System and method for deploying sensing cable into a well

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12529302-B2
Application number	US-202318347514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2023
Priority date	Jul 5, 2023
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods of monitoring a well that includes a production tubing installed in the well and supported by a wellhead with an annulus between the production tubing and a well casing. While the production tubing remains installed in the well, a valve of the wellhead is opened to provide access to the annulus through a side port of the wellhead. A cable guide is inserted through the valve, the cable guide including a conduit for inserting a sensing cable through the cable guide. A sensing cable is inserted through the conduit of the cable guide and into the annulus through the side port. One or more parameters of the well are measured using the sensing cable and signals representative of the parameters are transmitted along the sensing cable. The signals from the sensing cable are obtained and processed using a computing system to determine the parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of monitoring a well including a production tubing previously installed in the well and supported by a wellhead with an annulus between the production tubing and a well casing, the method comprising, after the production tubing is and while the production tubing remains installed in the well:
opening a valve of the wellhead to provide access to the annulus through a side port of the wellhead; inserting a cable guide through the valve, wherein the cable guide comprises a conduit for inserting a sensing cable through the cable guide; inserting a sensing cable through the conduit and out of the cable guide and into the annulus through the side port; measuring one or more parameters of the well using the sensing cable and transmitting signals representative of the parameters along the sensing cable; and obtaining and processing the signals from the sensing cable using a computing system to determine the parameters.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting the cable guide further includes inserting the cable guide to a selected position relative to the annulus using a cable guide positioner operable to movably position the cable guide.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising inserting the sensing cable using an injector operable to adjust a length of deployment of the sensing cable into the annulus.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising equalizing pressure between the annulus and a space outside the well while the sensing cable is being inserted through the cable guide using a pressure relief channel in the cable guide separate from the conduit.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
inserting the cable guide through the valve until a stand-off extension protruding from the cable guide contacts an outer surface of the production tubing, which places a cable outlet of the conduit at a selected distance from the production tubing; and releasing the sensing cable from the cable outlet and into the annulus.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting the sensing cable through the conduit further comprises inserting the sensing cable through a portion of the conduit oriented in a direction into the well such that the sensing cable is directed to a deeper portion of the well when being released from a cable outlet of the conduit.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the one or more parameters of the well comprise at least one of a pressure, a temperature, a vibration, or a strain of the well; and adjusting operation of the well based on the one or more parameters.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising stopping production of the well when it is determined that a pressure of the well obtained from processing of the signals from the sensing cable is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing cable comprises one or more of a flexible optical fiber or a fiber-in-metal tube (FIMT).

10 . A system for monitoring a well including a production tubing installed in the well and supported by a wellhead with an annulus between the production tubing and a well casing and comprising a valve controlling flow through a side port, the system comprising:
a cable guide sized to be insertable through the valve and comprising a conduit sized to allow insertion of a sensing cable therethrough; a cable guide positioner operable to movably position the cable guide relative to the wellhead;
an injector operable to insert a sensing cable through and out of the cable guide and into the annulus through the side port of the wellhead; and
a computing system connected to the sensing cable and operable to obtain and process signals from the sensing cable to determine one or more parameters relating to the well.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the cable guide comprises an end surface facing the production tubing when the cable guide is inserted through the valve of the wellhead that provides access to the annulus through the side port, the conduit comprises a cable outlet formed at the end surface, the cable outlet configured to introduce the sensing cable into the annulus, and the cable guide further comprises a stand-off extension protruding from the end surface to space the cable outlet a selected distance away from the production tubing when the stand-off extension contacts an outer surface of the production tubing.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the cable guide comprises an end surface facing the production tubing when the cable guide is inserted through the valve of the wellhead that provides access to the annulus through the side port, the conduit comprises a cable outlet formed at the end surface, the cable outlet configured to introduce the sensing cable into the annulus, and the conduit comprises an end portion extending to the cable outlet, the end portion extends along a downward direction such that the sensing cable is heading a deeper portion of the well when being released from the cable outlet.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the cable guide comprises an end surface facing the production tubing when the cable guide is inserted through the valve of the wellhead that provides access to the annulus through the side port, and the end portion is sized such that the cable guide is insertable into the side port when the cable guide is inserted through the valve.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more parameters of the well comprise at least one of a pressure, a temperature, a vibration, or a strain of the well and the computing system is further operable to adjust operation of the well based on the one or more parameters.

15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the sensing cable comprises one or more of a flexible optical fiber or a fiber-in-metal tube (FIMT).

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Roadarmel William
• Grandjean Cole Aaron
• Yip Justin Michael
• Jaaskelainen Mikko K
• Williams Aaron

Classifications

• E21B19/084 Primary

  with flexible drawing means, e.g. cables · CPC title

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B47/135

  using light waves, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet waves · CPC title

• E21B47/00 Primary

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