Method and system for monitoring and controlling fluid movement through a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10519764-B2
Application number	US-201515506769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 28, 2014
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A method for moving fluid through a pipe in a wellbore includes placing at least two different fluids in the pipe and in an annular space between the pipe and the wellbore. Fluid is pumped into the pipe at a rate to achieve a desired set of conditions. Using a predetermined volume distribution of the annular space, an axial position of each of the at least two fluids in the annular space during the pumping the displacement fluid is calculated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for moving fluid through a pipe in a wellbore, comprising:
placing at least two different fluids in an interior of the pipe in fluid communication with an annular space, the annular space being between the pipe and the wellbore or between the pipe and a conduit in the wellbore;
pumping fluid into the interior of the pipe;
measuring a parameter related to a volume of fluid pumped into the interior of the pipe;
in a computer, using a predetermined volume distribution of the annular space and the measured parameter, calculating an axial position of each of the at least two fluids in the annular space during the pumping the fluid;
calculating a flow state with respect to axial position along the annular space and selecting a rate of pumping fluid to cause a selected flow state at at least one selected axial position along the annular space, wherein the flow state is calculated using a model of the pipe in the wellbore wherein the pipe is eccentered in the wellbore; and
displaying the axial position on a display in signal communication with the computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameter comprises at least one of a number of pump strokes on a pump, a flow rate of the fluid pumped into the interior of the pipe, a volume of fluid discharged from the annular space and a flow rate of fluid discharged from the annulus.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in the computer, determining a hydrodynamic pressure of fluid in the annular space at at least one axial position using the measured parameter, properties of the fluid in the annular space and the predetermined volume distribution.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising, in the computer, determining a hydrodynamic pressure profile along a selected longitudinal axial span of the annular space.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, in the computer, determining when the hydrodynamic pressure profile traverses either a minimum safe pressure or a maximum safe pressure and adjusting a rate of pumping the fluid so that the hydrodynamic pressure profile does not traverse the minimum pressure or the maximum pressure.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the at least two different fluids comprises cement.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the pumping fluid continues until a top of the cement is disposed at a selected axial position along the annular space.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising, in the computer, calculating a pump efficiency during displacement of the cement into the annular space.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a rate of pumping the fluid is selected to optimize parameters comprising at least one of maintaining a selected pressure in the annular space, maintaining or inducing a desired flow state, and improving bonding between cement and an exterior of the pipe and formations penetrated by the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining equipment modifications to improve the optimization of the parameters.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a gauge factor is calculated in the computer as a ratio of (i) an annular space volume determined using measurements of volume of fluid pumped into the pipe and measurements of volume of fluid discharged from the annular space with respect to (ii) an annular space volume calculated using a drill bit diameter, a diameter of the pipe and an axial length of the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, in the computer, recalculating the axial position using the gauge factor.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the measurements of volume of fluid discharged from the annular space comprise measurements of changes in volumetric flow rate with respect to time.

14. A system for determining axial positions of fluids moving through a pipe in a wellbore, comprising:
a fluid pump for moving a first fluid into the wellbore through the pipe inserted therein, the first fluid disposed in a flow path behind a second fluid in the wellbore;
a sensor for measuring a parameter related to a volume of the first fluid pumped into the interior of the pipe;
a computer in signal communication with the sensor, the computer programmed to:
use a predetermined volume distribution of an annular space between the wellbore and the pipe and the measured parameter to calculate an axial position of each of the at least two fluids in the annular space during the pumping the first fluid;
calculate a flow state with respect to the axial position along the annular space and selecting a rate of pumping fluid to cause a selected flow state at at least one selected axial position along the annular space, wherein the flow state is calculated using a model of the pipe in the wellbore wherein the pipe is eccentered in the wellbore; and

a display in signal communication with the computer for displaying the axial position of each of the first and second fluid in the wellbore.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a stroke counter on the pump, a flow meter, and a tank level sensor.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate a hydrodynamic pressure of fluid in the annular space at at least one axial position using the sensor measurements, properties of the fluid in the annulus and the predetermined volume distribution.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate a hydrodynamic pressure profile along a selected longitudinal axial span of the annular space.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate when the hydrodynamic pressure profile traverses either a minimum safe pressure or a maximum safe pressure and to calculate a rate of operating the pump so that the hydrodynamic pressure profile does not traverse the minimum pressure or the maximum pressure.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate a pump efficiency.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate a pump operating rate selected to optimize parameters comprising at least one of maintaining a selected pressure in the annular space, maintaining or inducing a desired flow state, and improving bonding between cement and an exterior of the pipe and formations penetrated by the wellbore.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is programmed to calculate a gauge factor as a ratio of (i) an annular space volume determined using measurements of volume of fluid pumped into the pipe and measurements of volume of fluid discharged from the annular space with respect to (ii) an annular space volume calculated using a drill bit diameter, a diameter of the pipe and an axial length of the wellbore.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the computer is programmed to recalculate the axial position using the gauge factor.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Erge Oney
• Hildebrand Ginger Vinyard
• Kotovsky Wayne

Classifications

• E21B33/13 Primary

  Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like · CPC title

• E21B33/14

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• E21B33/12

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B47/042 Primary

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic