon and WCuNi (tungsten copper nickel) alloy with properties and sizes listed in Table 1. The first rings  31  of the invention have the WCuNi properties, the second ring(s)  32  of the invention have the Nylon properties, and the third rings  33  of the invention have the Nylon properties with the length divided in half. The stack of these rings contains two first rings  31 , one second ring  32 , and two third rings  33 . (See  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) Note that the total length of this stack is
 
 L= 2(0.0356+0.243)=0.557 m,
         which is less than one-quarter that of previous best-practice isolator designs.       

     The eigenvalue solution of [6] yields the wave speeds c shown in  FIG. 4  and the impedances z shown in  FIG. 5 . Stack  28  will be used to isolate waves with frequencies in the neighbourhood of 660 Hz. Note that at this frequency the wave speed and impedance are:
 
 c =556 m/s
 
 z =155 Mg/s.
 
     Clearly these results can be changed by altering the material properties and dimensions as shown in Table 1. But these particular results are desired as this stack  28  is to be housed inside a tubular titanium housing  29  for which
 
 c =4860 m/s
 
 z =88 Mg/s.
 
     The stack  28  and the housing  29  form a parallel path isolator with the pole equation S(f)=|z 2 (1−P 1   2 )P 2 +z 1 (1−P 2   2 )P 1 | (See eq. 7 of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/148,995 for Parallel-Path Acoustic Telemetry Isolation System and Method, which is incorporated herein by reference) plotted in  FIG. 6  and the transfer function I=G(f)T (See eq. 7 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/148,995) is plotted in  FIG. 7 . Note that 660-Hz waves are completely blocked by this isolator  26 . 
     Divided, Split, Reflected and Recombined Acoustic Sinusoidal Signals 
       FIGS. 8   a - c  show the paths of the signals through the isolator  26  of the present invention, and emitting therefrom for reception and analysis. The signal waves are shown in  FIGS. 8   a - c  in More specifically, the reflection and redirection at the BHA  20 , combined with the impedance-based slowing effect of the isolator  2 , result in a recombined carrier telemetry signal emitting upwardly from the transmitter, which theoretically approaches 100% signal strength. 
     In order to further explain and clarify the principles upon which this invention depends in a non-mathematical and therefore non-rigorous manner,  FIGS. 8   a - c  show how the ‘up’ and ‘down’ waves travel and interact with various sections of the isolator  26 , the transmitter  22  and each other. For example,  FIG. 8   a  shows a simple PZT stack (transmitter) generating symmetrical sinusoidal acoustic waves in a drill collar. Because the system is axially symmetric, the upward-travelling waves and the downward-travelling waves are of equal amplitude and have a common phase center at the centroid of the transmitter. Thus 50% of the signal goes up, and 50% goes down. It is the down signal that could be reflected by uncontrolled impedances comprising the BHA  20  between the transmitter  22  and the drill bit that may result in a reflection that travels up and deleteriously interferes with the up signal at the transmitter  22  ( FIGS. 8   b - c ). The acoustic isolator  26  of the present invention avoids this problem by reflecting, redirecting and recombining the downhole signal with the uphole signal for a cumulative signal gain above the transmitter  22 . 
       FIG. 8   b  shows the isolator  26  between the transmitter  22  and a collar section above the BHA  20 , with the collar section joining the two main parts of the isolator  26 . The isolator  26  is shown in  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  with a split signal path comprising slow and fast acoustic wave pathways implemented in parallel. In an actual drillstring  12  these sections are tubular members disposed coaxially, one being an outer housing and the other being an inner mandrel. In one embodiment the slow wave structure is a modified outer housing internally supporting a series of rings of dissimilar material and geometry (see Table 1 and  FIG. 3 ), with a coaxial but separate inner pipe (mandrel) having a simple tubular structure. 
     Because the transmitter is basically a dipole antenna faced by similar impedances, 50% of the signal goes up the drill collar and hence the drill pipe toward the surface. The 50% signal going down toward the BHA  20  is split into two equal amplitude signals, thus 25% travels down the mandrel at normal speed, and 25% travels down the slow wave structure. After the aforementioned distance (−d), the two down waves recombine at a common connector, e.g., to the BHA  20 . The design is such that at the lower recombining surface the two down waves have a relative phase difference of approximately 180° (or a half wavelength=λ/2). The two paths suffer negligible loss as the invention does not depend on attenuating filters as typified by Arian et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,380, Shah et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,068,183 and Dubinsky et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,875, and so have substantially equal amplitudes. The two-path geometry is such that the tubular pipes comprising the isolator present substantially equal impedances at the common connector interface, thereby being independently reflected upward. This reflection from the common connector due to the phase difference at the interface over the frequency band of interest is substantial (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ), approaching 100% reflectivity. 
       FIG. 8   c  shows that the upward waves return along the same paths, with the slow wave structure affecting the passage of its wave such that by the time it reaches the transmitter  22  it is again phase-shifted approximately 180° and slowed with respect to the ‘normal’ un-slowed reflected wave in the other path. Because the round-trip, phase-delay reflection phase shifts add, the net result is that the two waves are in phase at the transmitter, i.e. 360°, whereupon they recombine to constructively add, thus presenting a reflected returning signal that is substantially equivalent in amplitude to those that were originally transmitted downward, in effect returning 50% of the transmitter&#39;s launched signal. 
     Concurrently with the downward-traveling waves reflecting and returning via the isolator  26 , the transmitter  22  continues to transmit sinusoidal acoustic waves. The design of the slow wave structure elements and the length of the coaxial outer housing and mandrel can be adjusted such that the returning downhole component and the as-yet unmodified up-hole component can have substantially zero relative phase. Thus the 50% reflected down waves and the 50% up waves can coherently, cumulatively combine within the transmitter to provide substantially 100% of its output in the upward direction over a given bandwidth. This bandwidth is indicated in  FIG. 6 , providing a useful telemetry channel consistent with the bandwidth afforded by industry-standard drill pipe. For example, such a cumulative, nearly-100% signal can be effectively used as a strong carrier wave for data-carrying telemetry signals from the BHA  20 . 
     It is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in various forms, and is not to be limited to the examples discussed above. For example, as noted above, the repeating first-second rings  31 - 32  patterns can comprise an arbitrary number, including zero. Moreover, the materials comprising the rings can be chosen from a wide range of suitable materials for particular applications based on desired wave speed and phase change functions and characteristics of the isolator  26 . Other components and configurations can be utilized in the practice of the present invention.