Mapping pipe bends in a well casing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150374-B2
Application number	US-201916453673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2019
Priority date	Sep 10, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A method and system for identifying a deformation. The method may comprise disposing an electromagnetic logging tool in a pipe string, performing a logging operation with the electromagnetic logging tool, transmitting an electromagnetic field from a transmitter, energizing the casing string with the electromagnetic field to produce an eddy current, measuring the eddy current with at least one receiver, processing the measurements of the eddy current to find a point-wise eccentricity between the casing string and the pipe string, identifying a zone with the deformation based at least in part on the point-wise eccentricity, determining at least one characteristic of the deformation, and making a wellbore decision related to an integrity of the casing string based on the at least one characteristic of the deformation or the point-wise eccentricity. The system may comprise an electromagnetic logging tool which may comprise a transmitter and at least one receiver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for identifying a deformation comprising:
disposing an electromagnetic logging tool in a casing string, and wherein the electromagnetic logging tool comprises:
a transmitter; and
at least one receiver;

performing a logging operation with the electromagnetic logging tool;
transmitting an electromagnetic field from the transmitter;
energizing the casing string with the electromagnetic field to produce an eddy current;
measuring the eddy current with the at least one receiver;
processing the measurement of the eddy current to find a point-wise eccentricity between the casing string and a pipe string;
identifying a zone with the deformation based at least in part on the point-wise eccentricity; and
determining at least one characteristic of the deformation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic logging tool is configured to acquire measurements either in a time-domain or a frequency-domain.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the electromagnetic logging tool further comprises a navigation device and the navigation device is configured to measure an inclination angle and an azimuth of the electromagnetic logging tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing the measurement comprises a model-based point-wise inversion to solve for one or more of the following: an individual thickness of the casing string, a percentage metal loss or a gain of the casing string, an individual magnetic permeability of the casing string, an individual electrical conductivity of the casing string, a total thickness of the casing string, an eccentricity of the casing string, or an inner diameter of the casing string.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the individual thickness of the casing string is constrained to a nominal value and the model-based point-wise inversion solves for the point-wise eccentricity.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the eccentricity of the casing string is constrained by an inclination of the casing string measured by a navigation device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing a response from a short-spacing and a long-spacing to compute an eccentricity indicator, wherein a larger deflection on the short-spacing than the long-spacing indicate a higher eccentricity.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the zone with an eccentricity above a predefined threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a match between an eccentricity profile and a database of patterns, wherein the database of patterns correspond to a set of deformations, and picking the zone where the match is above a predefined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the database of patterns is computed numerically through an electromagnetic modeling of the casing string having the deformation with one or more bend parameters, wherein the one or more bend parameters include a shape of a bend, a magnitude of the bend, an axial extent of the bend, or an azimuth angle of the bend.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the database of patterns is computed for a fixed axial length of the deformation or at a fixed azimuth angle.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the database of patterns is computed experimentally through measuring a set of tubulars with different bend parameters.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising matching the database of patterns with the at least one characteristic of the deformation that fits a measured eccentricity profile, wherein the matching includes a brute-force search, a gradient-based inversion, or a neural network training.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising constructing a pipe trajectory map.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic logging tool further comprises an azimuthal sensors configured to solve for an eccentricity angle, wherein the eccentricity angle at least in part constructs a three dimensional pipe trajectory map.

16. A system for identifying a deformation comprising:
an electromagnetic logging tool comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit an electromagnetic field, wherein the electromagnetic field energizes a casing string to produce and eddy current; and
at least one receiver configured to measure the eddy current; and

an information handling system configured to:
identify a point-wise eccentricity between a casing string and a pipe string using measurements from the eddy current;
identify a zone with the deformation based at least in part on the point-wise eccentricity; and
identify at least one characteristic of the deformation.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the information handling system solves for one or more of the following: an individual thickness of the casing string, a percentage metal loss or a gain of the casing string, an individual magnetic permeability of the casing string, an individual electrical conductivity of the casing string, a total thickness of the casing string, an eccentricity of the casing string, or an inner diameter of the casing string.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the information handling system is further configured to compare a response from a short-spacing and a long-spacing to compute an eccentricity indicator, wherein a larger deflection on the short-spacing than the long-spacing indicate a higher eccentricity.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the information handling system further configured to identify the zone with an eccentricity above a predefined threshold.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the information handling system further configured to compute a match between an eccentricity profile and a database of patterns, wherein the database of patterns correspond to a set of deformations, and picking the zone where the match is above the predefined threshold.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Capoglu Ilker R
• Fouda Ahmed Elsayed
• Hill Iii Freeman Lee

Classifications

• E21B47/09

  Locating or determining the position of objects in boreholes or wells {, e.g. the position of an extending arm}; Identifying the free or blocked portions of pipes · CPC title

• E21B47/024 Primary

  of devices in the borehole (determining slope or direction of the borehole E21B47/022) · CPC title

• G01V3/18

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title

• G01V3/28 Primary

  using induction coils · CPC title

• E21B47/00

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title