WirelessTag Tracer Method and Apparatus

• US 20090211754A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robin James Verret
• Original Assignee: Turbo-Chem International, Inc.
• Inventors: Kilchrist, Michael J., Verret, Robin J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,397,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/250.120
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/005 Monitoring or checking of cementation quality or level
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity

Abstract

A fluid can be tracked in a wellbore utilizing at least one WID tag, such as an LW tag or an RFID tag, entrained in the fluid. A WID tag reader can be disposed and/or displaced in the wellbore, for example, on a drill string or a casing string. A reader can be utilized to locate the at least one WID tag in the wellbore. A reader can be housed in a drill string sub. A fluid entrained with at least one WID tag can be utilized as a tracer fluid. A WID tag can be entrained in cement or a drilling or fracture fluid.

Claims

1. A method of tracking a fluid in a wellbore comprising:

entraining at least one wireless identification (WID) tag in the fluid; and

locating the at least one WID tag in the wellbore with at least one reader.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising injecting a slurry of the at least one WID tag and the fluid into the wellbore.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising injecting a slurry of the at least one WID tag and the fluid into an annulus between an outer surface of a first casing string disposed in the wellbore and at least one of the wellbore and an inner surface of a second casing string circumferential to the first casing string.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining when the fluid is injected to a desired location in the annulus.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising injecting a slurry of the at least one WID tag and the fluid into an annulus between an outer surface of a drill string and the wellbore.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising disposing the at least one reader into the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising displacing the at least one reader within the wellbore.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising disposing the at least one reader in the wellbore on a drill string.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the entraining step comprises entraining a plurality of WID tags in the fluid.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising detecting a fluid loss by locating a concentrated zone of the plurality of WID tags in the wellbore.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising entraining the plurality of WID tags substantially uniformly in the fluid.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising detecting a fluid void by locating a zone in the wellbore substantially devoid of the plurality of WID tags.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting sensor data from the at least one WID tag to the reader.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising writing data to the at least one WID tag.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one WID tag comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one WID tag comprises a long wavelength identification (LW) tag.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one WID tag comprises a plurality of peer-to-peer long wavelength identification (LW) tags in a visibility network.

18. A drilling fluid composition comprising:

a drilling fluid; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the drilling fluid.

19. A fracturing fluid composition comprising:

a fracturing fluid; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the fracturing fluid.

20. The fracturing fluid composition of claim 19 wherein the fracturing fluid comprises dispersed, thermally activated sub-micron diversion particles.

21. The fracturing fluid composition of claim 19 wherein the at least one WID tag comprises a plurality of long wavelength identification (LW) tags.

22. The fracturing fluid composition of claim 19 wherein the at least one WID tag comprises a plurality of long wavelength identification (LW) tags to form a peer-to-peer communication network.

23. A waterflood composition comprising:

a waterflooding fluid; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the fracturing fluid.

24. A cement composition comprising:

a cement; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the cement.

25. The cement composition of claim 24 wherein the cement is fluidic.

26. The cement composition of claim 24 wherein the cement is solidified.

27. A tracer slug comprising:

a fluid; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the fluid.

28. A system to track a fluid in a wellbore comprising:

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag entrained in the fluid; and

at least one reader disposed within the wellbore.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the at least one reader is disposed on a drill string.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the at least one reader is disposed on a casing string.

31. A drill string sub comprising:

a sub body having at least one connection to a drill string; and

at least one wireless identification (WID) tag reader disposed on the sub body.