Apparatus and methods for measurement of solids in a wellbore

• US 20050126777A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Conveyance & Delivery
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Conveyance & Delivery
• Inventors: Lovell, John R., Rolovic, Radovan, Espinosa, Frank, Hill, Stephen D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/255.100
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/08 Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for measuring solids in wellbore that include a bottom hole assembly having a sensor to measuring a characteristic indicative of solids in the wellbore. The measurement may be used to measure solids or solids suspended in fluid flow. The invention is useful for use in wellbore cleanouts. A computer model may be used and updated based on the measured characteristic. The input of measured characteristic and the updating of the computer model may be performed in real time whilst the wellbore cleanout operation is ongoing.

Claims

1. A method for detecting solids in a wellbore comprising

deploying a bottom hole assembly (BHA) into a borehole using a conveyance, the BHA comprising a sensor assembly;

and

measuring a characteristic indicative of solids in the wellbore using the sensor assembly.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor assembly comprises at least one selected from the group of consisting of acoustic transmitter and receiver;

optical transmitter and receiver;

radioactive transmitter and receiver; and

electromagnetic transmitter and receiver.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the conveyance to move the BHA in the wellbore, wherein the characteristic is measured as the BHA is moved.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the rate of movement of the BHA is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1 where the BHA is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the measured characteristic is recorded.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the measured characteristic is transmitted via a communication link to the surface in real time and the recording is at the surface.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the BHA further comprises a storage device and the measured characteristic is recorded downhole on the storage device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the BHA further comprises a nozzle having one or more ports for delivering a fluid to the wellbore and the measured characteristic is indicative of solid particles in the fluid in the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the conveyance is selected from the group consisting of tubing, coiled tubing, drill pipe, cable, wireline, slickline and wellbore tractor.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication link is selected from the group consisting of wireline, slickline, optic fiber, wireless transmission, and pressure pulse.

12. A method for detecting solids in a wellbore fluid comprising

deploying a bottom hole assembly (BHA) into a borehole, the BHA comprising a nozzle having one or more ports and a sensor assembly;

flowing a fluid into the wellbore through at least one port in the BHA;

suspending solids in the fluid flow in the wellbore; and

measuring a characteristic indicative of solid particles suspended in the fluid using the sensor assembly.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sensor assembly comprises an acoustic receiver.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the measuring the characteristic comprises receiving an acoustic signal.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising generating an acoustic signal, wherein the acoustic signal is generated by impingement of the solid particles suspended in the fluid flow on the BHA.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising using a conveyance to move the BHA in the wellbore and wherein the characteristic is measured as the BHA is moved.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the rate of movement of the BHA is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the BHA is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the measured characteristic is transmitted via a communication link to the surface in real time and recorded.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the BHA further comprises a storage device and the measured characteristic is recorded downhole on the storage device.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the conveyance is selected from the group consisting of tubing, coiled tubing, drill pipe, cable, wireline, slickline and wellbore tractor.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the communication link is selected from the group consisting of wireline, slickline, optic fiber, wireless transmission, and pressure pulse.

23. A method for cleaning out a wellbore comprising

deploying a bottom hole assembly (BHA) disposed on a conveyance into a borehole, the BHA comprising a nozzle having one or more ports and a sensor assembly;

moving the BHA along the borehole to run-in-hole (RIH) at a running-in-hole rate;

flowing a fluid into the wellbore through at least one port in the BHA;

suspending solids in the wellbore in the fluid flow;

measuring a characteristic indicative of solid particles suspended in the fluid using the sensor assembly; and

moving the BHA in the borehole to pull-out-of-hole (POOH) at a pulling-out-of-hole rate.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the conveyance is coiled tubing and the BHA is connected to the coiled tubing such that the fluid is flowed through the interior of the coiled tubing and through the at least one port in the BHA into the wellbore.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the running-in-hole rate is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the pulling-out-of-hole rate is adjusted based on the measured characteristic.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the measured characteristic comprises an acoustic signal generated by impingement of solid particles suspended in the fluid flow on the BHA.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the sensor assembly comprises an acoustic receiver.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the measuring the characteristic comprises receiving an acoustic signal.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising generating an acoustic signal, wherein the acoustic signal is generated by the impingement of solid particles suspended in the fluid flow on the BHA.

31. An apparatus for cleaning out a wellbore comprising

a BHA connected to a coiled tubing, wherein the BHA has a nozzle having at least one port and a device for measuring solids in the wellbore;

a storage device for recording and storing measurements;

a surface equipment system for deploying the BHA and the coiled tubing in the wellbore and for retrieving the BHA and the coiled tubing from the wellbore; and

a fluid delivery system to flow fluid into the wellbore through the coiled tubing and BHA.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 further comprising a computer model for designing the wellbore clean out.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein inputs into the computer model include fluid properties and wellbore properties and outputs from the computer model include target RIH rate and target POOH rate.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the recording device is at the surface, and further comprising a communication link to transmit measurements from the BHA to the recording device.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, further wherein the measurements update the computer model in real time.

36. The method of using the apparatus of claim 31 to clean out a wellbore.

37. The method of using the apparatus of claim 32 to clean out a wellbore, further wherein the computer model output includes an estimate of the degree of cleanout.

38. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the sensor assembly comprises an acoustic receiver.

39. The method of claim 31 wherein the device for measuring solid particles is an acoustic receiver which measures acoustic signals generated by impingement of the solid particles on the BHA.

40. A method for operating a wellbore cleanout comprising

using a computer model to generate initial job parameters;

deploying a bottom hole assembly (BHA) disposed on a conveyance into a borehole, the BHA comprising a nozzle having one or more ports and a sensor assembly;

moving the BHA along the borehole;

flowing a fluid into the wellbore through at least one port in the BHA;

suspending solids in the wellbore in the fluid flow;

measuring a characteristic indicative of solid particles suspended in the fluid using the sensor assembly;

updating the computer models using the measurements;

generating updated job parameters using the updated computer model; and

modifying the operation based on the modified job parameters.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the conveyance comprises coiled tubing and the job parameters comprise RIH rate, POOH rate, and fluid flow rate.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the job parameters comprise fluid characteristics.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein the job parameters comprise BHA characteristics.

44. The method of claim 40 wherein the sensor assembly comprises an acoustic receiver.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the measuring the characteristic comprises receiving an acoustic signal.

46. The method of claim 45 further comprising generating an acoustic signal, wherein the acoustic signal is generated by the solids suspended in the fluid flow impinging on the BHA.