WO1992005338A1 - A method and an apparatus for taking and analysing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation - Google Patents

A method and an apparatus for taking and analysing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1992005338A1
WO1992005338A1 PCT/DK1991/000277 DK9100277W WO9205338A1 WO 1992005338 A1 WO1992005338 A1 WO 1992005338A1 DK 9100277 W DK9100277 W DK 9100277W WO 9205338 A1 WO9205338 A1 WO 9205338A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sample chamber
cavity
liquid
drill string
samples
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/DK1991/000277
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Kurt I. SØRENSEN
Original Assignee
Soerensen Kurt I
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Soerensen Kurt I filed Critical Soerensen Kurt I
Priority to EP91917085A priority Critical patent/EP0543944B1/en
Priority to DE69111609T priority patent/DE69111609T2/en
Priority to US07/988,952 priority patent/US5337838A/en
Publication of WO1992005338A1 publication Critical patent/WO1992005338A1/en

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B49/00—Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
    • E21B49/08—Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B49/00—Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
    • E21B49/08—Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
    • E21B49/081—Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells with down-hole means for trapping a fluid sample

Definitions

  • the invention concerns a method of taking and analysing level determined pore gas/liquid samples, e.g. water from a subterranean formation, comprising drilling a hole in said formation and passing samples at a desired depth into a cavity in the drill string used for the drilling, fol ⁇ lowing which the samples are analysed.
  • level determined pore gas/liquid samples e.g. water from a subterranean formation
  • the US Patent Specification 4 363 366 proposes the use of a hollow auger bit having in one or more of the sections of the drill string a plurality of about 0.3 mm narrow slots, through which pore gas/liquid from the for ⁇ mation can enter the cavity of the string and be pumped or sucked via this up to the surface of the ground where the samples are analysed.
  • the samples have been in direct contact with the atmospheric air in the open cavity of the string, whereby i.a. the oxygen of the air affects the samples, which are moreover subjected to a pressure drop causing their content of car ⁇ bon dioxide to degas.
  • the US Patent Specification 4 669 544 discloses another method which is so designed that it is possible to convey undisturbed pore gas/liquid samples to the surface of the ground to obtain true analysis results.
  • a ram with a sample chamber is driven down into the ground, and then a pore gas/liquid sample is collected in the sample chamber, which is subsequently sealed with respect to the surroundings, and the sample is conveyed up to the surface of the ground, the ram with the sample chamber being pulled out of the formation.
  • the samples are hereby repre ⁇ sentative of the pore gas/liqud of the formation whose chemical conditions can therefore be determined correctly.
  • the object of the invention is to provide a method of the type stated in the opening paragraph which can take level determined pore gas/liquid samples from a subterranean formation at short intervals and more rapidly and easily than known before to give true analysis results by means of these samples, and which can moreover currently monitor the formation at a desired depth.
  • the method of the invention is characterized by dry drilling the borehole by means of a hollow earth bit, e.g. a hollow auger bit, isolating in the drill string in the vicinity of the tip of the drill a cavity section in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity of the string, said cavity section having a sample chamber which communicates with the isolated cavity sec ⁇ tion e.g. via a filter, providing a plurality of inlet openings in the drill string wall substantially r ⁇ iall opposite the sample chamber to direct pore gas/li ⁇ aid samples into the sample chamber where the samples are ana ⁇ lysed in situ by means of probes for e.g.
  • a hollow earth bit e.g. a hollow auger bit
  • the analysis results in the form of e.g. electric signals being transmitted to the surface of the ground for recording, and then pumping the respective sample itself up to the ground surfar by means of a pump assembly where the same analysis as in the sample chamber is repeated wholly or partly and is supple ⁇ mented with an additional analysis of the sample content of e.g. organic and toxic components, following which the results of the last-mentioned analyses are corrected in response to any deviations between the in situ analysis results from the sample chamber and the corresponding ana ⁇ lysis results on the surface of the ground.
  • a pump assembly where the same analysis as in the sample chamber is repeated wholly or partly and is supple ⁇ mented with an additional analysis of the sample content of e.g. organic and toxic components, following which the results of the last-mentioned analyses are corrected in response to any deviations between the in situ analysis results from the sample chamber and the corresponding ana ⁇ lysis results on the surface of the ground.
  • the samples are thus taken close to the bit tip where the pore gas/ liquid has not yet been influenced by the drilling pro ⁇ cess, and since the samples are then collected in a sealed cavity, they are not, like in the conventional methods, subjected to chemical changes which are caused e.g. by the influence of the air, and to pressure drop in the samples.
  • This entails that the analysis results in the sample cham- ber are true and can therefore be used for correcting the analysis results which are later obtained at the surface of the ground, so that the total analysis results are true.
  • the samples can be taken while the earth bit ope- rates, and the process is therefore very rapid and can moreover be repeated at short intervals, so that a very great resolution of the vertical structure of the forma ⁇ tion can be obtained.
  • the method of the invention may moreover be designed such that the sample chamber is detachably mounted in the drill string in such a manner that a string cavity section positioned around the chamber is isolated in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity, that the sample chamber is removed form the drill string when this has reached a desired depth, that the string is opened downwardly e.g. by knocking out the tip, that at least one monitoring pipe is lowered through the cavity now extending freely through the string, that the string is pulled out of the borehole and that the pore gas/liquid in the formation is currently monitored at the lower end part of the monitoring pipe.
  • a liquid e.g. water
  • a gas e.g. nitrogen
  • the invention also concerns an apparatus for performing the above-mentioned method, and this apparatus is charac- terized according to the invention in that it comprises an earth bit, e.g. an auger bit with a cavity extending ax ⁇ ially therethrough and being downwardly closed with a de- tachably mounted tip, the wall of said cavity being formed with a plurality of inlet openings, e.g.
  • an earth bit e.g. an auger bit with a cavity extending ax ⁇ ially therethrough and being downwardly closed with a de- tachably mounted tip, the wall of said cavity being formed with a plurality of inlet openings, e.g.
  • a sample chamber which is detachably mounted in the cavity and which isolates at any rate a ca ⁇ vity section opposite the inlet openings in sealed rela- tionship with the rest of the cavity and communicates with the isolated cavity section preferably via a filter; a plurality of probes which are positioned in the sample chamber and which serve to analyse pore gas/liquid samples in it in situ and to transmit the analysis results via electric wires to the surface of the ground for recording there; and a pump assembly for then pumping the samples up to the surface of the ground from the sample chamber while said chamber is in the mounted state.
  • the isolated cavity section nay be filled with a filter material, such as sand.
  • the sample chamber is detachably secured in the cavity of the drill string and isolates in sealed manner a section of said cavity around the chamber, an elastomeric hose being clamped around the sample chamber and/or an exten ⁇ sion of it, said elastomeric hose being inflatable, via a tube or hose connection with a valve which can be acti ⁇ vated from the surface of the ground, with air or liquid such that the elastomeric hose is stretched tightly against the inner side of the drill string, said drill string cavity having a constriction which begins immedia ⁇ tely above the inflated upper part of the elastomeric hose, so that the pressure in the formation cannot dis- place the chamber vertically upwardly in the drill string.
  • the sample chamber is retained de ⁇ tachably in the cavity of the drill string, said sample chamber being mounted in a constriction in the cavity which, at this point, has a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the chamber and at least one gasket, which is positioned in a groove in the inner wall of the string and serves to seal the isolated cavity section with respect to the rest of the cavity, said chamber, in the mounted state, being kept axially locked in the drill string by means of a swing pawl engaging a notch or a recess in the inner wall of the drill string, so that nor in this case can the pressure in the formation displace the chamber vertically upwardly in the drill string.
  • the sample is pumped by means of a pump to the surface of the ground where the next step takes place.
  • this pump is so arranged that a separate pump chamber is provided prefer ⁇ ably in elongation of the sample chamber, said pump cham ⁇ ber being connected with the sample chamber via a non ⁇ return valve permitting a pore gas/liquid sample to pass from the sample chamber to the pump chamber, but not con- versely, said pump chamber being moreover connected with the surface of the ground by means of two pipe or hose connections, one of which serves to convey a gas, e.g. air or nitrogen under pressure into the pump chamber upon pumping, and the other serves to convey the displaced pore gas/liquid from the pump chamber up to the surface of the groun .
  • a gas e.g. air or nitrogen under pressure into the pump chamber upon pumping
  • the sample chamber may be connected with the surface of the ground by means of a pipe or hose connection having inserted therein a non ⁇ return valve which prevents passage of the pore gas/liquid samples through the connection, which may be connected, via a valve at the surface of the ground, with a source of pressure liquid or pressure gas which, upon activation of the valve, feeds liquid or gas to the sample chamber under the action of a pressure which exceeds the pore gas/liquid pressure in the formation layer to which the drill string has reached.
  • the inlet openings can hereby be blown clean by means of e.g. nitrogen under pressure to provide the advantage that the process can proceed continuously with ⁇ out it being necessary to pull up the drill string for cleaning the inlet openings like in the conventional de- vices.
  • the apparatus may also comprise at least one monitoring pipe which, after removal of the sample chamber and the pump assembly, is lowered through the cavity of the drill string to provide a permanent connection with the pore gas/liquid in a desired formation layer instead of the earth bit which is pulled out of the borehole.
  • the formation layer at the depth concerned can then be monitored cur ntly.
  • fig. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus according to the invention in the form of an auger bit which is being drilled down into a subterranean formation
  • fig. 2 is a partially sectional view on an enlarged scale of a fraction of the lower end part of the auger bit shown in fig. 1,
  • fig. 3 shows the same, but in another embodiment, and
  • figs. 4a-f shows successive process steps in the mounting of a monitoring pipe for current monitoring of the forma ⁇ tion.
  • Fig. 1 schematically shows a drilling arrangement for per- forming the method of the invention, using an auger bit 1 which is drilled down into a subterranean formation 4 con ⁇ sisting of several layers 4a-d by means of a vertically slidable drilling machine 2 which is mounted on a mobile drilling rig 3.
  • a dry drilling technique is used for the drilling, which excludes contamination of the samples by drilling mud.
  • the drilling machine 2 transmits its rotary motion to the auger bit 1 via a power transmission shaft 5 which extends through a shoe assembly 6 and further down through a water/air sluice 7, and is then connected with the auger bit 1.
  • a cable connection 8 is run from the shoe assembly 6 to an instrument and control unit 9, which is moreover connected with the water/air sluice 7 by means of hose connections 10 whose importance will be explained more fully below.
  • the drill string is moreover provided with an electrically logging probe 11 of the type described in the applicant's US Patent 4 912 415 issued on March 27, 1990.
  • this electrically logging probe serves to determine the geology of the drilled layers to currently provide in ⁇ formation on the type of the layers from which the pore gas/liquid samples are obtained, said information being of significant importance in the examination of e.g. the qua ⁇ lity of water deposits it being noted that a contamination in loose sand may be much more dangerous than in silt.
  • the auger bit 1 down ⁇ wardly has a conical tip 12 and a plurality of vertical slots 13 to receive pore gas/liquid samples.
  • the instru ⁇ ment and control unit 9 is moreover provided with a tap 14 for tapping samples into a container 15, in which the samples can be transported to a laboratory for quantita ⁇ tive analysis for various components.
  • the tapping is shown in principle in the figure, but preferably takes place in practise in a closed system (not shown) to prevent the samples from being influenced by contact with the atmos ⁇ pheric air.
  • Fig. 2 now shows the lower end part of the hollow auger bit 1 shown in fig. 1 with the tip 12 and the vertical slot 13, so that, as far as possible, the samples taken from the formation are not disturbed by the actual dril ⁇ ling process.
  • the auger bit is hollow and has a cavity 16 extending axially all the way through the drill string.
  • the cavity 16 detachably accommodates a sample chamber 18 which has an extension 20 separated from the sample cham- ber by a partition 21.
  • An elastomeric hose 19 is clamped tightly around the sample chamber 18 and its extension 20 with clamping ties 22.
  • the hose 19 Via a connection 23 with an in ⁇ serted magnetic valve 24 the hose 19 is connected with a pressure source (not shown) with e.g. water under pressure at the surface of the ground.
  • a pressure source not shown
  • the valve 24 When the valve 24 is acti ⁇ vated, the hose 19 is inflated and thereby stretched tightly against the inner wall of the drill string, which has an internal shoulder 25 immediately above the inflated part of the hose to prevent the overall sample chamber arrangement from being pressed vertically upwardly in the drill string by the pressure in the formation.
  • This clamping of the sample chamber seals off a cavity section 17 which is filled with a filter material 26, e.g. sand. Further, a fine mesh filter cloth 27 is applied around openings in the sample chamber, the chamber com ⁇ municating through said cloth with the cavity section 17.
  • a plurality of probes 28 are arranged inside the sample chamber, each of said probes being capable of measuring a specific property of the properties of a pore gas/liquid sample, which are then transmitted via electric wires 29 and the cable connection 8 to the instrument and control unit 9 which collects and records the measured results.
  • the sample chamber 18 can be connected with a pressure source (not shown) with e.g.
  • the sample chamber ex- tension 20 is connected with the surface of the ground via an air line 31 and a liquid line 32, respectively, which are connected via the water/air sluice 7 and the pipe or hose connections 10 with the instrument and control unit 9.
  • the auger bit 1 is drilled down into the formation, one section after the other being successively screwed on during this process by means of threaded joints 34.
  • the electric wires are simultaneously connected to the electrically logging probe and the probes in the sample chamber, and this can advantageously take place with relatively inexpensive plugs since these do not have to be of a watertight design, the cavity of the drill string being dry above the sample chamber which keeps the cavity section 17 separated in watertight manner from the rest of the cavity 16 of the drill string.
  • information on the type of drilled layers is cur- rently provided by means of the electrically logging probe 11 (fig. 1), so that it is possible to evaluate the dange- rousness of a possibly observed water contamination.
  • a pore gas/liquid sample is conveyed through the slots 13 into the cavity section 17 for each sample interval, the sample penetrating further inwardly via the filter sand 26 and the filter cloth 27 to fill the sample chamber 18.
  • the sample from which solid components from the formation have essentially been filtered off, is now analysed in the sample chamber by means of the probes 28 for a number of properties, such as electric conductivity, acidity (pH), redox potential (Eh), oxygen content, pressure, ion con ⁇ tent, ect. Since the sample chamber is completely sealed off with respect to the atmospheric air and is under the same pressure as in the surrounding formation, the sample is not disturbed by external forces and is thus represen ⁇ tative of the pore gas/liquid in the formation.
  • the sample which is now un- disturbed by external impacts from e.g. the oxygen of the air and the often considerable pressure difference between the pressure at the surface of the ground and the pressure in the respective formation depth, is subjected to an ad ⁇ ditional analysis, which can be performed with ion speci- fie electrodes, which it is not possible to fit in the sample chamber, or with a spectrograph or chromatograph, just as the sample may be sent for analysis at a labora ⁇ tory, the sample being taken in a closed system where it does not contact atmospheric air. In this manner it is possible to take specific measurements of properties which are important for the quality of the water, such as orga ⁇ nic and toxic compounds.
  • the embodiment shown in fig. 3 corresponds to the one shown in fig. 2 and described above in all respects, ex ⁇ cept that the sample chamber 18 with the extension 20 is detachably mounted in another manner in the cavity 16 of the drill string.
  • the sample chamber 18 with the extension 20 is mounted axially slidably in a con- striction 35, which is provided in the drill string cavity 16 and has annular grooves 37 with 0-rings 36 for sealing off the cavity section 17 with respect to the rest of the drill string cavity 16.
  • the sample chamber and its exten ⁇ sion are locked against axially upward displacement in the drill string cavity by the pressure in the formation by means of a swing pawl, 38 which, in the locked state, en ⁇ gages an annular recess 39 formed in the inner wall of the drill string.
  • a magnetic valve 40 or similar activation means serves to engage and disengage the swing pawl 38 from the recess 39.
  • Figs. 4a-f show successively how a monitoring pipe 41 is placed in the formation when the auger bit 1, as shown in fig. 4a, has reached the vertical depth where the forma ⁇ tion is to be monitored.
  • the pressure is relieved in the elastomeric hose 19, which hereby contracts and releases the sample chamber 18 and its extension 20 (fig. 4b).
  • fig. 4c the sample chamber and its extention are now being pulled up through the drill string cavity 16, so that the sand filter 26, as shown, collapses loosely. Then the drill string is pulled slightly upwardly, and the detachably mounted conical tip 12 is knocked out by means of e.g.
  • the drill string is pulled back with simultaneous afterfilling with e.g. bentonite to seal off the various layers of the formation with respect to each other, so as to prevent pore gas/liquid from the various formation layers from merging.
  • the pore gas/liquid from the selected filter level now penetrates from the formation via slots 42 into the monitoring pipe 41 and is conveyed through this to the surface of the ground for further continuous examination and/or use.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
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  • Investigating Or Analyzing Non-Biological Materials By The Use Of Chemical Means (AREA)
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Abstract

A method and an apparatus serve to take and analyse level determined samples of pore gaz/liquid, e.g. water from a subterranean formation, in which a borehole is drilled and pore gas/liquid samples are conveyed at a desired depth into a cavity in the drill string (1). The samples are analysed in two steps, where they are first analysed in a sample chamber (18) which is detachably mounted in the drill string during drilling, and which contains a plurality of probes for in situ analysis of the samples and transmission of the analysis results to the surface of the ground where they are recorded. The samples themselves are then pumped up to the surface of the ground by means of a pump assembly (20). The samples are now analysed at the surface of the ground for further components, e.g. organic and toxic substances, just as the in situ analyses in the sample chamber are repeated at the surface of the ground. These analysis results are corrected by comparison between corresponding samples in the sample chamber and on the surface of the ground.

Description

A method and an apparatus for taking and analysing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation
The invention concerns a method of taking and analysing level determined pore gas/liquid samples, e.g. water from a subterranean formation, comprising drilling a hole in said formation and passing samples at a desired depth into a cavity in the drill string used for the drilling, fol¬ lowing which the samples are analysed.
Contamination from chemical depots, agriculture and other sources of contamination has led to an increasing need of rapidly and exactly mapping the chemical conditions in a subterranean formation and e.g. ascertaining whether the water in its water deposits can be used as drinking water. Over the time various methods and devices have been deve¬ loped for this purpose, which, however, are either slow or cumbersome to use or give analysis results which are not sufficiently reliable.
Thus, the US Patent Specification 4 363 366 proposes the use of a hollow auger bit having in one or more of the sections of the drill string a plurality of about 0.3 mm narrow slots, through which pore gas/liquid from the for¬ mation can enter the cavity of the string and be pumped or sucked via this up to the surface of the ground where the samples are analysed. However, before this takes place the samples have been in direct contact with the atmospheric air in the open cavity of the string, whereby i.a. the oxygen of the air affects the samples, which are moreover subjected to a pressure drop causing their content of car¬ bon dioxide to degas. To this should be added that the samples are also easily contaminated by oil and packer material from the joints of the drill string, and these factors in combination will change the chemistry of the samples to such a degree that the achieved analysis re¬ sults will not give a true picture of the chemical condi¬ tions in the formation concerned. Another problem is that very narrow slots must necessarily be used to prevent the drill string from being filled with mud, but this entails in turn that the slots will easily clog so that the pro¬ cess ceases operating when the auger bit has reached a distance down into the formation. The bit must therefore frequently be pulled up for cleaning of the slots, and this greatly delays and impedes the work and adds to the costs involved.
The US Patent Specification 4 669 544 discloses another method which is so designed that it is possible to convey undisturbed pore gas/liquid samples to the surface of the ground to obtain true analysis results. In this case a ram with a sample chamber is driven down into the ground, and then a pore gas/liquid sample is collected in the sample chamber, which is subsequently sealed with respect to the surroundings, and the sample is conveyed up to the surface of the ground, the ram with the sample chamber being pulled out of the formation. The samples are hereby repre¬ sentative of the pore gas/liqud of the formation whose chemical conditions can therefore be determined correctly. However, only one sample at a time can be taken in this manner, and the process is therefore both slow and expen¬ sive and is in reality inapplicable when the chemical con¬ ditions of a subterranean formation is to be plotted with a greater vertical resolution within a reasonable period of time.
The object of the invention is to provide a method of the type stated in the opening paragraph which can take level determined pore gas/liquid samples from a subterranean formation at short intervals and more rapidly and easily than known before to give true analysis results by means of these samples, and which can moreover currently monitor the formation at a desired depth.
This is achieved in that the method of the invention is characterized by dry drilling the borehole by means of a hollow earth bit, e.g. a hollow auger bit, isolating in the drill string in the vicinity of the tip of the drill a cavity section in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity of the string, said cavity section having a sample chamber which communicates with the isolated cavity sec¬ tion e.g. via a filter, providing a plurality of inlet openings in the drill string wall substantially r^^iall opposite the sample chamber to direct pore gas/li^aid samples into the sample chamber where the samples are ana¬ lysed in situ by means of probes for e.g. electric conduc¬ tivity, acidity (pH), redox potential (Eh), oxygen con¬ tent, pressure, ion content, ect., the analysis results in the form of e.g. electric signals being transmitted to the surface of the ground for recording, and then pumping the respective sample itself up to the ground surfar by means of a pump assembly where the same analysis as in the sample chamber is repeated wholly or partly and is supple¬ mented with an additional analysis of the sample content of e.g. organic and toxic components, following which the results of the last-mentioned analyses are corrected in response to any deviations between the in situ analysis results from the sample chamber and the corresponding ana¬ lysis results on the surface of the ground. The samples are thus taken close to the bit tip where the pore gas/ liquid has not yet been influenced by the drilling pro¬ cess, and since the samples are then collected in a sealed cavity, they are not, like in the conventional methods, subjected to chemical changes which are caused e.g. by the influence of the air, and to pressure drop in the samples. This entails that the analysis results in the sample cham- ber are true and can therefore be used for correcting the analysis results which are later obtained at the surface of the ground, so that the total analysis results are true. The samples can be taken while the earth bit ope- rates, and the process is therefore very rapid and can moreover be repeated at short intervals, so that a very great resolution of the vertical structure of the forma¬ tion can be obtained.
With a view to currently monitoring the formation at a desired depth, the method of the invention may moreover be designed such that the sample chamber is detachably mounted in the drill string in such a manner that a string cavity section positioned around the chamber is isolated in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity, that the sample chamber is removed form the drill string when this has reached a desired depth, that the string is opened downwardly e.g. by knocking out the tip, that at least one monitoring pipe is lowered through the cavity now extending freely through the string, that the string is pulled out of the borehole and that the pore gas/liquid in the formation is currently monitored at the lower end part of the monitoring pipe.
Moreover, according to the invention, to prevent the pro¬ cess from coming to a standstill because the inlet ope¬ nings are cloged when drilling through clayly and silty layers, a liquid, e.g. water, or a gas, e.g. nitrogen, may temporarily be passed through the inlet openings in the drill string wall via a pipe or hose connection under the action of a pressure which exceeds the pore gas/liquid pressure in the formation layer to which the drill string has reached, so that the inlet openings are cleaned.
The invention also concerns an apparatus for performing the above-mentioned method, and this apparatus is charac- terized according to the invention in that it comprises an earth bit, e.g. an auger bit with a cavity extending ax¬ ially therethrough and being downwardly closed with a de- tachably mounted tip, the wall of said cavity being formed with a plurality of inlet openings, e.g. vertical slots, in the vicinity of the tip through which pore gas/liquid can enter the cavity; a sample chamber which is detachably mounted in the cavity and which isolates at any rate a ca¬ vity section opposite the inlet openings in sealed rela- tionship with the rest of the cavity and communicates with the isolated cavity section preferably via a filter; a plurality of probes which are positioned in the sample chamber and which serve to analyse pore gas/liquid samples in it in situ and to transmit the analysis results via electric wires to the surface of the ground for recording there; and a pump assembly for then pumping the samples up to the surface of the ground from the sample chamber while said chamber is in the mounted state. This entails that an analysis of a sample can be performed in two steps, the first one taking place in situ in the sample chamber where the sample is still in an undisturbed state and the ob¬ tained sample results are therefore true, the second step taking place at the surface of the ground with a more com¬ prehensive analysis of the sample which must now be ex- pected to have gone through certain chemical changes, but with the possibility of correcting the analysis results by comparison with the analysis results from the first step so that the total analysis results are true.
To ensure that the sample chamber is just filled with clean pore gas/liquid, the isolated cavity section nay be filled with a filter material, such as sand.
The sample chamber is detachably secured in the cavity of the drill string and isolates in sealed manner a section of said cavity around the chamber, an elastomeric hose being clamped around the sample chamber and/or an exten¬ sion of it, said elastomeric hose being inflatable, via a tube or hose connection with a valve which can be acti¬ vated from the surface of the ground, with air or liquid such that the elastomeric hose is stretched tightly against the inner side of the drill string, said drill string cavity having a constriction which begins immedia¬ tely above the inflated upper part of the elastomeric hose, so that the pressure in the formation cannot dis- place the chamber vertically upwardly in the drill string.
In another embodiment the sample chamber is retained de¬ tachably in the cavity of the drill string, said sample chamber being mounted in a constriction in the cavity which, at this point, has a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the chamber and at least one gasket, which is positioned in a groove in the inner wall of the string and serves to seal the isolated cavity section with respect to the rest of the cavity, said chamber, in the mounted state, being kept axially locked in the drill string by means of a swing pawl engaging a notch or a recess in the inner wall of the drill string, so that nor in this case can the pressure in the formation displace the chamber vertically upwardly in the drill string.
When the first step of the analysis has taken place in the sample chamber, the sample is pumped by means of a pump to the surface of the ground where the next step takes place. In a particularly advantageous embodiment this pump is so arranged that a separate pump chamber is provided prefer¬ ably in elongation of the sample chamber, said pump cham¬ ber being connected with the sample chamber via a non¬ return valve permitting a pore gas/liquid sample to pass from the sample chamber to the pump chamber, but not con- versely, said pump chamber being moreover connected with the surface of the ground by means of two pipe or hose connections, one of which serves to convey a gas, e.g. air or nitrogen under pressure into the pump chamber upon pumping, and the other serves to convey the displaced pore gas/liquid from the pump chamber up to the surface of the groun .
According to the invention, with a view to temporarily cleaning the inlet openings which may be clogged by solid components in the formation in particular when drilling through clayly and silty layers, the sample chamber may be connected with the surface of the ground by means of a pipe or hose connection having inserted therein a non¬ return valve which prevents passage of the pore gas/liquid samples through the connection, which may be connected, via a valve at the surface of the ground, with a source of pressure liquid or pressure gas which, upon activation of the valve, feeds liquid or gas to the sample chamber under the action of a pressure which exceeds the pore gas/liquid pressure in the formation layer to which the drill string has reached. The inlet openings can hereby be blown clean by means of e.g. nitrogen under pressure to provide the advantage that the process can proceed continuously with¬ out it being necessary to pull up the drill string for cleaning the inlet openings like in the conventional de- vices.
According to the invention the apparatus may also comprise at least one monitoring pipe which, after removal of the sample chamber and the pump assembly, is lowered through the cavity of the drill string to provide a permanent connection with the pore gas/liquid in a desired formation layer instead of the earth bit which is pulled out of the borehole. The formation layer at the depth concerned can then be monitored cur ntly. The invention will be explained more fully by the follow¬ ing description of embodiments which exclusively serve as examples, with reference to the drawing, in which
fig. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus according to the invention in the form of an auger bit which is being drilled down into a subterranean formation,
fig. 2 is a partially sectional view on an enlarged scale of a fraction of the lower end part of the auger bit shown in fig. 1,
fig. 3 shows the same, but in another embodiment, and
figs. 4a-f shows successive process steps in the mounting of a monitoring pipe for current monitoring of the forma¬ tion.
Fig. 1 schematically shows a drilling arrangement for per- forming the method of the invention, using an auger bit 1 which is drilled down into a subterranean formation 4 con¬ sisting of several layers 4a-d by means of a vertically slidable drilling machine 2 which is mounted on a mobile drilling rig 3. A dry drilling technique is used for the drilling, which excludes contamination of the samples by drilling mud. The drilling machine 2 transmits its rotary motion to the auger bit 1 via a power transmission shaft 5 which extends through a shoe assembly 6 and further down through a water/air sluice 7, and is then connected with the auger bit 1. A cable connection 8 is run from the shoe assembly 6 to an instrument and control unit 9, which is moreover connected with the water/air sluice 7 by means of hose connections 10 whose importance will be explained more fully below. The drill string is moreover provided with an electrically logging probe 11 of the type described in the applicant's US Patent 4 912 415 issued on March 27, 1990. During samp¬ ling, this electrically logging probe serves to determine the geology of the drilled layers to currently provide in¬ formation on the type of the layers from which the pore gas/liquid samples are obtained, said information being of significant importance in the examination of e.g. the qua¬ lity of water deposits it being noted that a contamination in loose sand may be much more dangerous than in silt.
Thus, if a contamination is found during sampling, it is possible to evaluate how dangerous this contamination is on the basis of the knowledge of the type of the layer from which the sample originates.
As additionally shown by fig. 1, the auger bit 1 down¬ wardly has a conical tip 12 and a plurality of vertical slots 13 to receive pore gas/liquid samples. The instru¬ ment and control unit 9 is moreover provided with a tap 14 for tapping samples into a container 15, in which the samples can be transported to a laboratory for quantita¬ tive analysis for various components. The tapping is shown in principle in the figure, but preferably takes place in practise in a closed system (not shown) to prevent the samples from being influenced by contact with the atmos¬ pheric air.
Fig. 2 now shows the lower end part of the hollow auger bit 1 shown in fig. 1 with the tip 12 and the vertical slot 13, so that, as far as possible, the samples taken from the formation are not disturbed by the actual dril¬ ling process. As previously mentioned, the auger bit is hollow and has a cavity 16 extending axially all the way through the drill string. At the level of the slots 13, the cavity 16 detachably accommodates a sample chamber 18 which has an extension 20 separated from the sample cham- ber by a partition 21. An elastomeric hose 19 is clamped tightly around the sample chamber 18 and its extension 20 with clamping ties 22. Via a connection 23 with an in¬ serted magnetic valve 24 the hose 19 is connected with a pressure source (not shown) with e.g. water under pressure at the surface of the ground. When the valve 24 is acti¬ vated, the hose 19 is inflated and thereby stretched tightly against the inner wall of the drill string, which has an internal shoulder 25 immediately above the inflated part of the hose to prevent the overall sample chamber arrangement from being pressed vertically upwardly in the drill string by the pressure in the formation.
This clamping of the sample chamber seals off a cavity section 17 which is filled with a filter material 26, e.g. sand. Further, a fine mesh filter cloth 27 is applied around openings in the sample chamber, the chamber com¬ municating through said cloth with the cavity section 17. A plurality of probes 28 are arranged inside the sample chamber, each of said probes being capable of measuring a specific property of the properties of a pore gas/liquid sample, which are then transmitted via electric wires 29 and the cable connection 8 to the instrument and control unit 9 which collects and records the measured results. Further, via a line 30 with a non-return valve 332 the sample chamber 18 can be connected with a pressure source (not shown) with e.g. nitrogen at the surface of the ground, and it communicates with the sample chamber exten¬ sion 20 via a non-return valve 331. The sample chamber ex- tension 20 is connected with the surface of the ground via an air line 31 and a liquid line 32, respectively, which are connected via the water/air sluice 7 and the pipe or hose connections 10 with the instrument and control unit 9. When the chemical conditions in a subterranean formation are to be mapped vertically at predetermined intervals, the auger bit 1, as previously described, is drilled down into the formation, one section after the other being successively screwed on during this process by means of threaded joints 34. The electric wires are simultaneously connected to the electrically logging probe and the probes in the sample chamber, and this can advantageously take place with relatively inexpensive plugs since these do not have to be of a watertight design, the cavity of the drill string being dry above the sample chamber which keeps the cavity section 17 separated in watertight manner from the rest of the cavity 16 of the drill string. During dril¬ ling, information on the type of drilled layers is cur- rently provided by means of the electrically logging probe 11 (fig. 1), so that it is possible to evaluate the dange- rousness of a possibly observed water contamination.
A pore gas/liquid sample is conveyed through the slots 13 into the cavity section 17 for each sample interval, the sample penetrating further inwardly via the filter sand 26 and the filter cloth 27 to fill the sample chamber 18. The sample, from which solid components from the formation have essentially been filtered off, is now analysed in the sample chamber by means of the probes 28 for a number of properties, such as electric conductivity, acidity (pH), redox potential (Eh), oxygen content, pressure, ion con¬ tent, ect. Since the sample chamber is completely sealed off with respect to the atmospheric air and is under the same pressure as in the surrounding formation, the sample is not disturbed by external forces and is thus represen¬ tative of the pore gas/liquid in the formation. The achieved analysis results, which are therefore true, are transmitted via the electric wires 29 and the shoe as- sembly 6 up to the instrument and control unit 9, where the results are collected and recorded. Then air is pumped from a compressed air source (not shown) at the surface of the ground down through the line 31 to the sample chamber extension 20, whereby its content of water is displaced up through the liquid line 32 and further on from this via the water/air sluice 7 to the instrument and control unit 9, the non-return valve 331 blocking backflow of the liquid to the sample chamber 18.
At the surface of the ground the sample, which is now un- disturbed by external impacts from e.g. the oxygen of the air and the often considerable pressure difference between the pressure at the surface of the ground and the pressure in the respective formation depth, is subjected to an ad¬ ditional analysis, which can be performed with ion speci- fie electrodes, which it is not possible to fit in the sample chamber, or with a spectrograph or chromatograph, just as the sample may be sent for analysis at a labora¬ tory, the sample being taken in a closed system where it does not contact atmospheric air. In this manner it is possible to take specific measurements of properties which are important for the quality of the water, such as orga¬ nic and toxic compounds. However, these analysis results will not be true since the sample is disturbed as men¬ tioned, and the results are therefore corrected by a com- parison with the already recorded results from the in situ analyses in the sample chamber, so that the final, total analysis result will be true.
When the pressure in the air line 31 is relieved, a new pore gas/liquid sample penetrates into the sample chamber 18 and its extension 20, following which the working cycle described above is repeated, and, as will be appreciated, this may take place at short intervals and without inter¬ rupting the drilling process, whereby the formation can be examined currently and even thin horizons with perculate or the position of a contamination front, e.g. a nitrate front can be detected with greater accuracy and more ra¬ pidly and easily than known before.
The embodiment shown in fig. 3 corresponds to the one shown in fig. 2 and described above in all respects, ex¬ cept that the sample chamber 18 with the extension 20 is detachably mounted in another manner in the cavity 16 of the drill string. In this case, the sample chamber 18 with the extension 20 is mounted axially slidably in a con- striction 35, which is provided in the drill string cavity 16 and has annular grooves 37 with 0-rings 36 for sealing off the cavity section 17 with respect to the rest of the drill string cavity 16. The sample chamber and its exten¬ sion are locked against axially upward displacement in the drill string cavity by the pressure in the formation by means of a swing pawl, 38 which, in the locked state, en¬ gages an annular recess 39 formed in the inner wall of the drill string. A magnetic valve 40 or similar activation means serves to engage and disengage the swing pawl 38 from the recess 39.
By means of the method and the apparatus described above it is, as mentioned, now possible to obtain true informa¬ tion on both the chemical conditions at a specific forma- tion depth and on the geological nature of the formation at this point at short intervals during the actual dril¬ ling process, thereby enabling optimum selection of the filter levels where it may be interesting to monitor the formation currently.
Figs. 4a-f show successively how a monitoring pipe 41 is placed in the formation when the auger bit 1, as shown in fig. 4a, has reached the vertical depth where the forma¬ tion is to be monitored. Upon activation of the magnetic valve 24, the pressure is relieved in the elastomeric hose 19, which hereby contracts and releases the sample chamber 18 and its extension 20 (fig. 4b). In fig. 4c the sample chamber and its extention are now being pulled up through the drill string cavity 16, so that the sand filter 26, as shown, collapses loosely. Then the drill string is pulled slightly upwardly, and the detachably mounted conical tip 12 is knocked out by means of e.g. a drop hammer (not shown), whereby the situation is as shown in fig. 4b. Finally, the drill string is pulled back with simultaneous afterfilling with e.g. bentonite to seal off the various layers of the formation with respect to each other, so as to prevent pore gas/liquid from the various formation layers from merging. The pore gas/liquid from the selected filter level now penetrates from the formation via slots 42 into the monitoring pipe 41 and is conveyed through this to the surface of the ground for further continuous examination and/or use.

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s :
1. A method of taking and analysing level determined pore gas/liquid samples, e.g. water from a subterranean forma¬ tion, comprising drilling a hole in said formation and passing samples at a desired depth into a cavity in the drill string used for the drilling, following which the samples are analysed, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by dry drilling the borehole by means of a hollow earth bit, e.g. a hollow auger bit, isolating in the drill string in the vicinity of the tip of the drill a cavity section in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity of the Earing, said cavity section having a sample chamber which communicates with the isolated cavity section e.g. via a filter, providing a plurality of inlet openings in the drill string wall substantially radially opposite the sample chamber to direct pore gas/liquid samples into the sample chamber where the samples are analysed in situ by means of probes for e.g. electric conductivity, acidity
(pH), redox potential (Eh), oxygen content, pressure, ion content, etc., the analysis results in the form of e.g. electric signals being transmitted to the surface of the ground for recording, and then pumping the respective sample itself up to the ground surface by means of a pump assembly where the same analysis as in the sample chamber is repeated wholly or partly and is supplemented with an additional analysis of the sample content of e.g. organic and toxic components, following which the results of the last-mentioned analysis are corrected in response to any deviations between the in situ analysis results from the sample chamber and the corresponding analysis results on the surface of the ground.
2. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d by mounting the sample chamber detachably in the drill string in such a manner that a string cavity section positioned around the chamber is isolated in sealed rela¬ tionship with the rest of the cavity, removing the sample chamber from the drill string when this has reached a de- sired depth, opening the string downwardly e.g. by knock¬ ing out the tip, lowering at least one monitoring pipe through the cavity now extending freely through the string, pulling the string out of the borehole, and cur¬ rently monitoring the pore gas/liquid in the formation at the lower end part of the monitoring pipe.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d by temporarily passing e.g. water or nitro¬ gen out through the inlet openings of the drill string wall via a pipe or hose connection under the action of a pressure which exceeds the pore gas/liquid pressure in the formation layer to which the drill string has reached.
4. An apparatus for performing the method defined in claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it com¬ prises an earth bit, e.g. an auger bit with a cavity ex¬ tending axially therethrough and being downwardly closed with a detachably mounted tip, the wall of said cavity being formed with a plurality of inlet openings, e.g. ver- tical slots, in the vicinity of the tip through which pore gas/liquid can enter the cavity; a sample chamber which is detachably mounted in the cavity and which isolates at any rate a cavity section opposite the inlet openings in sealed relationship with the rest of the cavity and commu- nicates with the isolated cavity section preferably via a filter; a plurality of probes which are positioned in the sample chamber and which serve to analyse pore gas/liquid samples in it in situ and to transmit the analysis results via electric wires to the surface of the ground for re- cording there; and a pump assembly for then pumping the samples up to the surface of the ground from the sample chamber while said chamber is in the mounted state.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the isolated cavity section is filled with a filter material, such as sand.
6. An apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that an elastomeric hose is fixed around the sample chamber and/or in an extension of it and can be inflated with air or liquid via a pipe or hose connection with a valve which can be activated from the surface of the ground, such that the elastomeric hose is stretched tightly against the inner side of the drill string, said drill string cavity having a constriction which begins immediately above the inflated upper part of the elasto¬ meric hose.
7. An apparatus according to claim 4, 5 or 6, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the sample chamber is mounted i a constriction in the cavity which, at this point, has a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the chamber and at least one gasket, which is positioned in a groove in the inner wall of the string and serves to seal the isolated cavity section with respect to the rest of the cavity, and that, in the mounted state, the chamber is kept axially locked in the drill string by means of a swing pawl engaging a notch or a recess in the inner wall of the drill string.
8. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 4-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a separate pump chamber is provided preferably in elongation of the sample cham¬ ber, said pump chamber being connected with the sample chamber via a non-return valve permitting a pore gas/ liquid sample to pass from the sample chamber to the pump chamber, but not conversely, said pump chamber being more- over connected with the surface of the ground by means of two pipe or hose connections, one of which serves to con¬ vey a gas, e.g. air or nitrogen under pressure into the pump chamber upon pumping, and the other serves to convey the displaced pore gas/liquid from the pump chamber up to the surface of the ground.
9. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 4-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sample chamber is connected with the surface of the ground by means of a pipe or hose connection having inserted therein a non¬ return valve which prevents passage of the pore gas/liquid samples through the connection, which is connected, via a valve at the surface of the ground, with a source, of pres- sure liquid or pressure gas which, upon activation of the valve, feeds liquid or gas to the sample chamber under the action of a pressure which exceeds the pore gas/liquid pressure in the formation layer to which the drill string has reached.
10. An apparatus according to one or more of claims 4-9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises at least one monitoring pipe which, after removal of the sample chamber and the pump assembly, is lowered through the ca- vity of the drill string to provide a permanent connection with the pore gas/liquid in a desired formation layer in¬ stead of the earth bit which is pulled out of the bore¬ hole.
PCT/DK1991/000277 1990-09-19 1991-09-18 A method and an apparatus for taking and analysing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation WO1992005338A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

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EP91917085A EP0543944B1 (en) 1990-09-19 1991-09-18 A method and an apparatus for taking and analysing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation
DE69111609T DE69111609T2 (en) 1990-09-19 1991-09-18 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TAKING AND ANALYZING PORE GAS / PORE LIQUID SAMPLES FROM UNDERGROUND FORMATIONS OF A SPECIFIC DEPTH.
US07/988,952 US5337838A (en) 1990-09-19 1991-09-18 Method and an apparatus for taking and analyzing level determined samples of pore gas/liquid from a subterranean formation

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DK2252/90 1990-09-19
DK225290A DK225290D0 (en) 1990-09-19 1990-09-19 PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR SAMPLING AND ANALYZING LEVEL-TESTED SAMPLES OF POREGAS / LIQUIDS FROM AN UNDERGROUND FORMATION

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AT (1) ATE125592T1 (en)
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CA (1) CA2091881A1 (en)
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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0543944A1 (en) 1993-06-02
DK225290D0 (en) 1990-09-19
DE69111609D1 (en) 1995-08-31
US5337838A (en) 1994-08-16
DE69111609T2 (en) 1996-04-04
CA2091881A1 (en) 1992-03-20
AU8653391A (en) 1992-04-15
ATE125592T1 (en) 1995-08-15
ES2078546T3 (en) 1995-12-16
EP0543944B1 (en) 1995-07-26

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