Subterranean formation oil mobility quicklook

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9720125-B2
Application number	US-201414179383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A downhole tool is conveyed within a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, and then utilized to obtain measurements at multiple different depths of investigation within the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore. The obtained measurements are then compared to assess mobility of oil within the subterranean formation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
conveying a downhole tool within a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, wherein the downhole tool is in communication with surface equipment disposed at a wellsite surface from which the wellbore originates;
operating the downhole tool to obtain a plurality of measurements each at a corresponding one of a plurality of different depths of investigation into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore; and
operating at least one of the downhole tool and the surface equipment to assess mobility of oil within the subterranean formation based on the obtained plurality of measurements,
wherein the plurality of measurements comprises a plurality of dielectric permittivity measurements, and wherein operating at least one of the downhole tool and the surface equipment to assess the mobility of the oil within the subterranean formation comprises operating at least one of the downhole tool and the surface equipment to:
determine total porosity of the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation;
determine volume of water in the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation based on the obtained plurality of dielectric permittivity measurements;
determine volume of hydrocarbons in the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation based on:
the determined total porosity of the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation; and
the determined volume of water in the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation; and

assess the mobility of the oil within the subterranean formation based on the determined volume of hydrocarbons proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation, and
wherein operating the downhole tool to obtain the plurality of measurements at corresponding ones of the plurality of different depths of investigation comprises operating the downhole tool to generate a substantially continuous log of the plurality of measurements as a function of wellbore depth along the wellbore relative to the wellsite surface, and wherein the method further comprises:
operating at least one of the downhole tool and the surface equipment to generate a plurality of curves each representing the determined volume of oil in the subterranean formation proximate a corresponding one of the plurality of different depths of investigation;
operating at least one of the downhole tool and the surface equipment to generate an oil mobility quicklook graphically depicting oil mobility versus wellbore depth; and
display the generated oil mobility quicklook to an operator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of measurements comprises dielectric measurements.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of measurements includes a measurement at each of:
about one inch into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore;
about two inches into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore;
about three inches into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore; and
about four inches into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein operating the downhole tool to obtain the plurality of measurements comprises operating the downhole tool to:
emit energy into the subterranean formation; and
detect the emitted energy as it leaves the subterranean formation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein operating the downhole tool to obtain the plurality of measurements further comprises extending an antenna array pad away from a body of the downhole tool into contact with a wall of the wellbore.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:
the antenna array pad carries a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers;
emitting energy into the subterranean formation comprises operating the plurality of transmitters; and
detecting the emitted energy as it leaves the subterranean formation comprises operating the plurality of receivers.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of different depths of investigation includes four different depths of investigation, and wherein operating the plurality of transmitters to emit energy into the subterranean formation comprises operating the plurality of transmitters to emit electromagnetic energy into the subterranean formation at four different frequencies.

8. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory including coded instructions;
wherein the processor, the memory, and the coded instructions are collectively operable to cause the apparatus to:
obtain a plurality of measurements each at a corresponding one of a plurality of different depths of investigation into a subterranean formation relative to a wellbore extending into the subterranean formation; and
assess mobility of oil within the subterranean formation based on the obtained plurality of measurements,

wherein the processor, the memory, and the coded instructions are collectively further operable to cause the apparatus to:
generate a substantially continuous log of the plurality of measurements as a function of wellbore depth along the wellbore relative to a wellsite surface from whence the wellbore originates;
generate a plurality of curves each representing the determined volume of oil in the subterranean formation proximate a corresponding one of the plurality of different depths of investigation;
generate an oil mobility quicklook graphically depicting oil mobility versus wellbore depth; and
display the generated oil mobility quicklook to an operator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of measurements comprises dielectric measurements.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of measurements includes four measurements each at a different depth of investigation into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the different depths of investigation are each less than about four inches into the subterranean formation relative to the wellbore.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor comprises a first processor and a second processor, the memory comprises a first memory and a second memory, and the apparatus further comprises:
a downhole tool comprising the first processor and the first memory, wherein the downhole tool is operable to obtain the plurality of measurements; and
surface equipment located at a wellsite surface from whence the wellbore originates, wherein the surface equipment comprises the second processor and the second memory and is operable to assess the mobility of the oil.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the plurality of measurements comprises a plurality of dielectric permittivity measurements, and wherein the processor, the memory, and the coded instructions are collectively further operable to cause the apparatus to:
determine total porosity of the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation;
determine volume of water in the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation based on the obtained plurality of dielectric permittivity measurements;
determine volume of hydrocarbons in the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation based on:
the determined total porosity of the subterranean formation proximate each of the plurality of different depths of investigation; and
the determined volume of water in the subterranea

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Grayson Stephen Thomas
• Hemingway James Lee

Classifications

• G01V3/28 Primary

  using induction coils · CPC title

• E21B47/121

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B47/125

  using earth as an electrical conductor (by electromagnetic energy E21B47/13) · CPC title