Multi-sensor workflow for evaluation of water flow in multiple casing strings with distributed sensors data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016273335-A1
Application number	US-201514907600-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 4, 2015
Priority date	Sep 10, 2014
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A distance of a water flow path and a velocity of the water flow is calculated using data obtained from both a pulsed neutron sensor and distributed acoustic sensors. The two distance and velocity values are compared to obtain a first calculated distance and velocity. The distance of the water flow path and the velocity of the water flow are calculated using the Doppler data obtained from distributed Doppler sensors. The distance and velocity values are compared with the first calculated distance and first calculated velocity to obtain a second calculated distance and velocity values. The distance of the water flow path and the velocity of the water flow are calculated using temperature data obtained from distributed temperature sensors. The distance and velocity values are compared with the second calculated distance and velocity to determine a distance of a cement interface, and a velocity of a water flow therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
conveying a tool string into a wellbore, the wellbore at least partially lined with a first casing and a second casing concentrically overlapping a portion of the first casing, wherein a first annulus is defined between the first and second casings and filled with a first cement, and wherein a second annulus is defined between the second casing and the wellbore and filled with a second cement; obtaining wellbore data from a pulsed neutron sensor included in the tool string and optical fiber measurements from one or more optical fibers included in a cable positioned in the wellbore; calculating a first distance of a flow path from the tool string and a first velocity of a water flow in the flow path using a pulsed neutron log borehole model and the wellbore data obtained from the pulsed neutron sensor, the flow path being located at a cement interface in the wellbore; calculating a second distance of the flow path from the tool string and a second velocity of the water flow in the flow path using a distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) borehole model and distributed acoustic sensing measurements obtained from the one or more optical fibers; comparing the first and second distances and the first and second velocities and thereby obtaining a first calculated distance of the flow path and a first calculated velocity of the water flow; calculating a third distance of the flow path from the tool string and a third velocity of the water flow in the flow path using a distributed Doppler sensor (DDS) borehole model and distributed Doppler sensing measurements obtained from the one or more optical fibers; comparing the third distance with the first calculated distance to obtain a second calculated distance of the flow path and comparing the third velocity and the first calculated velocity to obtain a second calculated velocity of the water flow; calculating a fourth distance of the flow path from the tool string and a fourth velocity of the water flow in the flow path using a distributed temperature sensor (DTS) borehole model and distributed temperature sensing measurements obtained from the one or more optical fibers; and comparing the fourth distance and the fourth velocity with the second calculated distance and the second calculated velocity, respectively, to determine a width of the cement interface, a distance of the cement interface from the tool string, and a velocity of a water flow in the cement interface.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining wellbore data from the pulsed neutron sensor comprises at least one of obtaining travel times of gamma rays received by the pulsed neutron sensor and obtaining energy spectrum ratios of near counts and far counts of gamma rays received by the pulsed neutron sensor.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the optical fiber measurements from the one or more optical fibers comprises one or more of obtaining amplitudes of noise signals detected by the one or more optical fibers from the wellbore, obtaining a frequency spectrum of the noise signals, obtaining a relative phase shift between the noise signals, obtaining frequency ratios of near and far noise signals, and obtaining power spectral density of the noise signals.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining optical fiber measurements from the one or more optical fibers comprises one or more of obtaining amplitude and frequency information of an acoustic wave as modified by the wellbore, and a Doppler frequency shift between an acoustic wave emitted into the wellbore and the modified acoustic wave.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the optical fiber measurements from the one or more optical fibers comprises one or more of obtaining a temperature of the wellbore, obtaining a temperature gradient of the wellbore, and obtaining a derivative of a temperature profile of the wellbore.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating at least one of the pulsed neutron log borehole model and the DAS borehole model when a difference between the first and second distances and a difference between the first and second velocities is greater than a predetermined value.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising recalculating the first distance and the first velocity, and the second distance and the second velocity using a corresponding updated model.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating one or more of the pulsed neutron log borehole model, the DAS borehole model, and the DDS borehole model when a difference between the first calculated distance and the third distance and a difference between the first calculated velocity and the third velocity is greater than a predetermined value.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising recalculating the first distance and the first velocity, the second distance and the second velocity, and the third distance and the third velocity using a corresponding updated model.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating one or more of the pulsed neutron log borehole model, the DAS borehole model, the DDS borehole model, and the DTS borehole model when a difference between the second calculated distance and the fourth distance and a difference between the second calculated velocity and the fourth velocity is greater than a predetermined value.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising recalculating the first distance and the first velocity, the second distance and the second velocity, the third distance and the third velocity, and the fourth distance and the fourth velocity using a corresponding updated model.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the DTS borehole model from a static borehole model.

13 . A well system, comprising:
a tool string and a cable positioned in a wellbore drilled through one or more subterranean formations, wherein the wellbore is at least partially lined with a first casing and a second casing concentrically overlapping a portion of the first casing, wherein a first annulus is defined between the first and second casings and filled with a first cement, wherein a second annulus is defined between the second casing and the wellbore and filled with a second cement, wherein the tool string includes a pulsed neutron sensor, and wherein the cable includes one or more optical fibers used to obtain optical fiber measurements; and a data acquisition system including a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the tool string and the cable communicatively coupled to the data acquisition system, wherein the computer readable medium stores a computer readable program code that, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to:
operate the pulsed neutron sensor to obtain wellbore data;
calculate a first distance of a flow path from the tool string and a first velocity of a water flow in the flow path using a pulsed neutron log borehole model and the wellbore data, the flow path located at a cement interface in the wellbore;
operate the data acquisition system to obtain distributed acoustic sensing measurements from the wellbore using the one or more optical fibers;
calculate a second distance of the flow path from the tool string and a second velocity of the water flow in the flow path using a distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) borehole model and the distributed acoustic sensing measurements;
compare the first and second distances and the first and second velocities and thereby obtain a first calculated distance of the flow path and a first calculated velocity of the water flow;
operate the data acquisition system to obtain distributed Doppler

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Quintero Luis F

Classifications

• G01V1/226 Primary

  Optoseismic systems · CPC title

• E21B47/135

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

• E21B47/005 Primary

  Monitoring or checking of cementation quality or level · CPC title

• E21B47/07

  Temperature · CPC title

• G06F2111/10

  Numerical modelling · CPC title