Evaluating annular material in a wellbore using transient thermal response data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11814946-B2
Application number	US-202217573236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2022
Priority date	Jan 11, 2022
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A method for identifying zones in an annulus with poor cementing that may include deploying a fiber optic cable within the wellbore, creating a temperature gradient in the wellbore, and collecting temperature data over a period of time as the wellbore returns to a thermal equilibrium. The method may also include comparing the temperature data collected by the fiber optic cable at one or more locations to predicted temperature data over the period of time at the one or more locations to identify locations where the measured temperature data deviates from the predicted temperature data for identifying locations or zones of the annulus that have poor cementing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
deploying a thermal sensor in a downhole portion of a wellbore;
circulating a fluid in the wellbore for creating thermal gradients in a radial direction and an axial direction;
collecting, from the thermal sensor, temperature data at a selected location along a length of the wellbore over a period of time in which the fluid is left static in the wellbore as the wellbore is returning to a thermal equilibrium;
comparing, the temperature data collected by the thermal sensor at the selected location over the period of time, to predicted temperature data at the selected location over the period of time; and
determining that temperature data collected by the thermal sensor at the selected location over the period of time deviates from the predicted temperature data at the selected location over the period of time by a pre-determined amount.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal sensor comprises a fiber optic cable.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
calculating the predicted temperature data at the selected location over the period of time using a mathematical model based at least in part on a selected annular material of the wellbore at the selected location.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mathematical model is a physics-based model that describes (i) a conduction process and (ii) a convection process.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the physics-based model is further based on at least one of (i) thermal properties of a formation at the selected location, (ii) thermal properties of a casing string in the wellbore, or (iii) thermal properties of a wellbore fluid in the wellbore.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the selected annular material of the wellbore is a cement in a properly cemented annulus.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining an annular material at the selected location by:
determining an estimated thermal conductivity value of the annular material;
performing a search on a lookup table of thermal conductivities; and comparing the estimated thermal conductivity value of the annular material with a thermal conductivity value of a material contained in the lookup table.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the annular material is separated from the fiber optic cable by more than one casing string.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fiber optic cable is configured to couple to a landing device.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of collecting, from the fiber optic cable, temperature data at a selected location along a length of the fiber optic cable over a period of time further comprises collecting temperature data at the selected location over about thirty minutes to about sixty minutes.

11. The method of claim 2 , further comprising remediating cement at an annulus location corresponding to the selected location in response to determining temperature data collected by the fiber optic cable at the selected location of the period of time deviates from the predicted temperature data at the selected location over the period of time by the pre-determined amount.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of remediating cement at an annulus location corresponding to the selected location in response to determining temperature data collected by the fiber optic cable at the selected location of the period of time deviates from the predicted temperature data at the selected location over the period of time by the pre-determined amount further comprising performing squeeze cementing at the annulus location.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a temperature of the fluid at an inlet in the wellbore;
selecting a duration of circulating time of the fluid; and
selecting a rate of the circulation of the fluid.

14. A method comprising:
deploying a fiber optic cable in a downhole portion of a wellbore;
circulating a fluid in the wellbore for creating thermal gradients in a radial direction and an axial direction;
collecting, from the fiber optic cable, temperature data at a first location along the fiber optic cable over a period of time;
collecting, from the fiber optic cable, temperature data at a second location along the fiber optic cable over the period of time in which the fluid is left static in the wellbore and is returning to a thermal equilibrium; and
determining that the temperature data at the first location deviates from the temperature data at the second location over the period of time.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of deploying a fiber optic cable in a downhole portion of a wellbore further comprises running the fiber optic cable through a tubing positioned within the wellbore.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the fiber optic cable is configured to couple to a landing device.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining an annular material at the second location by:
determining an estimated thermal conductivity value of the annular material;
performing a search on a lookup table of thermal conductivities; and comparing the estimated thermal conductivity value of the annular material with a thermal conductivity value of a material contained in the lookup table.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the annular material is separated from the fiber optic cable by more than one casing string.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising: remediating cement at an annulus location corresponding to the second location in response to determining the temperature data at the first location deviates from the temperature data at the second location over the period of time.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the step of remediating cement at an annulus location corresponding to the second location in response to determining the temperature data at the first location deviates from the temperature data at the second location over the period of time further comprises performing squeeze cementing at the annulus location.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Jandhyala Siva Rama Krishna
• Singh John Paul Bir
• Yerubandi Krishna Babu

Classifications

• G01N25/72

  Investigating presence of flaws · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• E21B47/005 Primary

  Monitoring or checking of cementation quality or level · CPC title

• G01N33/383 Primary

  Concrete or cement · CPC title

• E21B47/07 Primary

  Temperature · CPC title