Interwell tomography methods and systems employing a casing segment with at least one transmission crossover arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016258274-A1
Application number	US-201514648615-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2014
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An interwell tomography method includes casing a first borehole with a casing tubular having at least one transmission crossover arrangement, each transmission crossover arrangement having an adapter in communication with a coil antenna that encircles an exterior of the casing tubular. The method also includes deploying, inside the casing tubular, a conductive path that extends from a surface interface to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement. The method also includes providing a set of one or more antennas in a second borehole. The method also includes obtaining electromagnetic (EM) measurements for interwell tomography using the at least one transmission crossover arrangement and the set of one or more antennas, where said obtaining involves conveying data or power between the at least one transmission crossover arrangement and the surface interface via the conductive path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An interwell tomography method that comprises:
casing a first borehole with a casing tubular having at least one transmission crossover arrangement, each transmission crossover arrangement having an adapter in communication with a coil antenna that encircles an exterior of the casing tubular; deploying, inside the casing tubular, a conductive path that extends from a surface interface to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement; providing a set of one or more antennas in a second borehole; and obtaining electromagnetic (EM) measurements for interwell tomography using the at least one transmission crossover arrangement and the set of one or more antennas, where said obtaining involves conveying data or power between the at least one transmission crossover arrangement and the surface interface via the conductive path.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a visual representation of a region between the first and second boreholes based on the obtained EM measurements.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the EM measurements comprises conveying transmission signals from the surface interface to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement via the conductive path.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining EM measurements comprises conveying EM measurements from the at least one transmission crossover arrangement to the surface interface via the conductive path.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each transmission crossover arrangement further comprises a control unit, each control unit having circuitry to handle EM transmissions by a respective coil antenna and having an energy storage device that receives power from the surface interface via the conductive path and a respective adapter.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each transmission crossover arrangement further comprises a control unit, each control unit having circuitry to handle EM measurements acquired by a respective coil antenna, a data storage unit to store the EM measurements, and an energy storage device to power the data storage unit, wherein the energy storage device receives power from the surface interface via the conductive path and a respective adapter.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the casing tubular has multiple, axially-spaced transmission crossover arrangements.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one coil antenna corresponding to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement is tilted.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein deploying the conductive path comprises attaching a cable to an inner tubular and lowering the inner tubular into the casing tubular.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein deploying the conductive path comprises lowering a wireline service tool into the casing tubular.

11 . The method according to of claim 1 , wherein each adapter couples to the conductive path via inductive coupling.

12 . The method according to of claim 1 , wherein each adapter couples to the conductive path via galvanic or capacitive coupling.

13 . The method according to of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second boreholes is horizontal.

14 . The method according to of claim 1 , wherein the first and second boreholes are laterals from a multilateral well.

15 . The method according to of claim 1 , further comprising processing the obtained EM measurements to derive an interwell resistivity, permittivity, porosity, or fluid concentration.

16 . An interwell tomography system that comprises:
a downhole casing tubular deployed in a first borehole and having at least one transmission crossover arrangement, each transmission crossover arrangement having an adapter in communication with a coil antenna that encircles an exterior of the casing tubular; a conductive path, deployed inside the casing tubular, that extends from a surface interface to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement; a set of one or more antennas in a second borehole, wherein the set of one or more antennas and the least one transmission crossover arrangement obtain electromagnetic (EM) measurements for interwell tomography, and wherein obtaining the EM measurements involves conveying data or power between the at least one transmission crossover arrangement and the surface interface via the conductive path; and a processing unit that derives at least one characteristic of a region between the first and second boreholes based on the obtained EM measurements.

17 . The system of claim 16 , further comprising a monitor in communication with the processing unit, wherein the monitor displays a visual representation of the region based on the obtained EM measurements.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the conductive path conveys transmission signals from the surface interface to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the conductive path conveys EM measurements acquired by the at least one transmission crossover arrangement to the surface interface.

20 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the casing tubular has multiple, axially-spaced transmission crossover arrangements.

21 . The system of claim 16 , wherein each transmission crossover arrangement further comprises a control unit, each control unit having circuitry to handle EM transmissions by a respective coil antenna and having an energy storage device that receives power from the surface interface via the conductive path and a respective adapter.

22 . The system of claim 16 , wherein each transmission crossover arrangement further comprises a control unit, each control unit having circuitry to handle EM measurements acquired by a respective coil antenna, a data storage unit to store the EM measurements, and an energy storage device to power the data storage unit, wherein the energy storage device receives power from the surface interface via the conductive path and a respective adapter.

23 . The system of claim 16 , wherein at least one coil antenna corresponding to the at least one transmission crossover arrangement is tilted.

24 . The system according to of claim 16 , wherein the conductive path comprises a cable attached to an inner tubular and lowered into the casing tubular.

25 . The system according to of claim 16 , wherein the conductive path comprises a wireline service tool lowered into the casing tubular.

26 . The system according to of claim 16 , wherein each adapter couples to the conductive path via inductive coupling.

27 . The system according to of claim 16 , wherein each adapter couples to the conductive path via galvanic or capacitive coupling.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bittar Michael S
• Menezes Clive D

Classifications

• E21B7/04

  Directional drilling · CPC title

• G01V3/28

  using induction coils · CPC title

• G01V3/38

  Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction · CPC title

• E21B49/00 Primary

  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 · CPC title

• G01V3/30 Primary

  operating with electromagnetic waves · CPC title