We invite you to SPE young professionals meeting on "Problems and challenges of qualitative and quantitative interpretation of transient wellbore temperature measurements". by Lev Kotlyar, research scientist, Schlumberger Moscow Research.
Meeting will take place on 16 June, Thursday, at 19-00 hours at Sushchevskiy val, 2, Moscow.
Preliminary registration is required!
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More details about the topic
Spatial and temporal variations of the temperature field in the wells has been the object of industrial geophysics studies for over 50 years. Heat and mass transport in the wellbore and porous medium, heat exchange with the rock, adiabatic and throttling (Joule-Thomson) effects of liquid and gas, effects of phase changes and chemical reactions – all these processes define the dynamics of temperature evolution in the wellbore and its surroundings. Besides that, due to high inertia of thermal field in the rocks, traces of such operations as drilling and circulation can be observed days and weeks after start of production. In spite of its complexity, wellbore temperature contains information about properties of fluid and near-wellbore zone. The problem of distinguishing the ‘signal’ that can be interpreted for industrial value from the ‘noise’ (can be interpreted, but adds no value to interpretation) has been the main challenge in this area of study. Steady progress in development of tools for temperature measurement enables new opportunities for industrial use of temperature measurements, although it requires new adequate models for interpretation, models independent of subjective factors.
We can classify the modern wellbore temperature measurement techniques into two groups: local and distributed measurements. Stationary point sensors deployed as part of permanent or temporary completion provide localized measurements during, for example DST/TCP jobs. Distributed measurements are acquired with fiber optic distributed temperature sensors or temperature array sensors or with point gauges while logging.
Conventional approach to temperature interpretation is qualitative analysis. Temperature measurements are analyzed jointly with wellbore pressure sensor and spinner readings. Temperature helps building a consistent description of wellbore hydrodynamics and indirectly confirms the results of interpretation. Temperature analyzed alone also provides certain value, for instance we can identify breaches in the integrity of completion, leaks, and identify cross flows behind the casing.
This kind of analysis usually either does not require model simulations at all or uses steady-state models. These models do not allow accounting for and/or studying the transient thermo-hydrodynamic processes and require data acquired during regular stabilized flow. This approach allows us to disregard the complexity of the transient processes; however, it substantially decreases potential value of transient nonisothermal well testing and limits the applications of this data.
Industrial introduction of distributed temperature sensing enabled interpretation of transient processes. These tools particularly enabled injectivity profiling with DTS or sensor arrays, which is shown in the example of field data analysis. There are methods of quantitative analysis of this data that do not use model simulations; however, use of transient models in interpretation may provide a more detailed description of the reservoir.
Further enhancement of temperature gauges metrology along with continued development of mathematical models opens more opportunities for transient temperature data application. Transient interpretation models enable reconstruction of inflow profiles, zonal allocation, phase content profiling, production monitoring and even reservoir testing. Example shows how transient temperature assists with problem of reservoir testing.
About author
Kotlyar Lev, research scientist, Schlumberger Moscow Research Center.
I have been working in Schlumberger Moscow Research since 2008 and I am a SPE member since 2009.