Expanding the Envelope of Fiber-Optic Sensing for Reservoir Description and Dynamics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Al-Qasim ◽  
Sharidah Alabduh ◽  
Muhannad Alabdullateef ◽  
Mutaz Alsubhi
Keyword(s):  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Integrity Monitoring ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
Fiber Optic Sensing ◽  
Reservoir Description

Abstract Fiber-optic sensing (FOS) technology is gradually becoming a pervasive tool in the monitoring and surveillance toolkit for reservoir engineers. Traditionally, sensing with fiber optic technology in the form of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) or distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), and most recently distributed strain sensing (DSS), distributed flow sensing (DFS) and distributed pressure sensing (DPS) were done with the fiber being permanently clamped either behind the casing or production tubing. Distributed chemical sensing (DCS) is still in the development phase. The emergence of the composite carbon-rod (CCR) system that can be easily deployed in and out of a well, similar to wireline logging, has opened up a vista of possibilities to obtain many FOS measurements in any well without prior fiber-optic installation. Currently, combinations of distributed FOS data are being used for injection management, well integrity monitoring, well stimulation and production performance optimization, thermal recovery management, etc. Is it possible to integrate many of the distributed FOS measurements in the CCR or a hybrid combination with wireline to obtain multiple measurements with one FOS cable? Each one of FOS has its own use to get certain data, or combination of FOS can be used to make a further interpretation. This paper reviews the state of the art of the FOS technology and the gamut of current different applications of FOS data in the oil and gas (upstream) industry. We present some results of traditional FOS measurements for well integrity monitoring, assessing production and injection flow profile, cross flow behind casing, etc. We propose some nontraditional applications of the technology and suggest a few ways through. Which the technology can be deployed for obtaining some key reservoir description and dynamics data for reservoir performance optimization.

scholarly journals Well Integrity Monitoring Using Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.L. Lipus ◽  
T.R. Reinsch ◽  
C.S.H. Schmidt-Hattenberger ◽  
J.H. Henninges
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Integrity Monitoring ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
Fiber Optic Sensing

Challenges, Requirements and Advances for Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors in SURF Structures and Subsea Well Monitoring

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabien Ravet ◽  
Etienne Rochat ◽  
Marc Niklès
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Dead Zone ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Hotspot Detection ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Offshore Structure ◽  
Integrity Monitoring ◽  
Minimum Requirement ◽  
Common Mean

During the past 10 years, the oil and gas industry has gained confidence in the capabilities and the reliability of Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing (OFDS). Real world implementation can be found in both downstream and upstream branches. For example, at one end of the industry spectrum, service companies have started to use Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) for in-well temperature monitoring to optimize oil recovery processes. At the other end, pipeline operators have installed pipeline integrity monitoring systems based on Distributed Temperature and Strain sensing (DITEST) to fulfill realtime monitoring of soil stability, pipeline 3D deformation and leak detection. The use of OFDS for offshore structure integrity monitoring such as flow lines, risers and umbilicals has been qualified and field tested already whereas other applications such as performance rating of power umbilicals and enhanced flow assurance system using OFDS are being evaluated. Currently, the offshore full scale implementation of OFDS technologies still faces challenges of its own. In particular, sensor integration into the structure to be monitored is a minimum requirement which applies to any OFDS. If fiber optic is a common mean of data transmission, subsea conditions imply the use of specific components such as Wet Mate Connectors (WMC) and Fiber Optic Rotary Joints (FORJ). These components present large insertion and return loss characteristics for which OFDS require special attention to the OFDS system to comply with such characteristics. The effect of these components is twofold. First it impacts the sensor optical budget limiting its measurement range. Second, sensor sections remain completely blind due to the high reflection levels leaving the structure without status information over distances that can be as large as several kilometers. The present works describes how the DITEST based on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) can overcome the limitations imposed by both WMC and FORJ components and fully comply with SURF monitoring requirements. The ability of the DITEST is justified theoretically and demonstrated experimentally through qualification trials involving hotspot detection while WMC and FORJ are part of the sensor path. Their effects are quantified through the determination of the measurement dead zone (shorter than 4m), the temperature uncertainty and the resolution. The work also reports the subsequent installation on operational structures as these trials were successful. The DITEST has been installed to continuously monitor the temperature of a 3km long power umbilical and control the heating system of subsea rigid flowlines whose length can be as large a 45km.

Horizontal-Steam-Injection-Flow Profiling Using Fiber Optics

SPE Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (02) ◽  
pp. 431-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.. Shirdel ◽  
R. S. Buell ◽  
M. J. Wells ◽  
C.. Muharam ◽  
J. C. Sims
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optics ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Conformance Control ◽  
Well Completion ◽  
Injection Flow ◽  
Optic Systems

Summary Steam-conformance control in horizontal injectors is important for efficient reservoir-heat management in heavy-oil fields. Suboptimal conformance and nonuniform heating of the reservoir can substantially affect the economics of the field development and oil-production response and result in nonuniform steam breakthrough. To achieve the required control, it is essential to have an appropriate well-completion architecture and robust surveillance. Five fiber-optic systems, each with a unique steam-conformance-control-completion configuration, have been installed in two horizontal steam injectors to help mature steam-injection-flow profiling and conformance-control solutions. These fiber-optic systems have used custom-designed fiber-optic bundles of multimode and single-mode fibers for distributed-temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed-acoustic sensing (DAS), respectively. Fiber-optic systems were also installed in a steam-injection-test-flow loop. All the optical fibers successfully acquired data in the wells and flow loop, measuring temperature and acoustic energy. A portfolio of algorithms and signal-processing techniques was developed to interpret the DTS and DAS data for quantitative steam-injection-flow profiling. The heavily instrumented flow-loop environment was used to characterize DTS and DAS response in a design-of-experiment (DOE) matrix to improve the flow-profiling algorithms. These algorithms are dependent on independent physical principles derived from multiphase flow, thermal hydraulic models, acoustic effects, large-data-array processing, and combinations of these methods for both transient and steady-state steam flow. A high-confidence flow profile is computed using the convergence of the algorithms. The flow-profiling-algorithm results were further validated using 11 short-offset injector observation wells wells in the reservoir that confirmed steam movement near the injectors.

Well Integrity Leak Diagnostic Using Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing and Production Logging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joerg Abeling ◽  
Ulrich Bartels ◽  
Kamaljeet Singh ◽  
Shaktim Dutta ◽  
Gaurav Agrawal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optics ◽  
Production System ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Temperature Sensing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Operational Approach ◽  
Well Completion ◽  
Well Integrity

Abstract Fiber optics has many applications in the oil and gas industry. In recent years, fiber optics has found usefulness in leak detection. The leaks can be efficiently identified using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing measurement, thereby mitigating the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) risk associated with well integrity. Further, a production log can be used to gain more insight and finalize a way ahead to resolve well integrity issues. An innovative solution-driven approach was defined, with fiber-optic distributed measurement playing a key role. Multiple leaks were suspected in the well completion, and a fiber-optic cable was run to identify possible areas of the leak path. After the fiber-optic data acquisition, a production log was recorded across selective depths to provide an insight on leak paths. After identifying leak depths, a definitive decision between tubular patching and production system overhaul was decided based on combined outputs of the fiber-optic acquisition and production log. Results are presented for a well where multiple leaks were successfully identified using the novel operational approach. Further, operational time was reduced from 3 days (conventional slickline memory or e-line logging performed during daylight operation) to 1 day (a combination of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing and production log in a single run). The diagnosis of production system issues was completed in one shut-in and one flowing condition, thereby reducing the risk of HSE exposure with multiple flowing conditions (to simulate the leak while the conventional production logging tool is moved to different depths in the well). Additional insight on leak quantification was confirmed from the production log data, where one leak was noted at the tubing collar while the other leak was noted a few meters above the tubing collar. This observation was substantial in deciding whether to proceed with tubing patch or replace the entire production tubing. The novel operational approach affirms fiber-optic distributed temperature measurement's versatility in solving critical issues of operation time and reducing HSE exposure while delivering decisive information on production system issues. The paper serves as a staging area for other applications of similar nature to unlock even wider horizons for distributed temperature sensing measurement.

Challenging Assumptions About Fracture Stimulation Placement Effectiveness Using Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing Diagnostics: Diversion, Stage Isolation and Overflushing

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo A. Ugueto C. ◽  
Paul T. Huckabee ◽  
Mathieu M. Molenaar
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optics ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Distributed Sensing ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation

Abstract The connection of the wellbore to the hydrocarbon resource volumes via effective fracture stimulation is a critical factor in unconventional reservoir completions. Various well construction and dynamic placement methods are used to distribute treatment volumes into targeted sections of the wellbore. This paper provides some insights into the effectiveness of hydraulic fracture stimulation process using Fiber Optics (FO): distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS). This paper reviews examples from multiple wells where FO has been used to gain a better understanding of three highly debated fracture stimulation distribution topics: Diversion, Stage Isolation and Overflushing. Diversion is increasingly being used as a way to improve the efficiency of hydraulic fracture stimulation distributions. The effectiveness of the diversion techniques has traditionally been judged on the basis of surface pressure response during treatment and ultimately, from production comparisons to reference wells. Unfortunately, getting clear answers from production performance takes significant time. FO allows for monitoring of the diversion process in real-time. Analysis of DAS and DTS responses is used to quantify diversion efficiency in re-directing hydraulic fracture stimulation from dominant perforation clusters to those not being stimulated. Lack of isolation between stages has frequently been observed in wells with diagnostics. There is consensus amongst the completion community that communication between stages is highly undesirable because the energy and materials of the stimulation are partially or totally misdirected from the target interval to other portions of the wellbore. The analysis of DAS and DTS not only can help determine the frequency of occurrence of communication between stages in cemented and uncemented horizontal wells but also can provide insights about the different communication paths. Fiber Optic distributed sensing in conjunction with complementary diagnostics is also being used to investigate if connections are being maintained at the end of the treatment between the newly created fracs and the wellbore. The use of integrated diagnostics allows evaluation of the frequency in which overflushing (over-displacement) occurs in both vertical and horizontal wells and its impact on well inflow performance where production profiling data is available.

Flow Diagnostics in High Rate Gas Condensate Well Using Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing and its Validation with Conventional Production Log

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuad Aziz Atakishiyev ◽  
Alessandro Delfino ◽  
Cagri Cerrahoglu ◽  
Zahid Hasanov ◽  
Ilkin Yusifov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Rate ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Gas Condensate ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Dynamic Flow ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Fiber Optic Sensing

Abstract We introduce a novel Machine Learning (ML) approach for processing distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) data that enables dynamic flow profile monitoring using a fiber-optic e-line cable deployed in a gas condensate well and compare it to a conventional approach. DFOS technology has the potential to provide more efficient and dynamic flow profiles compared to traditional methods, particularly in high rate gas wells where production logs (PL) are recorded at reduced rates to avoid tool lifting. Distributed acoustic and temperature sensing (DAS & DTS) data were acquired simultaneously while the well was producing ~70 MMSCF/D gas. Conventional PL data was also acquired under the same condition to validate the flow profiling results obtained from DFOS measurements. This paper describes a novel data processing approach where ML based models for pattern recognition were applied to obtain the signatures of different fluid types. Flow profiling is achieved by applying multiple data models to address three key questions for inflow profiling: (1) which zones are producing? (2) what is the phase? and (3) what is the flow rate? A blind test was set up to avoid results contamination. The processing and interpretation of DFOS data and PL data were carried out independently and results were compared only when the work on both datasets was completed. The comparison demonstrates a good match between two measurements for gas inflow profile with an average error of about 1% in relative gas rate allocation along the four producing perforated intervals. Flow profile in a single-phase gas producing well was accurately determined by DFOS data analysis and the liquid production rate was then re-calculated using condensate-gas ratio (CGR) to obtain liquid and gas production rates at standard surface condition. The well was connected to a test separator during the entire acquisition period, and accurate gas, condensate and water production rates were obtained in real-time at surface condition. The hybrid processing technique was applied for the first time among our well stock and resulted in accurate gas inflow profiling. To further validate the performance of the presented approach, the authors intend to repeat the test in other high rate gas producing wells, including wells with permanently installed fiber. Multi-disciplinary teamwork involved collaboration between operator and vendor and allowed for efficient operational execution. The result of the risk assessment ensured the selection of the best candidate well ensuring minimum sand production at the optimum production rate, optimization of stationary time for DFOS data acquisition and cable armor erosion model.

Automated Test System for Monitoring the Efficacy and Reliability of Leakage Detection in Pipelines

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Inaudi ◽  
Roberto Walder
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Thermal Anomaly ◽  
Test System ◽  
Temperature Sensing ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Cold Spot ◽  
Leakage Detection ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Fiber Optic Sensing

Distributed Fiber optic sensing system is a unique tool for the evaluation of distributed temperature over several kilometers. It is a powerful diagnostic instrument for the identification and localization of potential problems, such as leakages in pipelines and dykes, hot-spots in high-voltage cables and other events that create temperature anomalies. Such distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems have the advantage of being relatively easy to deploy over long pipeline sections and have been shown to detect leakages events with good accuracy and reliability. However, when distributed fiber optic sensing systems are deployed in security-critical applications, where availability and reliability are crucial, it is important to continuously verify and assess the correct functioning and reliability of the whole system, including the sensing cables, the measurement system, the data analysis software and the alert transmission. In the past, such testing have been performed periodically by the pipeline personnel, but testing frequencies are typically low, e.g. once per year. The DTS Automated Trip Testing System is a fully independent device that is able to produce a controlled and localized thermal anomaly (hot spot or cold spot) and verify its correct detection. This allows a continuous verification of the DTS system reliability and functionality and a periodic statistical evaluation of the confidence level (proven by experience SIL rating). This paper will present more specifically the development, the functioning and deployment, and its applications of an automated system and method for testing the efficacy and reliability of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems, in particular those DTS systems used for pipeline leakage detection.

scholarly journals Real-Time Well-Integrity Monitoring Using Fiber-Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing

SPE Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (05) ◽  
pp. 1997-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.. Raab ◽  
T.. Reinsch ◽  
S. R. Aldaz Cifuentes ◽  
J.. Henninges
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Strain Rate ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Axial Strain ◽  
Fiber Optic Cable ◽  
Integrity Monitoring ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Cement Integrity

Summary Proper cemented casing strings are a key requirement for maintaining well integrity, guaranteeing optimal operation and safe provision of hydrocarbon and geothermal resources from the pay zone to surface facilities. Throughout the life cycle of a well, high–temperature/high–pressure changes in addition to shut–in cyclic periods can lead to strong variations in thermal and mechanical load on the well architecture. The current procedures to evaluate cement quality and to measure downhole temperature are mainly dependent on wireline–logging campaigns. In this paper, we investigate the application of the fiber–optic distributed–acoustic–sensing (DAS) technology to acquire dynamic axial–strain changes caused by propagating elastic waves along the wellbore structure. The signals are recorded by a permanently installed fiber–optic cable and are studied for the possibility of real–time well–integrity monitoring. The fiber–optic cable was installed along the 18⅝–in. anchor casing and the 21–in.–hole section of a geothermal well in Iceland. During cementing operations, temperature was continuously measured using distributed–temperature–sensing (DTS) technology to monitor the cement placement. DAS data were acquired continuously for 9 days during drilling and injection testing of the reservoir interval in the 12¼–in. openhole section. The DAS data were used to calculate average–axial–strain–rate profiles during different operations on the drillsite. Signals recorded along the optical fiber result from elastic deformation caused by mechanical energy applied from inside (e.g., pressure fluctuations, drilling activities) or outside (e.g., seismic signals) of the well. The results indicate that the average–axial–strain rate of a fiber–optic cable installed behind a casing string generates trends similar to those of a conventional cement–bond log (CBL). The obtained trends along well depth therefore indicate that DAS data acquired during different drilling and testing operations can be used to monitor the mechanical coupling between cemented casing strings and the surrounding formations, hence the cement integrity. The potential use of DTS and DAS technology in downhole evaluations would extend the portfolio to monitor and evaluate qualitatively in real time cement–integrity changes without the necessity of executing costly well–intervention programs throughout the well's life cycle.

scholarly journals Development and Application of Fiber-Optic Sensing Technology for Monitoring Soil Moisture Field

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng-Ya Sun ◽  
Bin Shi ◽  
Jun-Yi Guo ◽  
Hong-Hu Zhu ◽  
Hong-Tao Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Development Trend ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Moisture Field ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Fiber Optic Sensing ◽  
Distributed Measurement ◽  
The Development Trend

Accurate acquisition of the moisture field distribution in in situ soil is of great significance to prevent geological disasters and protect the soil ecological environment. In recent years, rapidly developed fiber-optic sensing technology has shown outstanding advantages, such as distributed measurement, long-distance monitoring, and good durability, which provides a new technical means for soil moisture field monitoring. After several years of technical research, the authors’ group has made a number of new achievements in the development of fiber-optic sensing technology for the soil moisture field, that is, two new fiber-optic sensing technologies for soil moisture content, including the actively heated fiber Bragg grating (AH-FBG) technology and the actively heated distributed temperature sensing (AH-DTS) technology, and a new fiber-optic sensing technology for soil pore gas humidity are developed. This paper systematically summarizes the three fiber-optic sensing technologies for soil moisture field, including sensing principle, sensor development and calibration test. Moreover, the practical application cases of three fiber-optic sensing technologies are introduced. Finally, the development trend of fiber-optic sensing technology for soil moisture field in the future is summarized and prospected.

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