Bore plug analysis system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023287785-A1
Application number	US-202118007087-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	Sep 14, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method can include receiving pressure data with respect to time acquired via a pressure sensor disposed in an uphole region of a bore of a well, where a plug is disposed in the bore to define the uphole region to one side of the plug and a corresponding downhole region to the other side of the plug; using at least physical properties of liquid in the uphole region and thermal information, computing a temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid in the uphole region; and, based at least in part on at least a portion of the pressure data and the temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid, determining a state of the plug and the bore from a plurality of states.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving pressure data with respect to time acquired via a pressure sensor disposed in an uphole region of a bore of a well, wherein a plug is disposed in the bore to define the uphole region to one side of the plug and a corresponding downhole region to the other side of the plug; using at least physical properties of liquid in the uphole region and thermal information, computing a temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid in the uphole region; and based at least in part on at least a portion of the pressure data and the temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid, determining a state of the plug and the bore from a plurality of states.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal information comprises geothermal gradient information for at least a portion of the uphole region of the borehole.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a maximum variation of the density variation of the liquid in the uphole region due to gravitational head is at least 10 percent of a minimum variation of the density variation of the liquid in the uphole region due to temperature.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a variation of the density variation of the liquid in the uphole region due to gravitational head exceeds a variation of the density variation of the liquid in the uphole region due to temperature.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the geothermal gradient information is indicative of a geothermal gradient less than approximately 30° C. per kilometer.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the geothermal gradient information is indicative of a geothermal gradient less than approximately 20° C. per kilometer.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the geothermal gradient information is indicative of a geothermal gradient less than approximately 15° C. per kilometer.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the geothermal gradient information is indicative of a geothermal gradient less than approximately 10° C. per kilometer.

9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising acquiring the thermal information using one or more downhole sensors and computing a geothermal gradient.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of states comprise a no leakage state and a leakage state.

11 . The method of claim 1 , comprising determining presence of liquid or liquid and gas in the uphole region and, responsive to the presence of liquid or liquid and gas, selecting one or more relationships for computing density variation of the liquid or of the liquid and gas in the uphole region.

12 . The method of claim 11 , comprising determining presence of liquid communication with atmospheric pressure or gas communication with atmospheric pressure.

13 . The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a presence of one of: gas in a portion of the uphole region uphole the liquid wherein the gas is in pressure communication with atmosphere; gas in a portion of the uphole region uphole the liquid wherein the gas is not in pressure communication with atmosphere; and the liquid extending to a top of the uphole region without a separate gas region therein wherein the liquid is not in pressure communication with atmosphere.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, in a leakage state of the plug and the bore, a height parameter of the liquid in the uphole region is a function with respect to time.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a height of the liquid in the uphole region is more than ten times greater than a height of the plug.

16 . The method of claim 1 , comprising determining that gas exists in a portion of the uphole region that is uphole from the liquid in the uphole region and, responsive to the determining, using physical properties of the gas and at least a portion of the thermal information, computing an environmentally induced density variation of the gas in the portion of the uphole region.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the computing an environmentally induced density variation comprises accounting for pressure effect on the gas in the portion of the uphole region.

18 . The method of claim 1 , comprising estimating pressure with respect to time for the downhole region proximate to the plug and estimating a flow rate from the downhole region to the uphole region using a computed relationship and at least a portion of the pressure data.

19 . A system comprising:
a processor; memory accessible by the processor; processor-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable to instruct the system to:
receive pressure data with respect to time acquired via a pressure sensor disposed in an uphole region of a bore of a well, wherein a plug is disposed in the bore to define the uphole region to one side of the plug and a corresponding downhole region to the other side of the plug;
using at least physical properties of liquid in the uphole region and thermal information, compute a temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid in the uphole region; and
based at least in part on at least a portion of the pressure data and the temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid, determine a state of the plug and the bore from a plurality of states.

20 . One or more computer-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to:
receive pressure data with respect to time acquired via a pressure sensor disposed in an uphole region of a bore of a well, wherein a plug is disposed in the bore to define the uphole region to one side of the plug and a corresponding downhole region to the other side of the plug; using at least physical properties of liquid in the uphole region and thermal information, compute a temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid in the uphole region; and based at least in part on at least a portion of the pressure data and the temperature and gravitational head induced density variation of the liquid, determine a state of the plug and the bore from a plurality of states.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Ramakrishnan Terizhandur S
• Zhang Hua

Classifications

• E21B33/12 Primary

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title

• E21B47/06 Primary

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B33/134

  Bridging plugs · CPC title

• E21B47/10

  Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements · CPC title

• E21B47/00

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