Sweep efficiency for hole cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9759645-B2
Application number	US-201415118973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

Systems, computer readable medium, program code, and methods are provided for monitoring micro-electro-mechanical (“MEM”) devices removed from a wellbore by a fluid flow stream. The system can include a first MEM reader and a second MEM reader. The first MEM reader can be positionable near the fluid flow stream for detecting MEM devices entering the wellbore in a fluid flow stream. The second MEM reader can be positionable near the fluid flow stream for detecting MEM devices exiting the wellbore in the fluid flow stream. The second MEM reader can detect MEM devices exiting the wellbore in a subsequent fluid flow stream. The system can further include a computing device for determining an amount and types of MEM devices remaining in the wellbore from the first fluid flow stream and an amount and types of MEM devices removed from the well-bore by the subsequent fluid flow stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting micro-electro-mechanical (“MEM”) devices of different sizes, shapes, and densities in a first fluid flow stream from a wellbore to determine an amount and types of MEM devices that remain in the wellbore, the MEM devices representing non-desirable solids in the wellbore;
detecting the MEM devices in a second fluid flow stream from the wellbore to determine the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream, the second fluid flow stream being injected subsequent to detecting the MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream; and
transmitting data about the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream to a computing device for determining a sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting the amount and types of MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream prior to the first fluid flow stream being injected into the wellbore to determine the amount and types of MEM devices that remain in the wellbore from the first fluid flow stream.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting the amount and types of MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream prior to the first fluid flow stream being injected into the wellbore includes using a first MEM reader,
wherein detecting the MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream from a wellbore includes using a second MEM reader.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream includes outputting data to determine a change in a property of fluid used in a further fluid flow stream subsequently injected into the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream includes comparing the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream to the amount and types of MEM devices expected to be removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream includes:
generating a distribution of the types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream, the distribution including a number of MEM devices per type of MEM device removed from the wellbore;
determining a sweep efficiency rating for each type of MEM device represented in the distribution.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program code that is executable by a processor device to cause a computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining an amount and types of micro-electro-mechanical (“MEM”) devices of different sizes, shapes, and densities remaining in a wellbore after a first fluid flow stream is injected into the wellbore based on data detected by a MEM reader, wherein the MEM devices are representative of non-desirable solids in the wellbore;
determining the amount and types of MEM devices among the MEM devices remaining in the wellbore that were removed from the wellbore by a second fluid flow stream injected subsequent to the first fluid flow stream based on data detected by the MEM reader; and
determining a sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream using the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the MEM reader includes a first MEM reader and a second MEM reader.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the operation of determining the amount and types of MEM devices remaining in the wellbore after the first fluid flow stream is injected includes:
comparing data received from the MEM reader, the data representing the amount and types of MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream prior to the first fluid flow stream being injected into the wellbore and the amount and types of MEM devices returning from the wellbore in the first fluid flow stream.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the operation of determining the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream includes:
comparing data received from the MEM reader, the data representing the amount and types of MEM devices remaining in the wellbore after the first fluid flow stream is injected and the amount and types of MEM devices returning from the wellbore in the second fluid flow stream.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the operation of determining the sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream includes:
comparing the amount and types of MEM devices removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream to the amount and types of MEM devices expected to be removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the operation of determining sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream includes:
determining a sweep efficiency rating for each type of MEM device removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the operation of determining the sweep efficiency rating for each type of MEM device removed includes:
generating a distribution of an amount of each type of MEM device removed from the wellbore.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operation of determining the sweep efficiency rating for each type of MEM device removed further includes:
comparing the distribution of the amount of each type of MEM device removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream to an amount of each type of MEM device expected to be removed from the wellbore by the second fluid flow stream.

15. A system comprising:
a first micro-electro-mechanical (“MEM”) reader positionable with respect to a first fluid flow stream injected into a wellbore for detecting an amount and types MEM devices of different sizes, shapes, and densities in the first fluid flow stream being injected into the wellbore;
a second MEM reader positionable with respect to (i) the first fluid flow stream from the wellbore for detecting any MEM devices returning from the wellbore in the first fluid flow stream and (ii) a second fluid flow stream from the wellbore for detecting the amount and types of MEM devices that remained in the wellbore from the first fluid flow stream and removed by the second fluid flow stream;
a processing device communicatively coupled with the first MEM reader and the second MEM reader for determining a sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream using data from the second MEM reader that represents the amount and types of MEM devices that remained in the wellbore from the first fluid flow stream and removed by the second fluid flow stream.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the processing device receives data from the first MEM reader for determining the amount and types of MEM devices that remained in the wellbore from the first fluid flow stream, the data representing an amount and types of MEM devices in the first fluid flow stream prior to the first fluid flow stream being injected into the wellbore.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the processing module comprises machine readable code for determining the sweep efficiency of the second fluid flow stream by comparing the amount and types of MEM devices removed by the second fluid flow s

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Rowe Mathew Dennis
• Graves Walter Varney Andrew
• Galliano Clinton Cheramie

Classifications

• E21B21/00 Primary

  Methods or apparatus for flushing boreholes, e.g. by use of exhaust air from motor (freeing objects stuck in boreholes by flushing E21B31/03) · CPC title

• G01N15/06

  Investigating concentration of particle suspensions (by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10) · CPC title

• E21B47/00

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

• E21B21/08 Primary

  Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure (valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10) · CPC title

• E21B47/12

  Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling · CPC title