BR112018011877B1 - METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING DOWNHOLE TOOLS THROUGH RADIOACTIVE MARKING DETECTION - Google Patents

Abstract

METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING DOWNHOLE TOOLS THROUGH RADIOACTIVE MARKING DETECTION. Systems and methods for positioning well tools through detection of radioactive markings are disclosed. The method comprises positioning a radiation detector at a first position within a well, logging radiation data as the radiation detector is moved from the first position to an adjacent position or past a radioactive marker disposed within the well, determining , based on the radiation data, a time when the radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marker and calculating, based on time, a distance between the first position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marker.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNIQUE

[001] The present technology relates to the positioning of downhole tools and, more particularly, the positioning of downhole tools through radioactive label detection.

FUNDAMENTALS

[002] After an oil or gas well is drilled, well operators generally perform several tasks to prepare the well for hydrocarbon production. These tasks, known as completion operations, typically include inserting and cementing a casing or liner inside the well to prevent the well walls from collapsing. A downhole tool, such as a drill gun, can then be transported downhole via a wireline or tubular well cable and positioned adjacent to a formation of interest. Once in position, one or more packers can be adjusted and explosive charges within the drill gun can be fired to create holes, or perforations, in the casing, cement and formation. In this way, fluid communication between the well and the formation can be established.

[003] However, accurate positioning of the drilling tool at the hole location is intended to correctly determine the position of the bottom of the hole on the tool relative to the formation of interest. Current solutions measure the length of the well tubular as it is transported downhole to determine when the downhole tool has reached the known depth of the formation. Unfortunately, these solutions are subject to improper or inaccurate well tubular length measurements due to inconsistent tubular lengths, tubular stretching and compression, wellbore deviations, and the like, resulting in erroneous placement of the tool downhole. Other solutions perform additional logging runs to collect well logs that can be used to correlate downhole tool position with well depth. However, these logging runs often require removing the tubular from the well to deploy a wireline logging tool inside the well. Furthermore, additional logging runs required by these solutions are very expensive and time-consuming, especially in offshore applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[004] In order to describe the manner in which the aforementioned advantages and other advantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be processed by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the figures attached. With the understanding that these figures only describe examples of embodiments of the disclosure and, therefore, should not be considered limiting its scope, the principles herein will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the attached figures, in which: FIG.1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a system for positioning downhole tools; FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical representation of a gamma ray profile for a radiation detector; FIG.3 illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of a system for positioning downhole tools; FIG.4 illustrates graphic representations of gamma ray profiles for two radiation detectors; FIG.5 illustrates an example of a method for positioning a downhole tool using a single radiation detector; FIG.6 illustrates an example of a method for positioning a downhole tool using two radiation detectors; and FIGs. 7A and 7B illustrate schematic diagrams of example computing systems for use with example system embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[005] Various modalities of disclosure are discussed in detail below. Although specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[006] Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be presented in the following description, and in part will be obvious from the description or can be learned by practicing the principles disclosed in this document. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained through the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the attached claims. These and other features of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by practicing the principles set forth herein.

[007] It will be appreciated that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated between the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are presented in order to provide a complete understanding of the embodiments described in this document. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the relative relevant characteristic being described. Figures are not necessarily to scale and proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated to better illustrate details and features. The description will not be considered to limit the scope of the embodiments described in this document.

[008] The phrase “well tubular” is defined as one or more types of connected tubulars and may include, but is not limited to, drill string, tool string, completion string, production string, tubing, production, articulated piping, coiled piping, casing, liners, drill pipes, combinations thereof or similar. The term "coupled" is defined as connected, either directly or indirectly, through intervening components and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. Furthermore, use of directional terms such as above, below, top, bottom, ascending, descending, left, right, well top, well bottom and the like are used in connection with the illustrative embodiments as described in the figures, the upward direction or top of the well being towards the surface of the well and the downward direction or bottom of the well being towards the bottom of the well.

[009] The approaches described describe systems and methods quickly determining the position of a well tubular and its components in relation to a radioactive marker disposed within a well. The system includes one or more radiation detectors disposed in a well tubular and configured to detect a radioactive trace within a well. By detecting the radioactive tag, the well tubular can be correlated with the depth of the tag and the downhole position of the well tubular components relative to a formation of interest can be known. This critical position information can be communicated to a well surface (e.g., via telemetry), stored for later verification, and/or used to automatically activate well tools when they are in the appropriate location within the well.

[0010] Systems and methods for positioning well tools through the detection of radioactive markings are disclosed. The method comprises positioning a radiation detector in a first position within a well, profiling radiation data while the radiation detector is moved from the first position to an adjacent position or past a radioactive tag disposed within the well, determining , based on the radiation data, a time when the radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marker, and calculating, based on time, a distance between the first position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marker.

[0011] The present description is described in relation to an offshore well operation 100 represented schematically in FIG. 1. A semisubmersible platform 102 is centered over a submerged formation 104 located beneath the seabed 106. A subsea conduit 108 extends from a surface 110 of the platform 102 to a wellhead installation 112, including blowout prevention devices 114. The platform 102 has a lifting apparatus 116 and a tower 118 for raising and lowering well tubing, such as well tubular 120.

[0012] Continuing with FIG. 1, a well 122 extends through the various strata of the earth including formation 104. At least a portion of a casing 124 may be cemented into the well 122 by cement 126. Note that in this specification, the terms “liner” and “casing” are used interchangeably to describe one or more layers of tubular materials that are used to form protective liners in wells. Liners and coverings can be made from any material, such as metals, plastics, composites or the like, can be expanded or unexpanded as part of an installation procedure, and can be segmented or continuous. Additionally, it is not necessary for a liner or casing to be cemented into a well. Any type of liner or coating can be used in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

[0013] The well tubular 120 may be raised or lowered within the well 122 to conduct various operations on one or more formations of interest, such as formation 104. Additionally, the well tubular 120 may include various well components for support such operations. For example, the well tubular 120 may include one or more packers 128, 130 to provide zonal isolation for hydrocarbon production in a certain formation of interest within the well 122. When seated, the packers 128, 130 may isolate zones of the annulus. between the well tubular 120 and the well 122. In this way, formation fluids, such as those from the formation 104, can enter the annular space between the well tubular 120 and the well 122 between the packers 128, 130.

[0014] The well tube 120 may also include one or more downhole tools, such as a drill gun 132. The well tube 120 may be moved within the well 122 to position the drill gun 132 adjacent to a formation of interest, such as formation 104. Once in position, a series of shaped charges within drill barrel 132 may be fired to create holes or perforations in casing 124, cement 126, and/or formation 104. , fluid communication between formation 104 and well 122 can be established.

[0015] As noted above, the precise positioning of the drilling tool at the downhole location is intended to correctly determine the position of the bottomhole on the tool relative to the formation of interest. Measuring the length of the well tubular as it is transported downhole results in an inaccurate determination of the tool's depth to the bottom of the hole. Additionally, additional logging runs to correlate downhole tool position with wellbore depth are very expensive and time-consuming and often require removing the wellbore tubular to deploy a wireline logging tool into the wellbore. Accordingly, the systems and techniques disclosed herein allow positioning of a downhole tool using radioactive tag detection.

[0016] For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a radiation detector 134 coupled to the well tubular 120. The radiation detector 134 may be a gamma ray detector configured to measure radioactivity within the well 122 and its surrounding formations and devices. . For example, the radiation detector 134 may include a scintillation detector, such as thallium-doped sodium iodide, coupled to a photomultiplier and one or more processors and/or storage devices. When gamma rays emitted by radioactive materials within the well 122 and its surrounding formations/devices enter the radiation detector 134, their energy can be absorbed by the scintillation detector and re-emitted in the form of light. Light can be detected by the photomultiplier, which can convert light energy into an electrical pulse. By measuring the number of electrical impulses per unit of time, referred to herein as a "count", the radiation detector 134 can determine the intensity of radiation at a given depth within the well 122.

[0017] The radiation detector 134 may be coupled to a downhole tool unit 136 arranged in a well tubular 120. The downhole tool unit 136 may be located in a downhole location in the wellbore 122 and may include one or more processors and storage devices for processing and/or storing data received from radiation detector 134, as well as sending instructions to radiation detector 134. In addition, downhole tool unit 136 may including a downhole telemetry tool configured to communicate with a surface telemetry tool included in a surface tool unit 138 located at a well surface location 122 (e.g., surface 110). Communication between tool units 136, 138 can include any known technique, such as acoustic telemetry, optical telemetry, electromagnetic telemetry, pulse telemetry, power lines, and the like. In this way, the tool units 136, 138 can allow bidirectional communication between the surface 110 of the platform 102 and downhole devices located inside the well 122 (for example, packers 128, 130, drill gun 132, radiation detector 134 , downhole tool unit 136, etc.). Furthermore, the tooling units 136, 138 can allow the radiation detector 134 to send measured radiation data to the surface 110 of the platform 102 in real time for processing, storage and/or analysis by one or more processors and storage devices. included in the surface tool assembly 138 and/or arranged at a remote location.

[0018] In operation, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to arrange a downhole tool, such as the drill gun 132, in an initial position within the well 122. The initial position of the drill gun 132 can be divided into two components: a known distance 142 between the drill gun 132 and the radiation detector 134 and a measured distance 144 between the radiation detector 134 and the surface 110. The known distance 142 can be determined, e.g. by measuring the fixed length between the drill gun 132 and the radiation detector 134 before lowering the well tubular 120 below the surface 110. The measured distance 144 can be determined, for example, by measuring the length of the well tubular 120 between the radiation detector 134 and the surface 110, as the well tubular 120 is installed at the bottom of the well. However, as discussed previously, measuring the length of the well tubular 120 as it is deployed below the surface 110 is not a reliable indicator of the actual downhole position of the well tubular 120 and its associated components due to factors such as lengths inconsistent tubulars, compression and striation of the tubular, well deviations and the like.

[0019] Accordingly, a radioactive tag 140 may be placed within the casing 124, in the cement 126 and/or in the formation surrounding the well 122. The radioactive tag 140 may be a pip radioactive tag, although those skilled in the art will appreciate that any Radioactive labeling capable of providing a detectable radioactive signature may be used. The distance between the radioactive tag 140 and the formation of interest can be known and verified, for example, through one or more previously conducted well logs. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a known distance 146 between the radioactive label 140 and the formation 104. Thus, by correlating the depth of the well tubular 120 with the radioactive label depth 140, an accurate relationship between the formation 104 can be established. and the downhole position of the well tubular 120.

[0020] Such a relationship can be established, for example, by correlating the depth of the radiation detector 134 with the depth of the radioactive marking 140. For this, the radiation detector 134 can be arranged in an initial position within the well 122 having a unknown distance above or below the radioactive marking 140. For example, FIG. 1 depicts the radiation detector 134 located at an unknown distance 148 below the radioactive marking 140 when placed in an initial position at the measured distance 144 below the surface 110.

[0021] From the initial position, the radiation detector 134 can be activated to collect records, such as gamma ray records, of the radiation intensity in the well 122 and its surrounding formations starting at the initial time, T0. In some cases, the radiation detector 134 may receive an activation signal from the downhole tool unit 136, surface tool unit 138, and/or stored instructions that allow the radiation detector 134 to begin measuring radiation intensity. . From here, the measured data can be processed and/or stored within the radiation detector 134 and/or sent from the radiation detector 134 to the downhole tool unit 136 and/or surface tool unit 138 for processing. , storage and/or analysis. In other cases, the radiation detector 134 may continuously measure the radiation intensity within the well 122 and its surrounding formations and an indication of the initial time T0 may be made in the records of the measured data.

[0022] Once the radiation detector 134 has been activated, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to move the radiation detector 134 from its initial position to a second position adjacent to or past the radioactive marking 140. The second position can be a predetermined distance from the initial position (e.g., the well tubular 120 may be raised/lowered a predetermined distance, raised/lowered for a predetermined time, etc.) or the second position may be determined dynamically based on time analysis actual radiation intensity records as the well tubular 120 is moved within the well 122.

[0023] As the radiation detector 134 moves to the second adjacent or past position of the radioactive marker 140, the gamma ray count measured by the radiation detector 134 can be recorded as a function of time. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a gamma ray record 200 produced from measurements made by the radiation detector 134, as the well tubular 120 is moved from its initial position to a second position where the radiation detector 134 is passed from the radioactive label 140. Such a record may be produced, for example, by one or more processors, storage units and/or software modules within the tool units 136, 138 and/or the radiation detector 134. As illustrated , the recording of gamma rays 200 begins at the initial time T0 (202), which may correspond to the time at which the radiation detector 134 is at its initial position (for example, an initial position at the measured distance 144 below the surface 110). The counts measured by the radiation detector 134 may change over time as the well tubular 120 is moved within the well 122, with a relative maximum in the measured counts occurring at a time Tmark (204). By comparing the measured counts with a threshold value or otherwise analyzing the gamma ray record 200, it can be determined that the time Tmark (204) corresponds to the time that the radiation detector 134 is adjacent to the radioactive label 140 .

[0024] Using the information from the gamma ray record 200, the unknown distance 148 between the radioactive marking 140 and the initial position of the radiation detector 134 can be calculated. As a non-limiting example, the unknown distance 148 can be calculated using equation (1) below, where D is the unknown distance (e.g., unknown distance 148), Tmark is the time at which the radiation detector 134 is adjacent to the marker radioactive 140 (e.g., Tmark 204), T0 is the time that the radiation detector 134 is in its initial position (e.g., T0 202) and V is the speed of the radiation detector 134 between the T0 and Tmark.

[0025]

[0026] In some cases, the speed V may be a predetermined constant speed. For example, the downhole tube 120 can be raised or lowered at a constant speed between times T0 and Tmark and the velocity V can be assumed to be equivalent to the constant velocity of the well tube 120. In other cases, the velocity V between the times T0 d Tmarking can be measured or calculated. Additionally, in some cases, one or more accelerometers may be included within the radiation detector 134, within the downhole tool unit 136, and/or elsewhere in the downhole tube 120 and can measure the acceleration of the downhole tube 120. well 120 between times T0 and Tmarking. The measured acceleration data, as well as other known data, can be used to calculate, qualify and/or modify the velocity V between times T0 and Tmark.

[0027] Once the unknown distance 148 between the radioactive marking 140 and the initial position of the radiation detector 134 is calculated, the depth of the radiation detector 134 can be correlated with the depth of the radioactive marking 140. In this way, it can be A precise relationship is established between the formation 104 and the downhole position of the well tubular 120 and its associated components. For example, the calculated distance 148 may be used to compensate for the measured distance 144, such that the measured distance 144 corresponds to the depth of the radioactive marking 140. From here, one or more downhole tools and/or other components arranged in the well tubular 120 may be positioned at the bottom of the well using the known relationship between the radioactive label 140 and the formation 104 (e.g., known distance 146) and one or more known distances between the radiation detector 134 and the other components of the well tubular 120 (e.g., known distance 142). For example, once correlated, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to position the drill gun 132 adjacent to the formation 104 using known distances 142 and 146. Additionally, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to position the packers 128, 130 above and/or below the formation 104 using the known distance 146 and known distances between the radiation detector 134 and the packers 128, 130. Once in position, the packers 128, 130 can be seated (automatically or manually) and the drill gun 132 can be driven (automatically or manually) to drill the casing 124, the cement 126 and/or the formation 104.

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an offshore well operation 300. The well operation 300 is substantially similar to the well operation 100 and therefore, to avoid repetition, only the differences between the two will be described. As illustrated, well operation 300 includes a first radiation detector 302 and a second radiation detector 304. The radiation detectors 302, 304 are separated by a known distance and may each be a gamma-ray detector configured to measure radioactivity within well 122 and its surrounding formations and devices. Each of the radiation detectors 302, 304 may include one or more processors and storage devices for processing and storing measured data, executing instructions, and the like. Furthermore, each of the radiation detectors 302, 304 may be coupled to a downhole tool unit 136 configured for bidirectional communication with a surface tool unit 138. In this manner, each of the radiation detectors 302, 304 may receive instructions from a surface 110 and may send measured data to the surface 110 in real time.

[0029] As discussed previously, the well tubular 120 may be raised or lowered to arrange a downhole tool, such as the drill gun 132, in an initial position within the well 122. The initial position of the drill gun 132 can be divided into two components, including a known distance 306 between the piercing gun 132 and the radiation detector 302 and a measured distance 308 between the radiation detector 302 and the surface 110. Additionally, the distance 310 between the radioactive marking 140 and the formation 104 can be known and verified, for example, through one or more previously conducted well logs.

[0030] To establish an accurate relationship between the formation 104 and the downhole position of the well tubular 120 and its associated components, one or more of the radiation detectors 302, 304 can be correlated with the radioactive label 140. To this end , the radiation detectors 302, 304 may be arranged at respective starting positions within the wellbore 122 having unknown distances above or below the radioactive marking 140. For example, FIG. 3 depicts the radiation detector 302 located at an unknown distance 312 below the radioactive marking 140 when placed in an initial position at the measured distance 308 below the surface 110.

[0031] From the initial positions, radiation detectors 302, 304 can be activated to collect records, such as gamma ray records, of the radiation intensity in the well 122 and its surrounding formations starting at the initial time, T0. Once the radiation detectors 302, 304 are activated, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to move the radiation detectors 302, 304 from their initial positions to secondary positions. In cases where the initial positions of the radiation detectors 302, 304 are both above the radioactive marker 140, the radiation detector 304 may be moved to a secondary position below the radioactive marker 140 and the radiation detector 302 may be moved to a secondary position adjacent to or below the radioactive marking 140. In cases where the initial positions of the radiation detectors 302, 304 are both below the radioactive marking 140, the radiation detector 302 may be moved to a secondary position above the radioactive marking 140 and the radiation detector 304 may be moved to a secondary position adjacent to or above the radioactive marking 140.

[0032] As the radiation detectors 302, 304 are moved to their respective secondary positions, the gamma ray count measured by each of the radiation detectors 302, 304 can be recorded as a function of time. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates examples of gamma ray recordings 400, 402 produced from measurements taken by radiation detectors 302, 304, respectively, as the well tube 120 is moved from its initial position to a second position. The gamma ray recordings 400, 402 may begin at an initial time T0 (404), which may correspond to the time at which the radiation detectors 302, 304 are in their initial positions. The counts measured by the radiation detectors 302, 304 may change over time as the well tubular 120 is moved within the well 122, with a relative maximum in the measured counts occurring at the time Tmark1 (406) for the detector of radiation 302 and time Tmark2 (408) to the radiation detector 304. By comparing the measured counts to a threshold value or otherwise analyzing the gamma ray recordings 400, 402, it can be determined that the time Tmark1 (406) corresponds to the time that the radiation detector 302 is adjacent to the radioactive tag 140 and the time Tmark2 (408) corresponds to the time that the radiation detector 304 is adjacent to the radioactive tag 140.

[0033] Using information from gamma ray logs 400, 402, a velocity of well tubular 120 can be calculated as it is moved from its initial position to its second position. Particularly, the speed of the well tubular 120 between the times Tmark1 (406) and Tmark2 (408) can be calculated. As a non-limiting example, velocity can be calculated using equation (2) below, where Vcalculated is the velocity of well tubular 120 between times Tmark1 and Tmark2, D° is the known distance between radiation detectors 302, 304, Tmark1 is the time at which the radiation detector 302 is adjacent to the radioactive label 140 (e.g., Tmark1 406) and Tmark2 is the time at which the radiation detector 304 is adjacent to the radioactive label 140 (e.g., Tmark2 408).

[0034]

[0035] Using the calculated velocity Vcalculated, the unknown distance 312 between the radioactive marking 140 and the initial position of the radiation detector 302 can be calculated. As a non-limiting example, the unknown distance 312 can be calculated using equation (3) below, where D is the unknown distance (e.g., unknown distance 312), Tmark1 is the time at which the radiation detector 302 is adjacent to the marker radioactive marker 140 (e.g., Tmark1 406), Tmark2 is the time at which the radiation detector 304 is adjacent to the radioactive marker 140 (e.g., Tmark2 408), T0 is the time at which the radiation detectors 302, 304 are in their initial positions (for example, T0 404) and Vcalculated is the velocity of the well tubular 120 between the times Tmark1 and Tmark2.

[0036]

[0037] In some cases, one or more accelerometers may be included within the radiation detectors 302, 304, within the downhole tool unit 136 and/or elsewhere in the well tubular 120 and may measure the acceleration of the well tube 120 as it is moved within the well 122. The measured acceleration data, as well as other known data, can be used to qualify and/or modify the calculated velocity V and can improve the calculation by extrapolating velocities that are not constant .

[0038] Once the unknown distance 312 between the radioactive marking 140 and the initial position of the radiation detector 302 is calculated, the depth of the radiation detector 302 and/or radiation detector 304 can be correlated with the depth of the radioactive marking 140. In this way, a precise relationship can be established between the formation 104 and the downhole position of the well tubular 120 and its associated components. For example, the calculated distance 312 may be used to compensate for the measured distance 308, such that the measured distance 308 corresponds to the depth of radioactive marking 140. From here, one or more downhole tools and/or other components arranged in the well tubular 120 may be positioned at the bottom of the well using the known relationship between the radioactive label 140 and the formation 104 (e.g., known distance 310) and one or more known distances between the radiation detectors 302, 304 and the others. well tubular components 120 (e.g., known distance 306). For example, once correlated, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to position the drill gun 132 adjacent to the formation 104 using known distances 306 and 310. Additionally, the well tubular 120 can be raised or lowered to position the packers 128, 130 above and/or below the formation 104 using the known distance 310 and known distances between the radiation detectors 302, 304 and the packers 128, 130. Once in position, the packers 128, 130 can be seated ( automatically or manually) and the drill gun 132 can be driven (automatically or manually) to drill the casing 124, the cement 126 and/or the formation 104.

[0039] Although FIG. 1 describes an offshore operation, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is equally suitable for use in onshore operations. Furthermore, although FIG. 1 depicts a specific well configuration, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is equally suitable for use in wells with other orientations, including vertical wells, inclined wells, multilateral wells, or the like.

[0040] Furthermore, it should be noted that the configurations and distances described in relation to the figures are for explanation purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. For example, the downhole tool assembly (e.g., downhole tool assembly 136) can be separate from the radiation detector (e.g., radiation detector 134) as illustrated, or it can be included within the radiation detector. radiation for a single unit. Furthermore, the starting position of the radiation detectors can be above the radiolabel and is not limited to being below the radiolabel as illustrated. Furthermore, well operations 100, 300 are not limited to drilling operations as described, but may also include other operations such as inspection, evaluation, analysis, collection, stimulation, drilling and the like. To support such operations, the well tubular may include any number of components and may include components other than those depicted in the figures. Furthermore, the processes described in this document may be performed manually (e.g., by user interaction), automatically (e.g., by one or more processors and storage devices controlling well operations), or a combination of both.

[0041] Having disclosed some basic components and concepts of the system, the disclosure now turns to the example embodiments shown in FIGS.5-6. The steps described here can be implemented in any combination of them, including combinations that delete, add, or modify certain steps.

[0042] FIG.5 illustrates an example of a process for positioning a downhole tool using a single radiation detector. In step 500, a radiation detector, such as radiation detector 134, may be positioned at a first position within a well. The radiation detector may be coupled to a well tubular and positioning of the radiation detector may include raising or lowering the well tubular within the well. The radiation detector can be activated in the first position to start measuring radiation intensity data inside the well. From here, the radiation detector can be moved from the first position to an adjacent position or past a radioactive marker, such as radioactive marker 140, disposed within the well (step 510). The radiation data collected by the radiation detector can be used to produce a record, such as a gamma ray record.

[0043] In step 520, a time at which the radiation detector is in a position adjacent to the radioactive marking can be determined. Such determination may be made by analyzing the record created in step 510 by one or more processors and storage devices or by a user. Then, in step 530, a distance between the first position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking can be calculated based on the time determined in step 520. The distance calculation can also include other information, such as a constant or measured speed. of the radiation detector as it is moved within the well, acceleration data, and the like. Once calculated, the distance can be used to correlate the well tubular and its components with the radioactive label. By correlating the downhole position, a position of a downhole tool, such as drill gun 132, can be adjusted so as to be appropriately located relative to a formation of interest, such as formation 104 (step 540).

[0044] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a process for positioning a downhole tool using a single radiation detector. In step 600, a first radiation detector, such as radiation detector 302 and a second radiation detector, such as radiation detector 304, may be positioned at respective starting positions within a well. The radiation detectors may be coupled to a well tubular and positioning of the radiation detectors may include raising or lowering the well tubular within the well. Radiation detectors can be located at a fixed distance from each other in the well tubular. Radiation detectors can be activated at home positions to start measuring radiation intensity data within the wellbore. From here, the radiation detectors can be moved from initial positions to secondary positions, passing a radioactive tag, such as radioactive tag 140, disposed within the well (step 610). Radiation data collected by radiation detectors can be used to produce one or more records, such as gamma-ray records.

[0045] In step 620, a first time that the first radiation detector is in a position adjacent to the radioactive tag and a second time that the second radiation detector is in a position adjacent to the radioactive tag can be determined. Such a determination may be made by analyzing records created in step 610 by one or more processors and storage devices or by a user. Then, in step 630, a speed of the radiation detectors between the first and second times can be calculated based on the fixed distance between the radiation detectors and the first and second times. Subsequently, in step 640, a distance between the starting position of at least one of the radiation detectors and the radioactive tag may be calculated based on the times determined in step 620 and the speed determined in step 630. The distance calculation may also include other information, such as a constant or measured velocity of the radiation detector as it is moved within the well, acceleration data, and the like. Once calculated, the distance can be used to correlate the well tubular and its components with the radioactive label. By downhole position correlation, a position of a downhole tool, such as drill gun 132, can be adjusted to be appropriately located relative to a formation of interest, such as formation 104 ( step 640).

[0046] FIG.7A and FIG.7B illustrate example computing systems for use with example system configurations. The most appropriate embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art when practicing the present technology. Those ordinarily skilled in the art will also readily appreciate that other embodiments of the system are possible.

[0047] FIG. 7A illustrates a conventional system bus computing system architecture 700 in which system components are in electrical communication with each other using bus 705. System 700 may include a processing unit (CPU or processor) 710 and a system bus 705 that couples various system components, including system memory 715, such as read-only memory (ROM) 720 and random access memory (RAM) 725 to the processor 710. The system 700 may include a cache of high-speed memory directly connected to, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of processor 710. System 700 can copy data from memory 715 and/or storage device 730 to cache 712 for rapid access by processor 710. Thus, the cache can provide a performance boost that prevents the 710 processor from lagging while waiting for data. These and other modules may control or be configured to control the 710 processor to perform various actions. Another memory system 715 may be available for use as well. Memory 715 may include several different types of memory with different performance characteristics. The processor 710 may include any general-purpose processor and a hardware module or software module, such as module 1 732, module 2 734, and module 3 736 stored in the storage device 730, configured to control the processor 710, as well. as a special-purpose processor software instructions that are incorporated into the actual processor design. The processor 710 may essentially be a completely independent computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multicore processor can be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0048] To enable user interaction with computing device 700, an input device 745 may represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touchscreen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse , movement input, speech and so on. An output device 742 may also be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those skilled in the art. In some cases, multimodal systems allow a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with computing device 700. Communication interface 740 generally can govern and manage user input and system output. There is no restriction on operation on any particular hardware arrangement, and therefore the basic features described can easily be replaced by improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

[0049] Storage device 730 is non-volatile memory and may be a hard drive or other types of computer-readable media that can store data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, state memory devices solid, digital versatile disks cartridges, random access memories (RAMs) 725, read-only memory (ROM) 720 and their hybrids.

[0050] The storage device 730 may include software modules 732, 734, 736 for controlling the processor 710. Other hardware or software modules are contemplated. The storage device 730 may be connected to the system bus 705. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a certain function may include the software component stored on a computer readable medium in connection with the necessary hardware components, such as the processor 710, bus 705, output device 742, and so on, to perform the function.

[0051] FIG. 7B illustrates an example of a computer system 750 with a chipset architecture that can be used in carrying out the described method and generating and displaying a graphical user interface (GUI). The computer system 750 may be computer hardware, software, and firmware that may be used to implement the disclosed technology. System 750 may include a processor 755, representing any number of physically and/or logically distinct resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardware configured to perform identified computations. The processor 755 can communicate with a chipset 760 that can control the input and output of the processor 755. The chipset 760 can output information to the output device 765, such as a monitor, and can read and write information to the storage device 770, which may include magnetic media and solid state media. The chipset 760 may also read data from and write data to RAM 775. A bridge 780 for interfacing with a variety of user interface components 785 may be provided for interfacing with the chipset 760. Such user interface components 785 may include a keyboard , a microphone, touch detection and processing circuits, a pointing device such as a mouse, and so on. In general, inputs to system 750 may come from any of a variety of sources, machine-generated and/or human-generated.

[0052] The chipset 760 may also interact with one or more communication interfaces 790 that may have different physical interfaces. Such communication interfaces may include interfaces for wired and wireless local area networks, for broadband wireless networks, as well as personal area networks. Some applications of the methods for generating, displaying, and using the GUI disclosed herein may include receiving ordered data sets by the physical interface or by the machine itself by the processor 755 that analyzes data stored in storage 770 or 775. Additionally, the machine may receive input from a user through user interface components 785 and perform appropriate functions, such as navigation functions, by interpreting these inputs using processor 755.

[0053] It can be appreciated that systems 700 and 750 may have more than one processor 710 or be part of a group or cluster of computing devices networked to provide greater processing capacity.

[0054] Methods according to the aforementioned description can be implemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored on or available from computer-readable media. Such instructions may comprise instructions and data that cause or configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a particular function or group of functions. Parts of the computer resources used may be accessible over a network. Computer executable instructions can be binary, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used and/or information created during the methods in accordance with the aforementioned description include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, storage devices networked and so on.

[0055] For clarity of explanation, in some cases, the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks, including functional blocks that include devices, device components, steps or routines, in a method embodied in software or combinations of hardware and software.

[0056] Computer-readable storage devices, media and memories may include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit stream and the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

[0057] Devices implementing methods in accordance with these disclosures may comprise hardware, firmware and/or software and may assume various form factors. These form factors can include laptops, smartphones, personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, standalone devices, and so on. The functionality described in this document may also be incorporated into additional peripherals or cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuit board between different chips or different processes running on a single device.

[0058] The instructions, means for transmitting such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are means for providing the functions described in these disclosures.

[0059] Although one of information has been used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements, since one ordinarily skilled in the art would be able to use such examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Furthermore, although some subject matter has been described in specific language for examples of structural features and/or method steps, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to those described features or acts. Such functionality may be distributed differently or carried out in components other than those identified in this document. Instead, the described features and steps are disclosed as possible components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, in claim language, "at least one of" a set indicates that a member of the set or several members of the set satisfy the claim.

Disclosure modalities include:

[0060] Embodiment 1: A method comprising positioning a radiation detector at a first position within a well, logging, by means of the radiation detector, radiation data while the radiation detector is moved from the first position to a second adjacent or past position of a radioactive marker disposed within the well, determining, based on the radiation data, a time at which the radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marker as it is moved from the first position to the second position and calculating, based on time, a distance between the first position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0061] Modality 2: The method according to Modality 1, wherein the calculation comprises determining a speed of the radiation detector as it is moved within the well and multiplying the time by the speed to calculate the distance between the first position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0062] Mode 3: The method according to Mode 1 or 2, in which the speed is a predetermined constant speed.

[0063] Modality 4: The method according to any of Modalities 1-3, further comprising measuring, by an accelerometer, an acceleration of the radiation detector as it is moved within the well and modifying the speed based on the acceleration of the radiation detector.

[0064] Embodiment 5: The method, according to any of Embodiments 1-4, in which the radiation detector is coupled to a well tubular, the movement of the radiation detector comprising raising or lowering the well tubular in the well .

[0065] Modality 6: The method, according to any of Modalities 1-5, which further comprises positioning a downhole tool coupled to the well tubular inside the well and adjusting the position of the downhole tool well based on the distance between the first apposition of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0066] Embodiment 7: The method, according to any of Embodiments 1-6, wherein the gamma-ray radiation detector and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking.

[0067] Embodiment 8: The method, according to any of Embodiments 1-7, in which the radiation detector is coupled to a downhole telemetry unit that sends the radiation data to a surface telemetry unit In real time.

[0068] Embodiment 9: A method, comprising positioning a first radiation detector and a second radiation detector at respective initial positions within a well, wherein the first and second radiation detectors are separated by a fixed distance, recording the radiation data as the radiation detectors are moved past the radioactive marker disposed in the well, determining, based on the radiation data, a first time when the first radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marker and a second time when the second radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marking, calculating, based on the first and second times and the fixed distance, a speed of the radiation detectors between the first and second times, and calculating, based on the first and second times and the speed, a distance between the starting position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors and the radioactive marking.

[0069] Embodiment 10: The method according to Embodiment 9, in which the first and second radiation detectors are coupled to a well tubular and moving the radiation detectors comprises lowering or raising the well tubular within the well.

[0070] Modality 11: The method according to Modality 9 or 10, further comprising positioning a downhole tool coupled to the well tubular inside the well and adjusting the position of the downhole tool based on the distance between the starting position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors and the radioactive marking.

[0071] Embodiment 12: The method, according to any of Embodiments 9-11, wherein the radiation detectors are gamma ray detectors and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking.

[0072] Embodiment 13: The method, according to any of Embodiments 9-12, in which the radiation detectors are coupled to a downhole telemetry unit that sends the radiation data to a surface telemetry unit In real time.

[0073] Modality 14: The method, according to any of Modalities 9-13, which further comprises measuring, by an accelerometer, an acceleration of the radiation detectors as they are moved between the first and second times and modifying the speed based on the acceleration of the radiation detectors.

[0074] Embodiment 15: A system, comprising a radioactive marker disposed within a well, a first radiation detector for measuring radiation data within the well, a well tubular coupled to the radiation detector for positioning the radiation detector in an initial position within the well and to move the radiation detector from the initial position to a position adjacent to or past the radioactive marking, a processor coupled to the radiation detector to receive the radiation data, and a computer-readable storage medium for instructions stored in the even though, when executed by the processor, they cause the processor to perform operations comprising determining, based on the radiation data, a first time at which the radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive tag, and calculating, based on time, of a distance between the initial position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0075] Embodiment 16: The system according to Embodiment 15, wherein the calculation comprises determining a speed of the radiation detector as it is moved within the well and multiplying the time by the speed to calculate the distance between the position initial image of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0076] Embodiment 17: The system according to Embodiments 15 or 16, further comprising a downhole tool coupled to the well tubular, wherein the well tubular adjusts a position of the downhole tool based on distance between the initial position of the radiation detector and the radioactive marking.

[0077] Embodiment 18: The method, according to any of Embodiments 15-17, further comprising a surface telemetry unit located on a surface of the well, the surface telemetry unit coupled to the processor and the means of computer readable storage and a telemetry unit located downhole at a downhole location, the downhole telemetry unit coupled to the radiation detector to send the radiation data to the surface telemetry unit.

[0078] Modality 19: The method, according to any of Modalities 15-18, further comprising a second radiation detector coupled to the well tubular, wherein the well tubular positions the second radiation detector in a position initial at a fixed distance from the first radiation detector and moves the second radiation detector beyond the radioactive marking, and wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising determining, based on the radiation data, a second time at which the second radiation detector is adjacent to the radioactive marking, calculating, based on the first and second times and the fixed distance, a speed of the radiation detectors between the first and second times, and calculating, based on the first and second times and the speed, a distance between the initial position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors and the radioactive marking.

[0079] Embodiment 20: The system, according to any of Embodiments 15-19, wherein the radiation detectors are gamma ray detectors and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking.

Claims (19)

1. Method for positioning downhole tools (136) through radioactive marking detection, characterized by the fact that it comprises: positioning a radiation detector (134) in a first position within a well (122); profiling, via the radiation detector (134), radiation data while the radiation detector (134) is moved from the first position to an adjacent second position or past a radioactive marking disposed in the well (122); determining, based on the radiation data, the moment at which the radiation detector (134) is adjacent to the radioactive marking as it is moved from the first to the second position; calculating, based on time, a distance between the first position of the radiation detector (134) and the radioactive marking; and adjusting the position of the downhole tool (136) based on the distance between the first position of the radiation detector (134) and the radioactive tag. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation comprises: determining the speed of the radiation detector (134) as it is moved within the well (122); and multiplying the time by the speed to calculate the distance between the first position of the radiation detector (134) and the radioactive marking. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the speed is a constant predetermined speed. 4. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises: measuring, by an accelerometer, an acceleration of the radiation detector (134) as it is moved within the well (122); and modifying the speed based on the acceleration of the radiation detector (134). 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the radiation detector (134) is coupled to a well tubular (120), the movement of the radiation detector (134) comprising raising or lowering the well tubular (120) in the well (122). 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that it further comprises: positioning a downhole tool (136) coupled to the well tubular (120) inside the well (122). 7. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the gamma ray radiation detector (134) and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking. 8. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the radiation detector (134) is coupled to a downhole telemetry unit (122) that sends the radiation data to a surface telemetry unit in real time. 9. Method for positioning downhole tools (136) through radioactive marking detection, characterized by the fact that it comprises: positioning a first radiation detector (302) and a second radiation detector (304) in their respective initial positions within a well (122), in which the first and second radiation detectors (302, 304) are separated by a fixed distance; profiling the radiation data while the radiation detectors (302, 304) are moved past a radioactive marker disposed within the well (122); determining, based on the radiation data, a first time in which the first radiation detector (302) is adjacent to the radioactive marking and a second time in which the second radiation detector (304) is adjacent to the radioactive marking; calculating, based on the first and second times and the fixed distance, a speed of the radiation detectors (302, 304) between the first and second times; calculating, based on the first and second times and speed, a distance between the initial position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors (302, 304) and the radioactive marking; and adjusting the position of the downhole tool (136) based on the distance between the initial position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors (302, 304) and the radioactive marking. 10. Method according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that the first and second radiation detectors (302, 304) are coupled to a well tubular (120) and moving the radiation detectors (302, 304) comprises lower or raise the well tubular (120) inside the well (122). 11. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that it further comprises: positioning a downhole tool (136) coupled to the well tubular (120) inside the well (122). 12. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the radiation detectors (302, 304) are gamma ray detectors and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking. 13. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the radiation detectors (302, 304) are coupled to a downhole telemetry unit (122) that sends the radiation data to a telemetry unit at the bottom of the well (122). surface in real time. 14. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that it further comprises: measuring, by an accelerometer, an acceleration of the radiation detectors (302, 304) as they are moved between the first and second time; and modifying velocity based on acceleration of radiation detectors (302, 304). 15. System for positioning downhole tools (136) through radioactive marking detection, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a radioactive marking arranged inside a well (122); a first radiation detector (302) for measuring radiation data within the well (122); a well tubular (120) coupled to the radiation detector (302) for positioning the radiation detector (302) in an initial position within the well (122) and for moving the radiation detector (302) from the initial position to a position adjacent to or past the radioactive marking; a processor (710) coupled to the radiation detector (302) for receiving radiation data; a downhole tool (136) coupled to the wellbore tubular (120), wherein the wellbore tubular (120) adjusts a position of the downhole tool (136) based on the distance between the initial position of the radiation (302) and radioactive labeling; and a computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor (710), cause the processor (710) to perform operations including: determining, based on the radiation data, a first time at which the radiation detector (302) is adjacent to the radioactive marking; and calculating, based on time, a distance between the initial position of the radiation detector (302) and the radioactive marking. 16. System according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that the calculation comprises: determining the speed of the radiation detector (302) as it is moved within the well (122); and multiplying the time by the speed to calculate the distance between the initial position of the radiation detector (302) and the radioactive marking. 17. System according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a surface telemetry unit located on a well surface (122), the surface telemetry unit coupled to the processor (710) and the readable storage medium by computer; and a downhole telemetry unit (122) located at a location at the bottom of the wellbore (122), the wellbore telemetry unit (122) connected to the radiation detector (302) to send the radiation data to the unit surface telemetry. 18. System according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a second radiation detector (304) coupled to the well tubular (120), wherein the well tubular (120) positions the second radiation detector (304 ) in an initial position at a fixed distance from the first radiation detector (304) and moves the second radiation detector (304) beyond the radioactive marking; and wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores additional instructions that, when executed by the processor (710), cause the processor (710) to perform operations comprising: determining, based on the radiation data, a second time at which the second radiation detector (304) is adjacent to the radioactive marking; calculating, based on the first and second times and the fixed distance, a speed of the radiation detectors (302, 304) between the first and second times; and calculating, based on the first and second times and velocity, a distance between the initial position of at least one of the first and second radiation detectors (302, 304) and the radioactive marking. 19. System according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that the radiation detectors (302, 304) are gamma ray detectors and the radioactive marking is a radioactive pip marking.