Multipurpose Permanent Electromagnetic Sensing System for Monitoring Wellbore Fluids and Formation Fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018017697-A1
Application number	US-201515125650-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	Jan 18, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and systems of electromagnetic sensing in a wellbore are presented in this disclosure for monitoring annulus fluids and water floods. An array of transmitters and one or more receivers are located along a casing in the wellbore. A transmitter in the array and one of the receivers can be mounted on a same collar on the casing forming a transmitter-receiver pair. The receiver can receive a signal originating from the transmitter and at least one other signal originating from at least one other transmitter in the array, wherein the signal is indicative of a fluid in the wellbore in a vicinity of the transmitter-receiver pair and the at least one other signal is indicative of another fluid in a formation around the wellbore. The receiver can further communicate, via a waveguide, the signal and the at least one other signal to a processor for signal interpretation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A dual-purpose electromagnetic sensing system for monitoring wellbore fluids and formation fluids, the system comprising:
an array of transmitters and one or more receivers located along a casing in a wellbore, wherein a transmitter in the array of transmitters and a receiver of the one or more receivers are mounted on a same collar on the casing forming a transmitter-receiver pair, the receiver receives a signal originating from the transmitter and at least one other signal originating from at least one other transmitter in the array of transmitters, the signal being indicative of a fluid in the wellbore in a vicinity of the transmitter-receiver pair and the at least one other signal being indicative of another fluid in a formation around the wellbore, and the receiver communicates, via a waveguide, the signal and the at least one other signal to a processor.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein another transmitter of the array of transmitters and another receiver of the one or more receivers forming another transmitter-receiver pair are mounted on a different collar on the casing.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal and the at least one other signal received at the receiver are indicative of resistivity of the fluid in the wellbore and resistivity of the other fluid in the formation.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal received at the receiver is indicative of at least one of:
a top of a cement pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation replacing a spacer fluid used to flush a drilling mud in the annulus, curing state of the cement, a width of an invaded zone where the drilling mud invaded the formation, a residual of the drilling mud deposited on a wall of the wellbore, or a residual of the spacer fluid or a residual of the drilling mud located between the casing and the cement.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein transmitters in the array of transmitters comprise an array of coils mounted on the casing, connected in series, and fed by an electric power cable.

6 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising a power generator interfaced to the electric power cable configured to generate signals for the transmitters having a range of frequencies.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver comprises a coil mounted on the casing, connected to the waveguide.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide comprises a fiber optic cable interfaced with the receiver.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the processor is configured to acquire and process the signal and the at least one other signal communicated from the receiver by the waveguide, and the processor is further configured to initiate one or more operations related to the wellbore based on the processed signals.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is located at a surface.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is a downhole processor.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal originates from the transmitter during a completion stage of the wellbore, and the at least one other signal originates from the at least one other transmitter during a production stage of the wellbore following the completion stage.

13 . A method for dual-purpose electromagnetic sensing to monitor wellbore fluids and formation fluids, the method comprising:
placing an array of transmitters and one or more receivers along a casing in a wellbore; mounting, on a same collar on the casing, a transmitter in the array of transmitters and a receiver of the one or more receivers forming a transmitter-receiver pair; receiving, at the receiver, a signal originating from the transmitter and at least one other signal originating from at least one other transmitter in the array of transmitters; communicating, from the receiver via a waveguide, the signal and the at least one other signal to a processor; determining, by the processor, a fluid in the wellbore in a vicinity of the transmitter-receiver pair based upon the signal; and determining, by the processor, another fluid in a formation around the wellbore based upon the at least one other signal.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating signals for a plurality of transmitters in the array of transmitters having a range of frequencies by a power generator interfaced with an electric power cable connected to the plurality of transmitters.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the waveguide comprises a fiber optic cable interfaced with the receiver.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, at the receiver, the signal originating from the transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair before and after a cement is pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation; and monitoring curing process of the cement based on the received signal.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, at the receiver, the signal originating from the transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair as a cement is pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation replacing at least one of a drilling mud or a spacer fluid in the annulus; and monitoring a top of the cement based on the received signal.

18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, at the receiver, the signal originating from the transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair after a cement is pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation replacing a spacer fluid used to flush a drilling mud in the annulus; determining, based on the received signal, a width of an invaded zone where the drilling mud invaded the formation; and determining, based on the received signal, whether a residual of the drilling mud is deposited on a wall of the wellbore.

19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, at the receiver, the signal originating from the transmitter of the transmitter-receiver pair after a cement slurry is pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation replacing a spacer fluid used to flush a drilling mud in the annulus; and determining, based on the received signal, whether a residual of the spacer fluid or a residual of the drilling mud is located between the casing and the cement slurry in a vicinity of the receiver.

20 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
interrogating, by the array of transmitters and the one or more receivers, one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags mixed in a cement slurry pumped into an annulus between the casing and the formation to obtain one or more received signals; and determining characteristics of the cement slurry based on the one or more received signals.

21 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the determination by the processor comprises:
determining, based upon the signal received at the receiver, a resistivity of the fluid located around the receiver in an annulus between the casing and the formation.

22 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the determination by the processor comprises:
determining, based upon the at least one other signal received at the receiver, a resistivity of the other fluid in the formation around the wellbore.

23 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising initiating, by the processor, optimization of completion operation of the wellbore based on the determination of the fluid.

24 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the signal originate

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Fouda Ahmed E
• Mandviwala Tasneem
• Donderici Burkay
• Samson Etienne

Classifications

• G01V3/30

  operating with electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• G01V3/26 Primary

  operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified either by the surrounding earth formation or by the detecting device (with electromagnetic waves G01V3/30) · CPC title

• E21B49/08

  Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells · CPC title

• G01N27/07

  Construction of measuring vessels; Electrodes therefor · CPC title

• G01V3/38

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