SUBSURFACE FIBER OPTIC STIMULATION-FLOW METER

• US 20160138389A1
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Stokely, Christopher Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,087,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/107 using acoustic means
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/135 using light waves, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/14 using acoustic waves

Abstract

A system is provided that includes a fiber optic cable and a fiber optic interrogator. The fiber optic cable contains acoustical sensors that can be positioned in stimulation fluid in a wellbore. The fiber optic interrogator can determine flow rate of the stimulation fluid based on signals from the fiber optic cable.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

fiber optic cables that include stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors positionable in a well for rejecting common mode noise while acoustically measuring stimulation fluid flow.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a stimulation flow rate fiber optic interrogator connectable to the fiber optic cables for receiving signals from the fiber optic cables representing acoustically sensed information of the stimulation fluid.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic cables are coupled to the tubing and the stimulation fluid is fracturing fluid usable in a subterranean formation fracturing operation.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the tubing is retrievable wireline.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the fiber optic cables are mounted inside of the tubing and include a first fiber optic cable by a wireline deployment and a second fiber optic cable by a non-wireline deployment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic cables include a first fiber optic cable and a second fiber optic cable positioned at a different angular position external to the tubing than the first fiber optic cable.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a stimulation flow rate fiber optic interrogator that is responsive to signals received from the fiber optic cables by (i) determining a difference in the signals for rejecting common mode noise and (ii) determining flow rate of the stimulation fluid in the wellbore.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic cables are in a cable housing and the stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors are periodically exposed from the cable housing in the wellbore.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensor includes multiple stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors spaced periodically along the fiber optic cables and that respond to acoustic energy in the wellbore by acoustically sensing flow of stimulation fluid separately in different zones of the wellbore.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors include a fiber Bragg grating.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors include a coiled portion of the fiber optic cable that includes a spooled sub-portion of the fiber optic cable.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic cables are positioned external to a casing.

13. A system, comprising:

a fiber optic cable containing distributed stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors that are responsive to acoustic energy from stimulation fluid in a wellbore by modifying light signals in accordance with the acoustic energy; and

a stimulation flow rate fiber optic interrogator that is responsive to modified light signals from the fiber optic cable by determining flow rate of the stimulation fluid based on signals from the fiber optic cable.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the fiber optic cable is coupled to tubing in the wellbore.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the distributed stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors include a fiber Bragg grating.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the distributed stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors include coiled and spooled portions.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the distributed stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors are positionable in separate zones in the wellbore.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the fiber optic cable includes at least two fiber optic cables that include the distributed stimulation fluid flow acoustic sensors for rejecting common mode noise in acoustically measuring stimulation fluid flow.

19. A method, comprising:

acoustically sensing energy in stimulation fluid in a wellbore by a fiber optic cable; and

providing signals representing sensed energy; and

determining flow rate of the stimulation fluid in the wellbore based on the signals by a fiber optic interrogator.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the fiber optic cable includes at least two fiber optic cables, the method further comprising:

rejecting common mode noise in acoustically measuring stimulation fluid flow using signals from the at least two fiber optic cables.