U.S. patent application number 13/142451 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-01 for method for monitoring deformation of well equipment.
Invention is credited to Kari-Mikko Jaaskelainen.
Application Number | 20110290477 13/142451 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42310257 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110290477 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jaaskelainen; Kari-Mikko |
December 1, 2011 |
METHOD FOR MONITORING DEFORMATION OF WELL EQUIPMENT
Abstract
A method of monitoring deformation and other characteristics of
a casing or other tubular or cylindrical well equipment in a well
traversing an underground formation, comprises:--providing a
carrier rod having at least one recess extending along at least
part of the length of the rod, in which recess an optical fiber
assembly for monitoring strain, temperature and/or other physical
parameters is arranged, which assembly is along at least part of
its length bonded within the recess;--lowering the carrier rod and
well equipment simultaneously into the well such that the rod is
arranged in an annular space between the well equipment and the
wellbore;--securing the rod at a plurality of locations distributed
along its length to the well equipment; and--connecting the optical
fiber assembly to an optical signal transmission and reception
assembly for monitoring the physical parameters of the well
equipment.
Inventors: |
Jaaskelainen; Kari-Mikko;
(Katy, TX) |
Family ID: |
42310257 |
Appl. No.: |
13/142451 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
December 23, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2009/067866 |
371 Date: |
August 2, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61141738 |
Dec 31, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
166/250.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 47/135 20200501;
E21B 47/07 20200501; E21B 43/24 20130101; E21B 17/026 20130101;
E21B 43/08 20130101; E21B 47/007 20200501; E21B 47/01 20130101;
E21B 43/10 20130101; G01V 8/16 20130101; E21B 47/017 20200501; E21B
43/2401 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
166/250.01 |
International
Class: |
E21B 47/00 20060101
E21B047/00 |
Claims
1. A method of monitoring deformation, strain, temperature and/or
other physical characteristics of a casing, sandscreen, electrical
heater and/or other tubular or cylindrical well equipment in a well
traversing an underground formation, the method comprising:
providing a carrier rod having at least one recess extending along
at least part of the length of the rod, in which recess a optical
fiber assembly for monitoring strain, temperature and/or other
physical parameters is arranged, which optical fiber assembly is
along at least part of its length bonded within the recess;
lowering the carrier rod and well equipment simultaneously into the
well such that the carrier rod is arranged in an annular space
between the outer surface of the well equipment and the inner
surface of the wellbore; securing the carrier rod at a plurality of
locations distributed along its length to the well equipment;
connecting the optical fiber assembly to an optical signal
transmission and reception assembly which is configured to transmit
optical signals through the optical fiber assembly and to monitor
deformation, strain, temperature and/or other physical parameters
of the well equipment on the basis of any relationship between
these parameters and reflection and/or modification of optical
signals at different locations along the length of the optical
fiber assembly.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier rod comprises a
material having similar thermal expansion, and mechanical
properties as the casing, sandscreen, electrical heater and/or
other well equipment.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier rod is made of the
same material as the casing, sandscreen and/or other well
equipment.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier rod is arranged on a
coil and bent into a substantially straight position before it is
lowered into the well.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier rod is attached along
selected intervals of its length by straps, welding, brazing and/or
a bonding agent to the casing, sandscreen and/or other well
equipment before it is lowered into the well.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier rod is secured to a
tubular piece of well equipment by filling at least part of an
annular space between the outer surface of the well equipment and
the inner surface of the wellbore with a cement or other hardening
composition and/or by expanding the tubular piece of well equipment
such that at least part of an outer surface thereof is pressed
against the inner surface of the wellbore.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of carrier rods with
optical fiber assemblies embedded in longitudinal recess are
arranged at regular circumferential intervals around the outer
surface of a tubular or cylindrical piece of well equipment.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is used to monitor
deformation of tubular or cylindrical well equipment during crude
hydrocarbon fluid production operations and/or during steam
injection into or electrical heating of a hydrocarbon containing
formation, and wherein the monitored deformation of the well
equipment is taken into account to adapt, modify and/or control the
hydrocarbon fluid production, steam injection and/or electrical
heating operations.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a method for monitoring deformation
of well equipment.
[0002] The current approach to monitor deformation of a well casing
or other well equipment is to attach or glue fiber optical or other
sensing cables directly to the well casing or other well equipment.
Such installation of the sensing cable is cumbersome and time
consuming with a significant risk of breaking the cable during
attachment or during deployment in the well.
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method
for monitoring deformation of a casing or other well equipment
using a optical fiber assembly which can be attached quickly to the
well casing and such that the optical fiber assembly is adequately
protected against breaking during attachment or during deployment
in the well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with the invention there is provided a method
of monitoring deformation, strain, temperature and/or other
physical characteristics of a casing, sandscreen, electrical heater
and/or other tubular or cylindrical well equipment in a well
traversing an underground formation, the method comprising: [0005]
providing a carrier rod having at least one recess extending along
at least part of the length of the rod, in which recess a optical
fiber assembly for monitoring strain, temperature and/or other
physical parameters is arranged, which optical fiber assembly is
along at least part of its length bonded within the recess; [0006]
lowering the carrier rod and well equipment simultaneously into the
well such that the carrier rod is arranged in an annular space
between the outer surface of the well equipment and the inner
surface of the wellbore; [0007] securing the carrier rod at a
plurality of locations distributed along its length to the well
equipment; [0008] connecting the optical fiber assembly to an
optical signal transmission and reception assembly which is
configured to transmit optical signals through the optical fiber
assembly and to monitor deformation, strain, temperature and/or
other physical parameters of the well equipment on the basis of any
relationship between these parameters and reflection and/or
modification of optical signals at different locations along the
length of the optical fiber assembly.
[0009] It is preferred that the carrier rod comprises a material
having similar thermal expansion, and mechanical properties as the
casing, sandscreen, electrical heater and/or other well
equipment.
[0010] The carrier rod may be arranged on a coil and bent into a
substantially straight position before it is lowered into the well
and may be attached along selected intervals of its length by
straps, welding, brazing and/or a bonding agent to the casing,
sandscreen and/or other well equipment before it is lowered into
the well.
[0011] Alternatively, the carrier rod may be secured to a tubular
piece of well equipment by filling at least part of an annular
space between the outer surface of the well equipment and the inner
surface of the wellbore with a cement or other hardening
composition and/or by expanding the tubular piece of well equipment
such that at least part of an outer surface thereof is pressed
against the inner surface of the wellbore.
[0012] Optionally, a plurality of carrier rods with optical fiber
assemblies embedded in longitudinal recess are arranged at regular
circumferential intervals around the outer surface of a tubular or
cylindrical piece of well equipment.
[0013] The method according to the invention may be used to monitor
deformation of tubular or cylindrical well equipment during crude
hydrocarbon fluid production operations and/or during steam
injection into or electrical heating of a hydrocarbon containing
formation, and wherein the monitored deformation of the well
equipment is taken into account to adapt, modify and/or control the
hydrocarbon fluid production, steam injection and/or electrical
heating operations.
[0014] These and other features, embodiments and advantages of the
method and according to the invention are described in the
accompanying claims, abstract and the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments disclosed in the accompanying
drawings in which reference numerals are used which refer to
corresponding reference numerals that are shown in the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of bend well
casing within a curved wellbore;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows, at a larger scale than in FIG. 1 a
cross-sectional view of the bend well casing of FIG. 1 around which
four rods with recesses in which strain monitoring optical fiber
assemblies are arranged;
[0017] FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of a section of a well
casing to which a rod with a recess, in which a strain monitoring
assembly is arranged, is secured by spot welding;
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a section of a well
casing to which a rod with a plurality of recesses, in which a
strain monitoring assemblies are arranged, is secured by spot
welding;
[0019] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the rod, wherein
the rod has a square cross-sectional shape;
[0020] FIG. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the rod,
wherein the rod has a cylindrical cross-sectional shape; and
[0021] FIG. 7 shows yet another alternative embodiment of the rod,
wherein the rod has a cylindrical cross-sectional shape;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPICTED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a curved wellbore 1 in which a bend casing 2 is
arranged. The casing 2 is secured within the wellbore 1 by cement
3, which fills the annular space between the outer surface of the
casing 2 and the inner surface of the wellbore 1.
[0023] In order to monitor stress, deformation, temperature and
other features a series of four rods 4A-4D are embedded in the
cement 3 around the casing 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2 each rod has
a recess in which an optical strain monitoring fiber 5A-5D is
embedded. The rods 4A-4D are preferably made of the same metal as
the casing 2.
[0024] FIG. 3 shows in more detail a cross sectional view of an
alternative embodiment of a rod 14, wherein the rod has a
rectangular shape and is arranged in a cement body 12 between the
inner surface 11 of a wellbore in an underground earth formation 10
and the outer surface 13 of a casing 9. The rod 14 has a recess 16
in which an optical strain monitoring fiber 15 is embedded within a
protective filler 17. The rod 14 is secured at selected intervals
along its length to the outer surface 13 of the casing 9 by spot
welds 18A-B.
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of an another
alternative embodiment of a rod 24, wherein the rod has a
trapezoidal shape and is arranged in a cement body 22 between the
inner surface 21 of a wellbore in an underground earth formation 20
and the outer surface 23 of a casing 19. The rod 24 has at each of
its four sides a recess 26A-D in which an optical strain monitoring
fiber 25A-D is embedded within a protective filler 27A-D. The rod
24 is secured at selected intervals along its length to the outer
surface 23 of the casing 19 by spot welds 28A-B. The optical fiber
25C is configured to measure temperature.
[0026] FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of yet another
embodiment of a rod 34, wherein the rod has a square
cross-sectional shape an has at each of its four sides a recess
36A-D in which an optical strain monitoring fiber 35A-D is embedded
with a protective filler 37A-D.
[0027] FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of yet another
embodiment of a rod 44, wherein the rod has a cylindrical
cross-sectional shape an has at each of its four sides a recess
46A-D in which an optical strain monitoring fiber 45A-D is embedded
with a protective filler 47A-D.
[0028] The rod 44 is surrounded by two concentric layers of
protective coatings 48,49.
[0029] FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of yet another
embodiment of a rod 54, wherein the rod has a cylindrical
cross-sectional shape an has at each of its four sides a recess
56A-D in which an optical strain monitoring fiber 55A-D is embedded
with a protective filler 57A-D.
* * * * *