U.S. patent application number 11/252650 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-16 for method and apparatus for a tubing conveyed perforating guns fire identification system using fiber optics.
This patent application is currently assigned to Baker Hughes Incorporated. Invention is credited to John Clark, Jamie Oag.
Application Number | 20060054317 11/252650 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25012558 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060054317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Clark; John ; et
al. |
March 16, 2006 |
Method and apparatus for a tubing conveyed perforating guns fire
identification system using fiber optics
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining whether a tubing conveyed
perforating (TCP) gun has fired by detecting a change in
characteristics of the flow of an oil well. A method and apparatus
detects the presence of fluorescent tracer dye to determine whether
or not a TCP gun has fired. The method and apparatus detects a
change is capacitance, or fiber optic electrical properties to
determine whether or not a TCP gun has fired. The method and
apparatus detects the number of charges fired to determine whether
or not all TCP guns have fired and also provides a method and
apparatus for determining the contributions of injection wells to
producing wells by introducing fluorescent tracers into injection
wells and detecting the presence of the fluorescent tracers at
production wells. A method and apparatus is provided for placing
fluorescent dye particles in a gravel pack to sense when a gravel
pack is deteriorating by detecting the tracer dye particles in the
well flow.
Inventors: |
Clark; John; (Aberdeen,
GB) ; Oag; Jamie; (Aberdeen, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MADAN, MOSSMAN & SRIRAM, P.C.
2603 AUGUSTA
SUITE 700
HOUSTON
TX
77057
US
|
Assignee: |
Baker Hughes Incorporated
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
25012558 |
Appl. No.: |
11/252650 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10440514 |
May 16, 2003 |
6955217 |
|
|
11252650 |
Oct 18, 2005 |
|
|
|
09749166 |
Dec 27, 2000 |
6564866 |
|
|
10440514 |
May 16, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
166/250.01 ;
166/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 47/113 20200501;
E21B 43/11857 20130101; E21B 47/11 20200501 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/250.01 ;
166/066 |
International
Class: |
E21B 47/00 20060101
E21B047/00 |
Claims
1. A method for detecting detonation of a tubing conveyed
perforating (TCP) gun in a wellbore comprising the steps for: (a)
placing a sensor in a wellbore; (b) detonating a TCP charge; and
(c) detecting detonation of the TCP charge.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a tracer
module containing a fluorescent tracer dye.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of detecting detonation
of the TCP charge in further comprising sensing tracer dye released
from the tracer module upon detonation of the TCP charge.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a fibre optic
sleeve surrounding a TCP charge string in the wellbore.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of detecting detonating
of the TCP charge in further comprising sensing changes in the
electrical properties of the fibre optic sleeve upon detonation of
the TCP charge.
6. A method of using a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun in a
wellbore comprising: (a) placing an acoustic sensor in a wellbore;
(b) detonating at least one charge on the TCP gun; and (c) using
the acoustic sensor for detecting detonation of the at least one
charge.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein detecting detonation of the TCP
charge further comprises acoustically sensing detonation of the TCP
charge.
8. A method of determining the contribution from a injection well
to a producing well comprising the steps for: (a) placing at least
one identifiable tracer dye in an injection well, the tracer dye
identifier being associated with the injection well; and (b)
detecting the presence of at the at least one identifiable tracer
dye at the producing well, thereby determining the contribution
from the injection well to the producing well.
9. An apparatus for detecting detonation of a tubing conveyed
perforating (TCP) gun in a wellbore comprising: a TCP charge and
detonator deployed in the well bore; and a detonation sensitive
device that reacts to the detonation of the TCP charge.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the detonation sensitive
device comprises a fluorescent tracer dye module that releases the
dye upon detonation of the TCP charge, the apparatus further
comprising a fluorescent dye detector for sensing release of the
fluorescent dye.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the detonation sensitive
device comprises a fibre optic sleeve adjacent the TCP charge that
changes electrical properties upon detonation of the TCP charge,
the apparatus further comprising a sensor for detecting changes in
the electrical properties of the fibre optic sleeve upon detonation
of the TCP charge.
12. A system for use in a wellbore comprising: (a) a tubing
conveyed perforating (TCP) Run conveyed in the wellbore, the TCP
gun including at least one charge activated by a detonator; and (b)
an acoustic sensor that senses to detonation of the at least one
charge.
13. A apparatus for determining the contribution from a injection
well to a producing well comprising: (a) an injector for injecting
an identifiable tracer dye into an injection well, the tracer dye
identifier being associated with the injection well; and (b)
detecting the presence of at the identifiable tracer dye at the
producing well, thereby determining the contribution from the
injection well to the producing well.
14. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting a signal
indicative of the detection to a surface location
15. The method of claim 7 wherein detonating the at least one
charge further comprises detonating a plurality of charges.
16. The system of claim 12 further comprising a device for
transmitting a signal indicative of the sensing of the detonation
to a surface location.
17. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one charge further
comprises a plurality of charges.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a divisional application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/440,514 (now U.S. Pat. No.
6,055,217) which is a divisional application claiming priority from
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/749,166 (now U.S. Pat. No.
6,564,866).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of perforating
guns used in a down hole oil well environment and in particular to
a method and apparatus for using flourescent dyes to determine
whether or not a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun charge has
fired.
[0004] 2. Background of the Related Art
[0005] During the completion phase of an oil well, perforating guns
containing explosive charges are lowered into the wellbore below
the casing. Upon detonation the charges blast a hole in the casing,
cement and reservoir rock, thereby enabling hydrocarbons in an
adjacent hydrocarbon formation to flow into the wellbore for
recovery. The conventional method for determining whether the
perforating guns have successfully fired is to monitor changes in
well bore pressure. Unfortunately, pressure monitoring can only
indicate that one or more of the guns have fired (and not always
reliably), but cannot determine or whether or not all of the guns
have fired successfully. At present there is no known technology
available for verifying whether each of the individual perforating
guns have fired and hence, there is a lack of reliable quantitative
downhole data in this regard. Without useful and reliable data, the
decision making process is impaired, with attendant detrimental
operational and economic effects. It is imperative that all
downhole tubing conveyed perforating guns fire and penetrate the
casing to optimize hydrocarbon flow and recovery from the adjacent
formation. Thus, there is a need to reliably determine whether each
of the perforating guns have successfully fired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for
determining whether a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun has
fired by detecting a change in characteristics of the flow of an
oil well. In one embodiment the present invention detects the
presence of fluorescent tracer dye to determine whether or not a
TCP gun has fired. In another embodiment the present invention
detects a change is capacitance, or fiber optic electrical
properties to determine whether or not a TCP gun has fired. In
another embodiment of the present invention a method and apparatus
is provided that detects the number of charges fired to determine
whether or not all TCP guns have fired. The present invention also
provides a method and apparatus for determining the contributions
of injection wells to producing wells by introducing fluorescent
tracers into injection wells and detecting the presence of the
fluorescent tracers at production wells. In another embodiment of
the present invention, a method and apparatus is provided for
placing fluorescent dye particles in a gravel pack to sense when a
gravel pack is deteriorating by detecting the tracer dye particles
in the well flow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a method and apparatus for
tracking flow from an oil well;
[0008] FIG. 2 is an illustration of the preferred method and
apparatus for determining whether a tubing conveyed perforating gun
has fired;
[0009] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a preferred injection well
tracing method and apparatus of the present invention; and
[0010] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a preferred packing
deterioration detection system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for
determining whether a tubing conveyed perforating gun (TCP) has
fired using an enhanced fluorescent marker material for TCP guns
and a downhole and/or surface mounted detection system. The system
of the present invention is field portable. The present invention
provides on-board software, which enables real-time monitoring
which enables non-experts to utilize field-generated data to
determine whether each of the perforating guns have fired
successfully.
[0012] The innovative system of the present invention provides a
reliable real-time quantitative indication of the downhole status
of the wellbore following an attempted TCP gun firing. The system
also enables the operator to make an immediate informed decision
following TCP gun operation as to the success of the attempted
perforation. The benefits and advantages of the present invention
include reduction of operational drilling costs by minimizing rig
downtime and decreasing the number of runs in hole, enabling a well
to be brought on line earlier without unnecessary delays and
restarts associated with false starts due to attempted recovery
after unsuccessful TCP gun operations.
[0013] These advantages are paramount in today's market where
service companies often offer little substantial difference in
technical capability of TCP guns. The major distinction is
reflected in the provision of the perforating service and
reliability of that service. Innovative and distinctive features of
the new system provided by the present invention include adoption
of micro-encapsulated fluorescent tracers, the use of flow cells or
fibre optic probes for tracer detection, communication between
downhole well and surface equipment, a unique surface reporting
software package, and the creation of a simple reliable system that
performs consistently in the harsh downhole environment of the well
bore.
[0014] There are no known comparable technologies for successfully
determining the status of an attempted TCP gun perforation. In an
alternative embodiment, the TCP gun firing detection and
identification system comprises an acoustic, ultrasonic or
capacitance method of determining the status of an attempted
perforation. The present invention fills the void of uncertainty
surrounding the status and success of perforating operations. The
present invention provides a unique solution, in an area where no
known device or technology is presently available.
[0015] The basic operating principle behind the TCP Gun Fire
Identification System (FIS) of the present invention is to provide
a fluorescent indicator module and/or dummy charge/shot that is
fitted into a TCP gun string. Within the module and/or dummy
charge/shot a capsule containing an enhanced marker material
(fluorescent tracers--micro-encapsulated, pigments, liquid/fluid
dyes and solid dye tracers, e.g. glass, plastic, polymer, ceramic,
organic compound/s) is ruptured by the TCP gun explosive charge.
The fluorescent dye particles are embedded or encapsulated within
the polymers, glasses and ceramics of the fluorescent indicator
module to create a stable, unique and distinctive fluorescent dye
tracers. Each dye tracer has a specific excitation and emission
spectra, thus enabling several different dye tracers to be used in
conjunction and distinctly detected the same time using highly
sensitive optoelectronic instrumentation to determine whether or
not a particular TCP gun associated with a particular dye tracer
has fired.
[0016] Hence, when the TCP guns successfully fire, the dye tracers
release into the well/reservoir flow stream (fluid and/or gas e.g.
hydrocarbon, diesel, mud, brine and water, also including gas
condensate or gas stream) within the well casing. After the initial
perforating of the casing and reservoir formation, the well is
flowed (the minimum of casing volume) to the surface process plant.
The process flow stream is analyzed by a surface mounted monitoring
instrument (fluorometer), which detects each dye tracer to verify
that each associated TCP gun has successfully fired.
[0017] In an alternative embodiment, a downhole tracer detection
sensor module is provided for a quicker response time as the tracer
detection sensor is installed closer to the source, i.e., tracers
module and provides almost instantaneous and direct analysis. This
tracer detection data is transmitted optically, electrically,
digitally, acoustically via wireless or analog to the surface
instrumentation for storage and display. The tracer detection/TCP
firing data can also be stored downhole with memory gauges and/or
electronic storage devices. The sensor module further comprises an
energy storage device coupled to a signal receiver and an
electronic control assembly. The energy storage device comprises
any available energy source, for example a battery, fuel cell, a
capacitor, power cell or Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells which
convert heat into electricity.
[0018] A fibre optic fluorometer/spectrometer instrument is also
provided to determine the concentration and distribution of dye
tracers within the harsh conditions of the hydrocarbon process flow
stream. A flow cell, fibre optic Probe and/or sensor enables
detection of tracer concentrations as low as 10 ppb. A particular
fluorescent dye tracer detection count is used as a
semi-quantitative indicator when dye/tracer coverage is used to
determine the percentage relative flow analyzed in profile or cross
section. The present invention provides automated analysis,
calibration, and mapping of the spread of tracers introduced into
the process stream. The combination of fluorescent dye tracers and
real-time process monitoring of tracer type, size and concentration
provide new and innovative applications of process stream
analysis.
[0019] Fluorescence is the molecular absorption of light energy at
one wavelength and its nearly instantaneous re-emission at another,
usually longer wavelength. Some molecules fluoresce naturally and
others can be modified to make fluorescent compounds. Fluorescent
compounds have two characteristic spectra: an excitation spectrum
(the amount of light absorbed) and an emission spectrum (the amount
of light emitted). These spectra are often referred to as a
compound's fluorescence signature or fingerprint. No two compounds
have the same fluorescence signature. It is this uniqueness that
enables fluorometry to be used as a highly specific analytical
technique. Fluorometry is chosen for its extraordinay sensitivity,
high specificity and low cost relative to other analytical
techniques. Moreover, fluoromety is ordinarily 1000-fold more
sensitive than conventional absorbance measurements. Fluorometry is
a widely accepted and powerful technique that is used for a variety
of environmental, industrial and biotechnology applications.
Fluorometry is a valuable analytical tool for both quantitative and
qualitative analysis.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, data logging software 10 detects and
displays online monitoring for hydrocarbons 20 only. From this
diagnostic information, an appraisal can be made as to whether the
TCP guns have unsuccessfully fired. That is if there is no flow the
guns have not successfully fired. As shown in FIG. 2, the preferred
data logging and monitoring software 12 shows dye tracers 22 as
they are monitored and measured by flow cell 14 and Fluorometry 16.
The results are displayed on surface monitor/computer 18. The
configuration of FIG. 2 detects the presence of tracers 22 among
flowing hydrocarbons 20. From this diagnostic information, a
determination is made as to whether the TCP guns have successfully
fired.
[0021] In an alternative embodiment, TCP Guns Fire Identification
module/devices are provided comprising alternative technologies. In
a first alternative embodiment, a capacitance measurement (detects
changes in capacitance of the gun casing and/or tool string) module
sensor is provided for storing, receiving and transmitting
capacitance change data/information to a collection system for
analysis to determine whether a TCP gun has fired. In this
alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a sleeve unit 112 is
provided which fits around the TCP gun string. The sleeve is made
of a material/s that is ferrous and/or composite (e.g. plastic,
ceramic, carbon fibre and Kevlar) and/or hybrid of any of the
stated above. These materials within the sleeve or the sleeve
itself, would change capacitance/conductance values/states when the
TCP guns discharge and remove the material from the sleeve. Any
material which changes capacitance when the TCP gun fires is
suitable.
[0022] In another alternative embodiment, an ultrasound, seismic
and/or acoustic measurement module sensor is provided to measure
the number of explosive gun charges/shots that have been fired by
storing, receiving and transmitting this data/information to a
collection system for analysis. The receiver and transmitting
device/probe is within the downhole tool or positioned within the
casing and/or the casing and riser itself. This
receiver/transmitter is utilized to transmit the acoustic detection
data to a surface receiver. Alternatively, a receiver and
transmitting device/probe would be deployed externally of the
casing i.e. external to the well, sea and/or seabed.
[0023] In yet another alternative embodiment of the present
invention, a fibre optic device is embedded, fixed and/or glued
onto or into the TCP gun string or alternatively a sleeve unit is
designed/built, which fits around the TCP gun string and placed in
direct line of fire of explosive gun charges/shot. The fibre optics
is distorted/broken at each successful fired gun charge/shot. The
difference in each fibre optic/cable length is then determined,
electrically and analyzed to identify which charges/shot has fired,
by using time of flight instrumentation/device (light source from
lamp, LED's and/or laser module device/sensor).
[0024] In another alternative embodiment, a simple optic system is
provided which comprises a fitting/placing fibre optic/s on the
last TCP gun charge/shot on each gun string. This optic system
identifies when last gun charge/shot has successfully fired
(identifying that all or most of gun charges/shots within each gun
string have fired--top to bottom) when the fibre/s are broken. In
an alternative embodiment, the fibre optic/s and/or fibre optic
probe are used as a sensor which measures a sensed change as an
indicative event. A change or no change in the following
parameters: temperature, pressure, light (e.g. absorbance,
transmission, fluorescence, irradiation and ablation) (flash from
explosive charge) is indicative of successful firing. Also colors,
sounds, energy (electromagnetic, electrical, thermal),
hydrostatics, chemicals, forces, stresses, strains and/or
displacements of solid objects and/or fluids can be analyzed and/or
measured as TCP firing indicators.
[0025] The data from each of the alternative embodiment,
module/devices and sensors is transmitted optically, electrically,
digitally, or acoustically via wireless or via some other analog or
digital method of downhole transmission and/or transmitted to the
surface instrumentation/storage devices. The TCP firing data could
also be stored downhole with memory gauges and/or electronic
storage devices.
[0026] The present invention provides unique software for real-time
monitoring and data display manipulation options. Data logging
points are filed and stored directly in the surface or downhole
computer's memory. The downloaded data will be stored in ASCII
format and imported directly into a standard spreadsheet program
and linked to self-generating field report software. Using the
software provided parameters, such as data collection intervals,
graphical display and detection limits are easily selected for
display and printing.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the method and apparatus of the present
invention can also be utilized to assist in developing reservoir
models where injection wells 33, 34, and 35 are used to support
producing wells 30, 31 and 32 in the same reservoir or field. By
injecting different fluorescent materials into each of the
injection wells using injectors 36, 40 and 41 and monitoring the
flow lines of each producing well at monitors/detectors 37, 38, 39
it is possible to determine which injection wells are providing
support for each producing well. Additionally it is possible to
generate an indication at detectors 37, 38, 39 of the percentage
flow from each injection well 33, 34 and 35 by monitoring at any or
all of detectors 37, 38, 39 the volumes of each type of fluorescent
material deposited in each injection well 37, 38, 39 at any given
producing well 30, 31, 32. Monitoring systems 37, 38 and 39 enable
all producing wells in a field or reservoir it is possible to map
the water flood in greater detail and with higher accuracy than
previously.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention enables monitoring
at detectors monitor 51 the efficiency of gravel packs 50 in
producing wells 53, by sizing the fluorescent capsules 52 so that,
should the gravel 50 pack begin to deteriorate, the first sign of
failure would be traces of the fluorescent material particles being
detected at the surface. The fluorescent material is sized to be
smaller that the reservoir sand particles, and thus gives a good
indication of gravel pack deterioration prior to sand
breakthrough.
* * * * *