FOCUSED SAMPLING OF FORMATION FLUIDS

• US 20100319912A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Corre, Pierre-Yves, Pop, Julian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,322,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/264
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/1243 with inflatable sleeves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/10 using side-wall fluid samplers or testers

Abstract

An apparatus for obtaining a fluid at a position within a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation includes a body adapted to be disposed in the wellbore on a conveyance equipped with one or more expandable packers providing a sample region disposed between an upper cleanup zone and a lower cleanup zone when expanded into abutting contact with the wellbore wall; an upper cleanup port provided at the upper cleanup zone; a lower cleanup port provided at the lower cleanup zone; at least one fluid cleanup flowline in fluid connection with the upper and lower cleanup ports; a sampling inlet provided at the sampling region; and a sampling flowline in fluid connection with the sampling inlet for drawing fluid from the sampling region.

Claims

1. An apparatus for obtaining a fluid at a position within a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation, comprising:

a body adapted to be disposed in the wellbore on a conveyance equipped with one or more expandable packers providing a sample region disposed between an upper cleanup zone and a lower cleanup zone when expanded into abutting contact with the wellbore wall;

an upper cleanup port provided at the upper cleanup zone;

a lower cleanup port provided at the lower cleanup zone;

at least one fluid cleanup flowline in fluid connection with the upper and lower cleanup ports;

a sampling inlet provided at the sampling region; and

a sampling flowline in fluid connection with the sampling inlet for drawing fluid from the sampling region.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sampling region is provided between an upper sampling packer section and a lower sampling packer section.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower sampling packer sections are provided on the same one of the one or more expandable packers.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the one or more expandable packers comprises an upper packer providing the upper sampling packer section and a lower packer providing the lower sampling packer section.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more packers consists of one packer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more packers consists of two packers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more packers consists of three packers.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more packers comprises:

an upper packer providing the upper cleanup zone; and

a lower packer providing the lower cleanup zone.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a middle packer disposed between the upper and lower packers, the lower packer providing the sampling region.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the sampling region is formed between the upper and lower packers.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the upper cleanup zone is disposed between an upper guard packer section and an upper sampling packer section of the upper packer;

the lower cleanup zone is disposed between a lower guard packer section and a lower sampling packer section of the lower packer; and

the sampling region is disposed between the upper and lower sampling packer regions.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the conveyance comprises one of a wireline, a drill string, and a tubing.

13. A formation fluid sampling tool for obtaining a fluid at a position within a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation, the tool comprising:

a body adapted to be disposed in the wellbore on a conveyance;

one or more expandable packers providing an upper guard interval and a lower guard interval;

a sampling region provided between the upper and lower guard intervals when the one or more expandable packers are expanded into abutting contact with the wellbore wall; and

a sampling flowline in fluid communication with the sampling region for drawing the fluid from the sampling region.

14. The tool of claim 13 wherein:

the upper guard interval comprises an upper cleanup zone disposed between an upper guard packer section and an upper sampling packer section;

the lower guard interval comprises a lower cleanup zone disposed between a lower sampling packer section and a lower guard packer section; and

the sampling region is disposed between the upper sampling packer section and the lower sampling packer section.

15. The tool of claim 14 wherein the upper guard packer section has an axial length greater than that of the upper sampling packer section.

16. The tool of claim 14 wherein the lower guard packer section has an axial length greater than that of the lower sampling packer section.

17. The tool of claim 13 wherein the one or more expandable packers consists of two packers.

18. The tool of claim 13 wherein the one or more expandable packers consists of three packers.

19. The tool of claim 17 wherein the upper guard packer section has an axial length greater than that of the upper sampling packer section.

20. The tool of claim 19 wherein the lower guard packer section has an axial length greater than that of the lower sampling packer section.

21. The tool of claim 13 wherein the conveyance comprises one of a wireline, a drill string, and a tubing.

22. A method for obtaining a fluid sample at a position in a wellbore that penetrates a subterranean formation, the method comprising:

disposing a sampling tool equipped with a packer into the wellbore on a conveyance;

expanding the packer to form a sampling region between an upper guard interval and a lower guard interval;

drawing fluid from the upper and lower guard intervals; and

drawing fluid from the sampling region.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the packer comprises an upper packer and a lower packer.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the packer further comprises a middle packer disposed between the upper and lower packers.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein:

the upper guard interval comprises an upper cleanup zone formed between an upper guard packer section and an upper sampling packer section;

the lower guard interval comprises a lower cleanup zone formed between a lower sample packer section and a lower guard packer section; and

the sampling region is formed between the upper and the lower sampling packer sections.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the packer comprises an upper and a lower packer.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the packer further comprises a middle packer disposed between the upper and lower packers.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the conveyance comprises one of a wireline, a drill string, and a tubing.