System and methods using fiber optics in coiled tubing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708867-B2
Application number	US-57502409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2009
Priority date	May 28, 2004
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus having a fiber optic tether disposed in coiled tubing for communicating information between downhole tools and sensors and surface equipment and methods of operating such equipment. Wellbore operations performed using the fiber optic enabled coiled tubing apparatus includes transmitting control signals from the surface equipment to the downhole equipment over the fiber optic tether, transmitting information gathered from at least one downhole sensor to the surface equipment over the fiber optic tether, or collecting information by measuring an optical property observed on the fiber optic tether. The downhole tools or sensors connected to the fiber optic tether may either include devices that manipulate or respond to optical signal directly or tools or sensors that operate according to conventional principles.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of performing a wellbore operation in a subterranean wellbore of a subterranean formation comprising:
deploying a coiled tubing and an optical fiber tether into the wellbore, the optical fiber tether disposed in a fluid flow path of the coiled tubing, wherein the optical fiber tether defines a small cross-sectional area configured not to impede the fluid flow path of the coiled tubing, thereby not interfering with the use of the coiled tubing for pumping fluids in well treatment operations, the optical fiber configured to make a distributed range of measurements across an interval of the wellbore;
performing the wellbore operation, the wellbore operation comprising the use of a well treatment fluid flowing from a surface of the wellbore along the fluid flow path of the coiled tubing and passing the well treatment fluid out of the coiled tubing for contact with and treatment of the subterranean formation;
obtaining a measured property related to the wellbore operation;
sending the measured property to a control system over the optical fiber;
adjusting the wellbore operation based on the measured property; and
removing the coiled tubing and optical fiber tether from the wellbore after completing the wellbore operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation is a stimulation operation for stimulating a flow of hydrocarbons from the wellbore.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the stimulation operation comprises injecting at least one fluid into a formation adjacent the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the stimulation operation is a matrix stimulation operation and wherein the at least one fluid comprises an acidic fluid.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the stimulation operation is a matrix stimulation operation and wherein the at least one fluid comprises a mixture of a fluid and a solid chemical.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation is a clean out operation for removing debris from the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation is chosen from the group consisting of cleaning fill, stimulating the reservoir, removing scale, and fracturing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation is chosen from the group consisting of matrix stimulation, perforation, downhole flow control, downhole completion manipulation, well logging, fishing, measuring a physical property of the wellbore, controlling a valve, and controlling a tool.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein wellbore operation is chosen from the group consisting of circulating the well, isolating zones, fishing for lost equipment, placement of equipment in the wellbore, manipulation of equipment in the wellbore, locating a piece of equipment in the well, locating a particular feature in a wellbore.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation comprises injecting a fluid into the wellbore and wherein adjusting the wellbore operation comprises adjusting one of a quantity of the injected fluid, a concentration of catalyst to be released, a concentration of a polymer, and a concentration of a proppant.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore operation comprises injecting a set of fluids into the wellbore and wherein adjusting the wellbore operation comprises adjusting one of a relative proportion of each fluid in the set of fluids, a chemical concentration of one or more of the set of fluids, a relative proportion of a fluid being pumped through the coiled tubing to a fluid being pumped in an annulus between the wellbore and an outer surface of the coiled tubing.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measured property comprises a distributed range of measurements across an interval of the wellbore, wherein the distributed measurements are made by the fiber optic tether.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measured property comprises a property chosen from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, pH, amount of precipitate, fluid temperature, wellbore depth, presence of a gas, chemical luminescence, gamma-ray, resistivity, salinity, fluid flow, fluid compressibility, tool location, presence of a casing collar locator, tool state and tool orientation.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising connecting a tool to the coiled tubing and wherein the measured property comprises a property chosen from the group consisting of tool depth in the wellbore, presence of a casing collar locator, tool state and tool orientation.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measured property comprises a property chosen from the group consisting of a bottomhole pressure, a bottomhole temperature, a distributed temperature, compression, tension, torque, tool position, gamma-ray, tool orientation, solids bed height, and casing collar location.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber tether seals the optical fiber from fluid flow.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein an outer diameter of the optical fiber tether comprises about 0.071 inches to about 0.125 inches.

18. A method of performing an operation in a subterranean wellbore of a subterranean formation comprising:
deploying an optical fiber assembly, a coiled tubing, a borehole tool and a sensor into the wellbore, the optical fiber assembly comprising at least a fiber optic tether disposed in a fluid flow path of the coiled tubing and defining an outer diameter selected not to impede fluid flow within the fluid flow path of the coiled tubing, the fiber optic tether configured to make a distributed range of measurements across an interval of the wellbore;
optically connecting the optical fiber assembly to the borehole tool and the sensor;
performing the operation in the wellbore by flowing a well treatment fluid from a surface of the wellbore along the fluid flow path of the coiled tubing and passing the well treatment fluid out of the coiled tubing for contact with and treatment of the subterranean formation;
operating the sensor to obtain a measured property related to the operation;
measuring a property related to the operation with the optical fiber assembly;
sending the measured properties to a control system over the optical fiber assembly;
transmitting control signals from the control system to the borehole tool over the optical fiber assembly to adjust the operation based on the measured property; and
removing the optical fiber assembly, the coiled tubing, the borehole tool, and the sensor from the wellbore after completing the operation.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the optical fiber tether seals the optical fiber from fluid flow.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the outer diameter of the fiber optic tether comprises about 0.071 inches to about 0.125 inches.

21. An apparatus for performing an operation in a wellbore of a subterranean formation, comprising:
coiled tubing adapted to be disposed in a wellbore;
surface control equipment;
a borehole tool connected to the coiled tubing and comprising a measurement device for measuring a property related to the operation; and
an optical fiber tether assembly installed in a fluid flow path of the coiled tubing configured to provide distributed measurements across an interval of the borehole and optically connected to each of the borehole tool, the measurement device and the surface control equipment, the optical fiber tether assembly comprising a first optical fiber for transmission of signals from the measurement device to the surface control equipment, and a second optical fiber for transmis

Assignees

• Lovell John R
• Gay Michael G
• Adnan Sarmad
• Zemlak Kean
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Lovell John R
• Gay Michael G
• Adnan Sarmad
• Zemlak Kean

Classifications

• E21B47/135 Primary

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

• E21B23/12

  Tool diverters · CPC title

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• E21B2200/04

  Ball valves · CPC title

• E21B17/206 Primary

  with conductors, e.g. electrical, optical · CPC title