Method for the determination of inflow of oil and/or gas into a well

• US 5,892,147 A
• Filed: 06/27/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Statoil Petroleum As (Asa Equinor)
• Original Assignee: Norsk Hydro Asa (Norsk Hydro)
• Inventors: Garnes, Jan Magne, Anastasios, Siamos
• Primary Examiner(s): Dombroske, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US08/883,955
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 73/152.14, 73/152.36, 73/152.39
• US Class Current: 73/152.14
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/117 Shaped-charge perforators E21B43/118 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/119 Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/111 using radioactivity

Abstract

A procedure to determine the inflow of oil and/or gas from an oil and/or gas reservoir under the surface of the Earth into a wellbore in the reservoir. Traceable material with different identifying characteristics, e.g. different radioactive isotopes, is separately inserted or arranged in connection with different zones, places or regions along the length of the well. During production of oil and/or gas identification of the amount of the individual traceable materials permits the calculation of the amount of oil and/or gas flowing into the well at a particular place, zone or region of the well. The traceable material may be a radioactive isotope or genetically coded material.

Claims

1. A method of determining the inflow of oil and/or gas from an oil and/or gas reservoir into a well having a borehole, the method comprising:

inserting an inner transport pipe into said borehole, wherein said transport pipe is divided into a plurality of zones;

providing a traceable material at each of said zones, such that each zone is provided with a traceable material having an identifying characteristic which is different from said identifying characteristics of said traceable materials provided at said other zones;

determining amounts of said individually traceable materials recovered during production of the well; and

calculating flows of oil and/or gas into said borehole at locations which correspond to said zones based on the amounts of said individually traceable materials.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said traceable materials, provided at said zones, comprise radioactive isotopes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said traceable materials are provided by mixing said traceable materials with a soluble substance, and coating the mixture on an outer wall surface of said inner transport pipe at each of said zones.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said traceable materials comprise genetically coded materials.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said borehole extends into said reservoir in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

6. A method of determining the inflow of oil and/or gas from an oil and/or gas reservoir into a well having a borehole which extends into the reservoir, the method comprising:

fixing a casing in said borehole;

attaching a plurality of individually traceable materials to explosive charges, respectively, in a perforator gun, wherein each of said traceable materials has an identifying characteristic which is different from the identifying characteristics of the other traceable materials;

inserting said perforator gun into said casing prior to starting production of said well;

exploding said explosive charges simultaneously so as to form perforation holes and to deposit said traceable materials in said perforation holes;

determining amounts of each of the traceable materials recovered during production of the well; and

calculating the flow of oil and/or gas into the well at each location of the well which corresponds to said perforation holes containing said traceable materials.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said traceable materials comprise radioactive isotopes.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said traceable materials comprise genetically coded materials.

9. A method of determining the inflow of oil and/or gas from an oil and/or gas reservoir into a well having a borehole which extends into the reservoir, the method comprising:

fixing a casing in said borehole;

placing a plurality of traceable materials in a plurality of packages, wherein each of said traceable materials has an identifying characteristic which is different from the identifying characteristics of the other traceable materials;

attaching said packages to a plurality of explosive charges, respectively, wherein said explosive charges are provided in a perforator gun;

inserting said perforator gun into said casing prior to starting production of said well;

exploding said explosive charges simultaneously so as to form perforation holes and to deposit said traceable materials in said perforation holes;

determining an amount of each of said traceable materials recovered during production of the well; and

calculating the flow of oil and/or gas flowing into the well at locations which correspond to said perforation holes containing said traceable materials.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said traceable materials comprise radioactive isotopes.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said traceable materials comprise genetically coded materials.