AU2008270841A1 - Optical sensor for measuring downhole ingress of debris - Google Patents
Optical sensor for measuring downhole ingress of debris Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU2008270841A1 AU2008270841A1 AU2008270841A AU2008270841A AU2008270841A1 AU 2008270841 A1 AU2008270841 A1 AU 2008270841A1 AU 2008270841 A AU2008270841 A AU 2008270841A AU 2008270841 A AU2008270841 A AU 2008270841A AU 2008270841 A1 AU2008270841 A1 AU 2008270841A1
- Authority
- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- debris
- well
- fiber
- accordance
- optical fiber
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B47/00—Survey of boreholes or wells
- E21B47/04—Measuring depth or liquid level
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B47/00—Survey of boreholes or wells
- E21B47/09—Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells, e.g. the position of an extending arm; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/14—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measurement of pressure
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/22—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water
Description
WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285 OPTICAL SENSOR FOR MEASURING DOWNHOLE INGRESS OF DEBRIS BACKGROUND [0001] Optical Fibers have become the communication medium of choice for long distance communication due to their excellent light transmission characteristics over long distances and the ability to fabricate such fibers in lengths of many kilometers. The transmitted light can also power sensors, thus obviating the need for lengthy electrical wires. This is particularly important in the petroleum and gas industry, where strings of electronic sensors are used in wells to monitor downhole conditions. [0002] As a result, in the petroleum and gas industry, passive fiber optic sensors are used to obtain various downhole measurements, such as, pressure, strain, shape or temperature. A string of optical fibers within a fiber optic system may be used to communicate information from wells being drilled, as well as from completed wells. For example, a series of weakly reflecting fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) may be written into a length of optical fiber, such as by photoetching. As is known in the art, the distribution of light wavelengths reflected from an FBG is influenced by the temperature and strain of the device to which the FBG is attached. An optical signal is sent down the fiber, which is reflected back to a receiver and analyzed to characterize the length of optical fiber. Using this information, downhole measurements may be obtained. [0003] Due to the depth of typical oil and gas wells, one or more of the optical sensors are typically spliced into a length of optical transmission fiber that extends from the surface to the desired depths. As such, it is desirable to take measurements at various depths of the well. [0004] One problem in the downhole art concerns the accumulation of sand and other debris in the anullus of a zone in a well during operations. For some applications, it is important to determine the level of such sand and other debris with optical sensors, which heretofore has not been disclosed in the art.
WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The above described and other problems are overcome by the present optical well monitoring system, which comprises an optical sensing member within the anullus zone of a well to determine the level of debris in the well. When debris accumulates within the anullus zone, said sensing member returns a signal indicative of the level of such debris within the zone. The optical sensing member may include an optical fiber and/or any known optical sensors configured to determine strain, pressure, shape, force, and/or temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views: [0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary injection well with sand debris detected by an optical cable; [0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an exemplary injection well with a sensing cable attached to a movable sliding sleeve valve; and [0009] FIG. 3 is schematic representation of an exemplary well with a sensing cable configured as a coil or spring which may be compressed by a weight of debris. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0010] As illustrated in the accompanying drawings as discussed in detail below, the present disclosure relates to an optical position sensor for measuring the accumulation of debris in the anullus of a downhole well due to operation of tools or oilfield equipment such as packers, fishing tools, perforation gun, logging tools, sliding sleeves, inflatable packers, etc.. The present optical sensor can determine a level of such debris by providing various types of sensors, e.g., strain, shape, temperature, etc. 2 WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285 [0011] The present optical sensor may utilize known optical sensors, including but not limited to FBGs, extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers (EFPI), intrinsic Fabry Perot interferometers (IFPI), Mach-Zehnder inferometers, Sagnac interferometers, Michelson type sensors, backscatter, etc., and known sensing techniques including but not limited to optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDE), optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), optical coherence domain reflectometry (OCDR) and spectral interrogation. In some exemplary embodiments, sensors can be distributed throughout the optical fiber such that they are distinct or spatially separated from each other, such as distributed discrete sensors (DDxS), which include distributed discrete temperature sensors (DDTS), distributes discrete strain sensors (DDSS) or distributed discrete pressure sensors (DDPS). Alternatively, the sensors can be distributed throughout the optical fiber and are continuous, i.e., not spatially separated from each other, such as distributed temperature sensors (DTS) or distributed strain sensors (DSS). [0012] Additionally, the present optical sensor can also utilize optical fibers without sensors, i.e., using Raleigh backscattering as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,545,760, or Brillouin back scattering as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,515,192, to ascertain the location of the tools. The present optical position sensor can also utilize the Raman effect for sensing changes temperature on the optical fiber by measuring the changed wavelength of emitted light as describes in U.S. Patent No. 5,765,948. These references are incorporated by reference in their entireties. [0013] Referring to FIG. 1 and in accordance to one exemplary embodiment, at least one optical sensing cable 10 is disposed in wellbore 12. An unlimited number sensing cables 10 can be deployed depending on the particular application or need. . Position sensors 10 are connected a to surface instrumentation unit (SIU) (not shown). Suitable optical cables include single mode fibers, multimode fibers, polarization maintaining fibers, plastic fibers and coreless fibers. [0014] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, sand or other debris 14 accumulates within the anullus of the well after injection is halted by closing the sliding sleeve valve 16. The optical sensing cable 10 is positioned such that the cable may 3 WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285 determine a level of debris within the well, e.g., to determine whether to perform some trigger action. In an exemplary embodiment, a temperature change is introduced into water within the well, and the difference in heat transfer in the water versus areas including debris are measured to give an indication of the level or uppermost position of such debris within the well. In another exemplary embodiment, the strain induced by the force of the accumulated debris, or the change in shape of the fiber, is determined to give an indication of the level or uppermost position of such debris within the well. The optical sensing cable 10 may be loose or, as in the exemplary embodiment illustrated by FIG. 2, be at least partially coiled. [0015] Referring again to FIG. 2, optical sensor 10 can also be attached to a movable part, such as a sliding sleeve valve 16, and extended into an area where debris may collect. As the part moves, the motion induces strains on the cable. As is known in the art, the applied force stresses the sensor cable and when interrogated by an optical signal, the applied stress alters the signal returned to SlU. Accordingly, the level or uppermost position of debris within the well may be detected. [0016] Referring still to FIG. 2, additionally or in the alternative, masses 20, such as catch basins, may be attached to the cable in one or more positions to cause debris weight to pull on the sensing cable, and the strains in the cable can be interpreted to indicate the debris level. [0017] FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary configuration, wherein a coil of sensing cable or spring of sensing cable (sensing cable on a spring) 22 is provided at an area of interest. Such coil or spring 22 may be placed to compress according to the weight of debris above may be measured. [0018] FBGs, EFPI, an IFPI are some of the known optical sensors that react to stress/applied force or changes temperature and, thus, are exemplary sensors utilized herein. FBGs benefit from the ease in manufacturing of these gratings by photoetching. Other sensors such as silicon sensors that are optically sensitive to heat can be used. Any optical sensors that respond to stress/strain or temperature are suitable, including those 4 WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285 described above. DDxS sensors may be used, e.g., DDTS, DDPS and/or DDSS sensors, as well as DTS or DSS type sensors. [0019] In another exemplary embodiment, Rayleigh backscattering signals may be processed to ascertain a level of debris in the well (reference is made to the '760 patent previously incorporated above). Likewise, Brillouin backscattering and Raman effect can also be used. [0020] The presently described invention advantageously provides accurate and reliable mechanisms for detecting unwanted accumulation of sand and other debris within a well bore, which left unchecked may cause operational problems. [0021] While the present optical sensor is described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which would come within the spirit and scope of the present invention. [0022] What is claimed is: 5
Claims (14)
- 2. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is configured to determine strain, pressure, shape, force, and/or temperature representative of a level or amount of debris within the well.
- 3. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the optical fiber is configured such that it extends through a portion of the well including debris as well as a portion of the well including water without significant amounts of debris, and wherein said well further comprises a mechanism for inducing a temperature change in the water such that the heat transfer in the debris and water mixture may be differentiated from the heat transfer in the water itself.
- 4. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the optical fiber is attached to a movable part within the well, which.movable part, in combination with accumulated debris within the well overlying part of said optical fiber, induces strain on the fiber, which strain is indicative of a level of debris within the well.
- 5. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said fiber is loosely coiled around the annulus of the well from a top portion to a bottom portion, which bottom portion is configured to accumulate said debris.
- 6. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said fiber further comprises at least one mass adhered to said fiber and configured to pull on said fiber by accumulation of debris. 1 WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285
- 7. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the optical fiber is attached to at least one mass, which when in contact with accumulated debris within the well overlying part of said mass, induces strain on the fiber, which strain is indicative of a level of debris within the well.
- 8. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said mass is configured as a debris catch basin.
- 9. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the optical fiber is coiled beneath a debris collecting zone, wherein accumulated debris within the well overlying said coiled optical fiber, bears down on and compresses said fiber, and wherein said fiber is configured to determine the weight of said debris in accordance with compression of the coiled fiber.
- 10. An optical monitoring system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the optical fiber is coiled along a spring.
- 11. A method for measuring downhole ingress of debris comprising: disposing an optical fiber sensing member within the a well zone subject to accumulation of debris; and interrogating said optical fiber sensing member to return a signal indicative of a level or amount of debris within the well in response to a strain induced on the optical fiber sensing member by the debris.
- 12. A method for measuring downhole ingress of debris iri accordance with claim 11, comprising interrogating said optical fiber to determine strain, pressure, shape, force, and/or temperature representative of a level or amount of debris within the well.
- 13. A method for measuring downhole ingress of debris in accordance with claim 12, wherein the optical fiber is configured such that it extends through a portion of the well including debris as well as a portion of the well including water without significant amounts of debris, and further comprising inducing a temperature change in the water such that the heat transfer in the debris and water mixture is differentiated from the heat transfer in the water itself during interrogation of said fiber. 2 A RJIEI"E"" C"lI~EJ T IA I"TII"%I E An WO 2009/005956 PCT/US2008/066285
- 14. A method for measuring downhole ingress of debris in accordance with claim 12, wherein the optical fiber is attached to a movable part within the well, and further comprising actuating said movable part, which movable part, in combination with accumulated debris within the well overlying part of said optical fiber, induces strain on the fiber, which strain is indicative of a level of debris within the well.
- 15. A method for measuring downhole ingress of debris in accordance with claim 12, wherein the optical fiber is coiled beneath a debris collecting zone, wherein accumulated debris within the well overlying said coiled optical fiber, bears down on and compresses said fiber, and further comprising interrogating said fiber to determine the weight of said debris in accordance with compression of the coiled fiber. 3
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/772,929 | 2007-07-03 | ||
US11/772,929 US20090007652A1 (en) | 2007-07-03 | 2007-07-03 | Optical sensor for measuring downhole ingress of debris |
PCT/US2008/066285 WO2009005956A2 (en) | 2007-07-03 | 2008-06-09 | Optical sensor for measuring downhole ingress of debris |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
AU2008270841A1 true AU2008270841A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
Family
ID=40193914
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
AU2008270841A Abandoned AU2008270841A1 (en) | 2007-07-03 | 2008-06-09 | Optical sensor for measuring downhole ingress of debris |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20090007652A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2008270841A1 (en) |
BR (1) | BRPI0812836A2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2689691A1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2464005A (en) |
NO (1) | NO20093513L (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009005956A2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
AU5725599A (en) | 1999-09-29 | 2001-04-30 | Swisscom Mobile Ag | Method for finding members of a common interest group |
US20110203805A1 (en) * | 2010-02-23 | 2011-08-25 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Valving Device and Method of Valving |
CN102080536B (en) * | 2010-12-03 | 2013-03-13 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Test method and device of working fluid level of oil well |
US8638444B2 (en) | 2011-01-11 | 2014-01-28 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Sensor array configuration for swept-wavelength interferometric-based sensing systems |
US8592747B2 (en) | 2011-01-19 | 2013-11-26 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Programmable filters for improving data fidelity in swept-wavelength interferometry-based systems |
US20130094812A1 (en) * | 2011-10-12 | 2013-04-18 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Conduit Tube Assembly and Manufacturing Method for Subterranean Use |
CN102607691B (en) * | 2012-03-23 | 2014-04-16 | 哈尔滨理工大学 | Using method of intrinsic fiber Fabry-Perot vibration sensor for liquid media |
US9880035B2 (en) | 2013-03-28 | 2018-01-30 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | Method and system for detecting coking growth and maldistribution in refinery equipment |
US9746434B2 (en) | 2013-03-28 | 2017-08-29 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | Method and system for determining flow distribution through a component |
US9778115B2 (en) * | 2013-03-28 | 2017-10-03 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | Method and system for detecting deposits in a vessel |
US9645002B2 (en) | 2013-03-28 | 2017-05-09 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | System and method for identifying levels or interfaces of media in a vessel |
US10634536B2 (en) | 2013-12-23 | 2020-04-28 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | Method and system for multi-phase flow measurement |
US9651415B2 (en) * | 2013-12-23 | 2017-05-16 | Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company | Method and system for monitoring distillation tray performance |
WO2018125100A1 (en) * | 2016-12-28 | 2018-07-05 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Downhole tool with filtration device |
CN110267600B (en) * | 2017-02-06 | 2022-12-20 | 设备与设计有限责任公司 | Systems, methods, and devices for integrated tissue sampling and tissue marker placement |
CN111103029B (en) * | 2019-12-26 | 2021-04-30 | 河南理工大学 | Intelligent monitoring device and monitoring method for fiber bragg grating of coal level of coal bunker |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP3425964B2 (en) * | 1992-03-19 | 2003-07-14 | 富士通株式会社 | Optical signal generator and optical transmission system using stimulated Brillouin scattering |
JPH08247858A (en) * | 1995-03-07 | 1996-09-27 | Toshiba Corp | Optical temperature distribution sensor and temperature distribution measuring method |
CA2197535A1 (en) * | 1997-02-13 | 1998-08-13 | John Nenniger | Method and apparatus for measurement and prediction of waxy crude characteristics |
US6281489B1 (en) * | 1997-05-02 | 2001-08-28 | Baker Hughes Incorporated | Monitoring of downhole parameters and tools utilizing fiber optics |
US6545760B1 (en) * | 1999-03-25 | 2003-04-08 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration | Apparatus and method for measuring strain in optical fibers using rayleigh scatter |
US6789621B2 (en) * | 2000-08-03 | 2004-09-14 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Intelligent well system and method |
US6847034B2 (en) * | 2002-09-09 | 2005-01-25 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Downhole sensing with fiber in exterior annulus |
US20070047867A1 (en) * | 2003-10-03 | 2007-03-01 | Goldner Eric L | Downhole fiber optic acoustic sand detector |
GB0407982D0 (en) * | 2004-04-08 | 2004-05-12 | Wood Group Logging Services In | "Methods of monitoring downhole conditions" |
BRPI0609199A2 (en) * | 2005-03-12 | 2010-03-02 | Baker Hughes Inc | attic position sensor |
CA2633747C (en) * | 2005-12-20 | 2016-05-10 | Schlumberger Canada Limited | Method and system for monitoring the incursion of particulate material into a well casing within hydrocarbon bearing formations including gas hydrates |
-
2007
- 2007-07-03 US US11/772,929 patent/US20090007652A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2008
- 2008-06-09 CA CA2689691A patent/CA2689691A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2008-06-09 BR BRPI0812836-7A2A patent/BRPI0812836A2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2008-06-09 GB GB0922017A patent/GB2464005A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2008-06-09 WO PCT/US2008/066285 patent/WO2009005956A2/en active Application Filing
- 2008-06-09 AU AU2008270841A patent/AU2008270841A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2009
- 2009-12-14 NO NO20093513A patent/NO20093513L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
BRPI0812836A2 (en) | 2014-12-09 |
GB0922017D0 (en) | 2010-02-03 |
CA2689691A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
WO2009005956A2 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
NO20093513L (en) | 2010-03-26 |
GB2464005A (en) | 2010-04-07 |
WO2009005956A4 (en) | 2009-05-28 |
WO2009005956A3 (en) | 2009-03-26 |
US20090007652A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
DA3 | Amendments made section 104 |
Free format text: THE NATURE OF THE AMENDMENT IS: REMOVE THE NAMES OF THE CO-INVENTORS BUSSEAR, TERRY R. AND POLAND, STEPHEN |
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MK1 | Application lapsed section 142(2)(a) - no request for examination in relevant period |