WO2000063531A1 - Detection des fuites au niveau des zones intermediaires de puits de petrole - Google Patents

Detection des fuites au niveau des zones intermediaires de puits de petrole Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000063531A1
WO2000063531A1 PCT/NO2000/000125 NO0000125W WO0063531A1 WO 2000063531 A1 WO2000063531 A1 WO 2000063531A1 NO 0000125 W NO0000125 W NO 0000125W WO 0063531 A1 WO0063531 A1 WO 0063531A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
packers
packer
oil
well
tracer fluid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/NO2000/000125
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English (en)
Inventor
Henning Hansen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Subsurface Technology AS
Original Assignee
Subsurface Technology AS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Subsurface Technology AS filed Critical Subsurface Technology AS
Priority to AU41530/00A priority Critical patent/AU4153000A/en
Publication of WO2000063531A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000063531A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Priority to NO20015166A priority patent/NO20015166D0/no
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B47/00—Survey of boreholes or wells
    • E21B47/10—Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements
    • E21B47/11—Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements using tracers; using radioactivity

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for using tracer fluid for detecting leaks in packers around casings which extend down into oil-bearing subsurface formations.
  • each zone may extend up to 1500 m, and each well may have up to 16 zones. It is desirable to monitor the relationships between the different zones and their interaction with the well.
  • the tracer is lowered into the well and injected at the location or locations which require to be checked.
  • US 4,166,216 Cubberly/Schlumberger describes a method for measuring the flow pattern in a well. Oil-miscible and water-miscible radioactive tracers are injected from the end of a tool lowered into the well.
  • US 5,723,781 Pruett & Finflay describes a method for measuring the flow pattern in a well by injecting radioactive tracer.
  • US 4,196,619, Collins/USA-NASA describes a method for determining the permeability of a stratum in a well, in which an elongated probe is extended through a side hole from the main bore, a chain of seals is formed along the bore to divide it into chambers, tracer is injected into one of the chambers, and the main bore pressure is raised or lowered relative to the pressure in the stratum. Leakage of tracer through the surrounding stratum from that chamber to others along the chain is detected.
  • the individual zones in each well may belong to different operating companies, and even different nationalities.
  • the operations of the various individual zones must therefore be isolated from each other, for economic requirements and other conditions.
  • there are substantial pressure differences between individual oil-bearing strata Undesirable pressure equalizing between the strata is therefore liable to occur, causing oil and possibly water to migrate between the strata. This can result in lower oil production, in addition of course to the loss of isolation between the zones. It is therefore desirable that the strata should be shielded from one another. Zonal isolation is thus necessary in order to have control over the individual zones. This can be achieved by the use of zone- isolating or sealing packers, so-called External Casing Packers (EC packers or ECPs).
  • EC packers or ECPs External Casing Packers
  • zone-isolating packers are actually tight, even when they are new. It is not possible to determine whether zone-isolating packers, individually or collectively, have expanded to provide the sealing function they actually should have. Also, it cannot be established whether zone-isolating packers are leaking, in which case how much, and which packer or packers are leaking. At present no corrective/sealing measures are provided against leaks. In fact, the probability that the packers are working as they are intended to may be as low as 30%.
  • the general object of the invention is to provide a technique for enabling the testing of zone-isolating packer in oil wells.
  • the invention provides a method of detecting leaks in packers round casings in oil wells characterized by forming a seal in the well casing at the level of the packer, injecting a tracer fluid into the well below the seal, causing oil flow from the well, and monitoring the flow for the presence of tracer fluid.
  • the process is repeated at each packer in succession up the well.
  • Simple detection can be carried out after a suitable interval by inspecting the oil flow visually on deck, by, e.g., using dyes as a tracing element. This simple form of detection is unlikely to enable the size of the leak to be quantified, but it will still provide an indication of the leakage situation in the well.
  • a detector is located above the packer means for detecting the tracer fluid.
  • the invention provides apparatus for detecting leaks in packers round casings in oil wells, characterized in that the apparatus is insertable down a well and comprises packer means operable to close off the well and tracer fluid container means operable to inject tracer fluid into the well below the packer means.
  • the apparatus is carried on the end of jointless coiled tubing
  • the packer means comprise a double set of cylindrically enclosing, expandable packers
  • the container means comprises a plurality of sections.
  • the present technique can be used for continuous inspection by means of, for example, annual, sequential testing of each individual installed zone-isolating packer in an oil well in order to ascertain if there are any leaks; the technique also permits a quantitative detection of such leaks.
  • the technique is based on adding to the oil flow a tracer which, in the event of any leakage of oil past each of the ostensibly sealing zone-isolating installed packers, will thereby reveal and localize any leaks.
  • the tracer is preferably a fluid which emulsifies or is dissolved or mixed in the oil-bearing production flow, and may contain dyes, ion-bearing metallic salts, metallic chips, radioactive fragments, gases or combinations, which signal their existence to one or more down-hole detector elements adapted thereto. In addition to indicating any such leak, the detector will normally also be capable of quantifying the size of the leak.
  • Fig. 1 is a vertical section through an oil well containing interzone leak detection means
  • Figs. 2 to 5 show various stages of operation of the apparatus.
  • Fig. 1 shows a well comprising a helically perforated casing 1 which is established in an oil-bearing formation having three zones Zl to Z3. These zones are separated by means of isolation packers 5A and 5B; packer 5A is furthest from the production deck, and second furthest is isolation packer 5B, matching the intermediate oil-producing zone Z2.
  • isolation packers 5A and 5B are usually 3 to 5 m in length, cylindrically enclosing the casing, and consist of a cement mass which provides a sealing effect between the rock masses in the formation and the casing.
  • Packer 5A provides a good seal, isolating zone Zl from zone Z2.
  • Packer 5B is leaky, permitting a leakage flow past the packer, and thereby from zone Z2 to zone Z3.
  • a pressurized oil flow of this kind will in time erode material, thereby expanding the area which permits such undesirable oil leakage.
  • a leak detector is used. This comprises a jointless coil tubing 2, inserted into the casing 1, whose outer end is equipped with three elements which can be activated from the production deck: a double set of cylindrically enclosing, expandable coil tubing packers 4 (CT packers), a sectioned tracer fluid container 3, and a detector 6. The detector measures the presence of tracer fluid and signals both the presence of a leak and its intensity.
  • CT packers are installed by internal pressure in coiled tubing by means of an up/down movement of the coiled tubing, by passing electric power down through the coiled tubing, by wireless telemetric commands from the surface or by other methods.
  • the coil tubing 2 is inserted into the casing 1 by means of known measuring and control technology to the place where the lowest isolation packer 5A is located.
  • the coil tubing's double packers 4 are expanded and pressure-tested in order to eliminate leakage therein. Pressure- controlled force is then used to burst or explode one of a plurality of sectioned containers 3 containing traceable fluid 9, which is thus injected into the oil 7 in zone Zl below the zone-isolating packer 5 A. Oil flow is then resumed.
  • the oil flow will be solely from the zones above the packer, i.e. zones Z2 and Z3, and this oil flow will contain no tracer.
  • the packer 5 A if it is not tight, some of the oil flow will be past the packer 5 A from zone Zl, and the traceable fluid 9 will flow up together with this oil flow 7 from zone Zl .
  • the presence of tracer fluid 9 in the oil flow 7 will inform the detector 6 that there is a leak through the area around the tested packer 5A, and the amount of tracer fluid, e.g. measured per time unit, will determine the intensity and thereby the volume of the leakage.
  • a simple form of detection can be carried out by visually ascertaining on deck whether oil produced after a calculated interval will appear, e.g., in a coloured state. This will require greater amounts of tracer fluids for each test, and quantification of the size of the leak will be difficult or impossible.
  • Figs. 2 to 5 show the procedure in more detail.
  • Fig. 2 shows the coiled tubing 2 inserted in the casing 1 containing a sectioned container 3 holding one or more doses of traceable fluid 9, a double set of expandable coiled tubing packers 4, and a detector 6.
  • the oil production flow 7 has been stopped at the start of the test.
  • FIG. 3 shows pressure testing of the double set of coiled tubing packers 4 after they have been expanded by known control technology to provide a sealing function.
  • the oil production flow 7 is still at a stop.
  • Fig. 4 shows the situation after the oil production flow 7 has been started. The oil under pressure in the lowest zone will now be prevented from flowing up since the coiled tubing packer 4 has been pressurized, thereby preventing normal through-flow, and since the presumptively zone-isolating ECP packer 5 around the casing should have a sealing function.
  • Fig. 5 shows a pressure-controlled 8 force bringing a dose of traceable fluid 9 out of its sectioned container 3 for admixture to the oil flowing from the reservoir.
  • test operation described is carried out on each of the zone-isolating packers 5A, 5B, etc. in sequence from the one which is installed lowest and then one by one to the one at the top.
  • the lower zone-isolating packer 5A provides an adequate sealing function. Hence oil will be drawn solely from the zones Z2 and Z3 above this packer. No traceable fluid 9 will be sucked round this packer into the produced oil flow 7 and on to the detector 6., which therefore indicates no leak.
  • the test apparatus is then raised to the level of the next zone-isolating packer 5B, which does not provide a sealing function. Traceable fluid 9 will be sucked round this packer into the produced oil flow 7 and on to the detector 6, which will signal both the presence of a leak and its intensity.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Geophysics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Examining Or Testing Airtightness (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil et un procédé de détection des fuites au niveau des garnitures d'étanchéité entourant les tubages des puits de pétrole. Une colonne (2) de production de type serpentin sert de support à un récipient cloisonné (3) renfermant plusieurs doses d'un fluide (9) traceur émulsifiable, un jeu de doubles garnitures (4) d'étanchéité destinées à être scellées intérieurement entre le tubage (1) et la colonne de production de type serpentin, et un détecteur (6). L'ensemble est descendu, une fois l'écoulement (7) de pétrole interrompu, au niveau des garnitures (5A, 5B) d'isolation de zones, où les garnitures (4) de la colonne de production sont dilatées. On réenclenche alors l'écoulement (7) de production, et une force (8) contrôlée par la pression expulse une certaine dose de fluide (9) traceur du récipient (3) vers l'écoulement de pétrole s'échappant du réservoir. S'il y a fuite au-delà de la garniture inférieure (5A), le fluide (9) traceur est aspiré autour de ladite fuite et au-delà de celle-ci, puis suit l'écoulement (7) de pétrole jusqu'à un détecteur (6) permettant d'indiquer toute fuite éventuelle. La seconde garniture inférieure (5B) est alors testée, et ainsi de suite. Le fluide (9) traceur contient des colorants, des sels ou des pastilles métalliques porteurs d'ions, des fragments radioactifs, et/ou des gaz.
PCT/NO2000/000125 1999-04-20 2000-04-14 Detection des fuites au niveau des zones intermediaires de puits de petrole Ceased WO2000063531A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU41530/00A AU4153000A (en) 1999-04-20 2000-04-14 Oil well interzone leak detection
NO20015166A NO20015166D0 (no) 1999-04-20 2001-10-22 Fremgangsmåte for å detektere lekkasje

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NO19991872 1999-04-20
NO991872A NO991872D0 (no) 1999-04-20 1999-04-20 FremgangsmÕte for bruk av sporbar vµske til detektering av lekkasjer ved pakninger omkring f¶ringsr°r i oljebr°nner

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2000063531A1 true WO2000063531A1 (fr) 2000-10-26

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PCT/NO2000/000125 Ceased WO2000063531A1 (fr) 1999-04-20 2000-04-14 Detection des fuites au niveau des zones intermediaires de puits de petrole

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU4153000A (fr)
NO (1) NO991872D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2000063531A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008049835A1 (fr) * 2006-10-24 2008-05-02 Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. Système pour déterminer l'étanchéité dans un trou de forage
US8603827B2 (en) 2008-07-10 2013-12-10 Resman As Tracer materials
US20170275991A1 (en) * 2016-03-24 2017-09-28 Expro North Sea Limited Monitoring systems and methods
WO2017176121A1 (fr) * 2016-04-06 2017-10-12 Resman As Timbre de traceur

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4196619A (en) * 1978-09-25 1980-04-08 The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration Geological assessment probe
GB2056091A (en) * 1979-08-13 1981-03-11 Drexel Equipment Ltd Leak testing piping
GB2129948A (en) * 1979-08-13 1984-05-23 Boc Nowsco Ltd Leak testing tool
EP0816631A2 (fr) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-07 Norsk Hydro ASA Méthode pour déterminer l'affluence de pétrole et/ou gaz vers un puits

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4196619A (en) * 1978-09-25 1980-04-08 The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration Geological assessment probe
GB2056091A (en) * 1979-08-13 1981-03-11 Drexel Equipment Ltd Leak testing piping
GB2129948A (en) * 1979-08-13 1984-05-23 Boc Nowsco Ltd Leak testing tool
EP0816631A2 (fr) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-07 Norsk Hydro ASA Méthode pour déterminer l'affluence de pétrole et/ou gaz vers un puits

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008049835A1 (fr) * 2006-10-24 2008-05-02 Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. Système pour déterminer l'étanchéité dans un trou de forage
GB2456433A (en) * 2006-10-24 2009-07-22 Shell Int Research System for determining sealing in a wellbore
GB2456433B (en) * 2006-10-24 2011-01-05 Shell Int Research System for determining sealing in a wellbore
AU2007310868B2 (en) * 2006-10-24 2011-05-26 Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. System for determining sealing in a wellbore
US8603827B2 (en) 2008-07-10 2013-12-10 Resman As Tracer materials
US20170275991A1 (en) * 2016-03-24 2017-09-28 Expro North Sea Limited Monitoring systems and methods
US10392935B2 (en) * 2016-03-24 2019-08-27 Expro North Sea Limited Monitoring systems and methods
US10697296B2 (en) 2016-03-24 2020-06-30 Expro North Sea Limited Monitoring systems and methods
WO2017176121A1 (fr) * 2016-04-06 2017-10-12 Resman As Timbre de traceur
GB2563750A (en) * 2016-04-06 2018-12-26 Resman As Tracer patch

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU4153000A (en) 2000-11-02
NO991872D0 (no) 1999-04-20

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