PERMANENT DOWNHOLE DEPLOYMENT OF OPTICAL SENSORS

• US 20070221407A1
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Hosie, David, Bostick, F.X., Bansal, R.K., Grayson, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,665,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/50
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/08 Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/085 Underbalanced techniques, i.e. where borehole fluid pressure is below formation pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/05 Flapper valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/06 in wells
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/101 with means for equalizing fluid pressure above and below the valve
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/114 using light radiation
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/135 using light waves, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/14 using acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/40 specially adapted for well-logging

Abstract

The present invention involves methods and apparatus for permanent downhole deployment of optical sensors. Specifically, optical sensors may be permanently deployed within a wellbore using a casing string. In one aspect, one or more optical sensors are disposed on, in, or within the casing string. The optical sensors may be attached to an outer surface of the casing string or to an inner surface of the casing string, as well as embedded within a wall of the casing string. The optical sensors are capable of measuring wellbore parameters during wellbore operations, including completion, production, and intervention operations.

Claims

1. A method of permanently monitoring wellbore or formation parameters, comprising:

providing a casing string having at least one optical sensor attached thereto;

locating the casing string within a wellbore; and

measuring one or more wellbore or formation parameters with the at least one optical sensor while drilling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the casing string within the wellbore comprises:

lowering the casing string into the wellbore; and

setting the casing string within the wellbore with a bonding material.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the measured wellbore or formation parameters to a signal interface for processing into readable information via one or more optical fibers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wellbore or formation parameters comprises flow rate of fluid flowing through the casing string, component fractions of the fluid, pressure, temperature, seismic measurements, acoustic measurements, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting wellbore conditions based on the one or more wellbore or formation parameters while drilling.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting wellbore conditions comprises adjusting a flow rate of a drilling fluid while drilling.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting wellbore conditions comprises adjusting a composition of a drilling fluid while drilling.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering a trajectory of the wellbore while drilling using the one or more wellbore or formation parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring one or more wellbore or formation parameters with the at least one optical sensor is accomplished during hydrocarbon production operations.

10. A method for determining a flow rate or one or more volumetric fractions of individual phases of a fluid flowing through a casing string, comprising:

locating a casing string having one or more optical sensors attached thereto within a wellbore;

measuring one or more parameters of the fluid flowing through the casing string with the one or more optical sensors; and

using the one or more parameters to determine the flow rate of the fluid or one or more volumetric fractions of the fluid.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more parameters comprises at least one of density, velocity, speed of sound, pressure, differential pressure, or temperature of the fluid.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more optical sensors comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, temperature sensor, differential pressure sensor, velocity sensor, or speed of sound sensor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the optical sensors are attached to the outer surface of the casing string.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the fluid is drilling fluid.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein measuring parameters of the fluid with the one or more optical sensors comprises:

introducing a tubular body having an earth removal member operatively attached to its lower end into the casing string; and

measuring one or more fluid parameters using the one or more optical sensors while drilling with the tubular body.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting the flow rate or composition of the drilling fluid based on the determined flow rate of the fluid or one or more volumetric fractions of the drilling fluid.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising altering a trajectory of the wellbore while drilling with the tubular body based on the determined flow rate of the drilling fluid or one or more volumetric fractions of the drilling fluid.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising setting the casing string within the wellbore using a bonding material prior to measuring one or more parameters of the fluid flowing through the casing string with the one or more optical sensors

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more optical sensors are attached to an outer surface of the casing string.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a plurality of optical sensors are attached to the casing string

19. An apparatus for measuring fluid flow through a casing string, comprising:

a casing string permanently located within a wellbore;

one or more optical sensors attached to the casing string for measuring parameters of a fluid flowing through the casing string; and

control circuitry and signal processing adapted to determine a composition of the fluid or flow rate of the fluid based on one or more signals received from the one or more optical sensors.

22. A method of measuring while drilling into a formation, comprising:

locating a casing string within a wellbore, the casing string having at least one sensor attached thereto;

drilling into the formation using a tubular body;

measuring at least one formation parameter using the at least one sensor while drilling into the formation; and

geosteering the tubular body using the measurements obtained while drilling.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising predicting pore pressure within the formation using the measurements obtained while drilling.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising troubleshooting using the measurements obtained while drilling.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising maximizing production from the formation using the measurements obtained while drilling.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one optical sensor.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises at least one optical seismic sensor.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising imaging ahead of the tubular body while drilling using a seismic source.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the seismic source is a microseismic source for microseismic imaging ahead of the tubular body.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the seismic source is external.

31. A method of acoustic monitoring while drilling into a formation, comprising:

locating a casing string within a wellbore, the casing string having at least one optical sensor attached thereto;

drilling into the formation using a tubular body having an earth removal member operatively attached to its lower end; and

performing acoustic monitoring while drilling into the formation.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein performing acoustic monitoring while drilling into the formation comprises monitoring the vibration of the tubular body while drilling into the formation using the tubular body.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the tubular body is a drill string.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the tubular body is a casing string.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein performing acoustic monitoring while drilling into the formation comprises monitoring the vibration of the earth removal member while drilling into the formation.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein performing acoustic monitoring while drilling into the formation comprises performing acoustic monitoring of drilling fluid used while drilling into the formation.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising adjusting at least one parameter of the drilling fluid based on acoustic monitoring of the drilling fluid.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising adjusting at least one parameter based on the acoustic monitoring while drilling into the formation.