Reservoir monitoring

• US 6,645,769 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ResMan AS
• Original Assignee: Sinvent AS
• Inventors: Saastad, Ole Widar, Eriksen, Odd Ivar, Lund, Are, Kilaas, Lars, Tayebi, Davoud, Lile, Ole Bernt, Ramstad, Marit Valeur, Sveen, Jostein, Kvernheim, Arne Lund
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cole, Monique T.
• Application Number:
  US09/725,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20010036667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 436/56, 436/27, 507/203, 507/277, 507/907, 166/246, 166/250.01, 166/250.12, 435/29, 435/30
• US Class Current: 436/56
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/03 Specific additives for general use in well-drilling compositions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/241 for hydrocarbon content drilling mud G01N33/2823; drilling per se E21B; prospecting G01V
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2882 Markers marking of fuels C10L1/003
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/007 by detecting gases or particles representative of underground layers at or near the surface analysing earth materials G01N33/24; analysing gases per se G01N
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/13 Tracers or tags

Abstract

A method for monitoring hydrocarbon and water production from different production zones/sections in a hydrocarbon reservoir and/or injection wells and detection of different phenomena such as e.g. local variations in pH, salinity, hydrocarbon composition, temperature, pressure, microorganisms, and the difference between production of formation and/or injection water from various zones/sections. The method includes dividing regions around wells in the reservoir into a number of zones/sections, and injecting or placing specific tracers with unique characteristics for each zone/section into the formation in these regions such that tracers are placed as integrated parts of the well completion or placed and immobilized in these regions through injection, squeeze or by other techniques. The tracers can also be immobilized or placed on a filter, a casing or other constructions surrounding the well in each zone/section. The tracers are specific or introduced to give specific information from each zone/section. The method further includes chemically immobilizing or integrating the tracers in the formation or constructions or filters around the wells, the tracers (tracer carriers) being chemically intelligent and released as a function of specific events, and detecting the tracers downstream providing information about the various zones/sections. The method may be used in a local alarm system for water breakthrough or for improved oil and gas recovery (IOR) in horizontal production and injection wells.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring hydrocarbon and water production from different production zones/sections in a hydrocarbon reservoir and/or injection wells and detection of different phenomena, the method comprising:

dividing regions around wells in the reservoir into a number of zones/sections;

injecting or placing specific tracers with unique characteristics for each zone/section into a formation in these regions such that the tracers are placed as integrated parts of the well completion or placed and immobilized in these regions through injection, squeeze or by other techniques, or the tracers can be immobilized or placed on a filter, a casing or constructions surrounding the well in each zone/section, the tracers being specific or introduced to provide specific information from each zone/section;

chemically immobilizing or integrating the tracers in the formation, constructions or filters around the wells, the tracers being chemically intelligent and released as a function of specific events;

immobilizing or integrating the tracers by using a polymer designed to adhere to the formation, the constructions or the filters, wherein the tracers are covalently linked or linked by ionic interactions to the polymers, and the tracers can also be contained in the polymer matrix; and

detecting the tracers downstream so as to provide information about the various zones/sections.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using fluid intelligent tracers, the tracers being released upon contact with either an oil, gas or water flow.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising using various perfluorinated hydrocarbons encapsulated in polymer matrixes or particles, the matrixes or particles being sensitive to water and hydrocarbon, respectively, as fluid intelligent tracers.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising releasing the tracers from the polymer by breaking the binding between the polymer and the tracer.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising releasing the tracers by degradation of the polymer, resulting in small oligomers or chemicals containing tracers in the production stream.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling the degradation of polymer particles by using specially defined cross-linkers, the cross-linkers being modified so as to be sensitive towards specific events.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the specific events include pH, temperature, water or special chemicals added to the zones/sections.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tracer is an oligonucleotide with special functional groups.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing short time and/or long time monitoring of the various zones/sections in the hydrocarbon reservoir by using a first group of tracers and a second group of tracers, wherein the first group of tracers are released over a short period of time and the second group of tracers are released gradually over a long period of time.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring sudden events occurring in the various zones/sections in the hydrocarbon reservoir by using tracers, the tracers being released suddenly in response to changes in the local surroundings of the tracer.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tracers comprise fluorescent, phosphorescent, magnetic particles or fluids, colored particles, DNA or microorganisms.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising isolating and/or detecting the tracers by optical, spectroscopic, chromatographic, acoustic, magnetic, capacitive, PCR or microwave techniques, or by any combination of these techniques.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different phenomena, which are detected, include local variations in pH, salinity, hydrocarbon composition, temperature, pressure, microorganisms, and a difference between production of formation and/or injection water from the various zones/sections.

14. A method of monitoring hydrocarbon and water production from different production zones/sections in a hydrocarbon reservoir and/or injection wells and detection of different phenomena, the method comprising:

dividing regions around wells in the reservoir into a number of zones/sections;

injecting or placing specific tracers with unique characteristics for each zone/section into a formation in these regions such that the tracers are placed as integrated parts of the well completion or placed and immobilized in these regions through injection, squeeze or by other techniques, or the tracers can be immobilized or placed on a filter, a casing or constructions surrounding the well in each zone/section, the tracers being specific or introduced to provide specific information from each zone/section;

chemically immobilizing or integrating the tracers in the formation or constructions or filters around the wells, the tracers being chemically intelligent and released as a function of specific events;

injecting specific triggers into the formation through the injection system triggering the release of tracers; and

detecting the tracers downstream so as to provide information about the various zones/sections.

15. A method of monitoring hydrocarbon and water production from different production zones/sections in a hydrocarbon reservoir and/or injection wells and detection of different phenomena, the method comprising:

dividing regions around wells in the reservoir into a number of zones/sections;

injecting or placing specific tracers with unique characteristics for each zone/section into a formation in these regions such that the tracers are placed as integrated parts of the well completion or placed and immobilized in these regions through injection, squeeze or by other techniques, or the tracers can be immobilized or placed on a filter, a casing or constructions surrounding the well in each zone/section, the tracers being specific or introduced to provide specific information from each zone/section;

chemically immobilizing or integrating the tracers in the formation or constructions or filters around the wells, the tracers being chemically intelligent and released as a function of specific events;

detecting the tracers downstream so as to provide information about the various zones/sections; and

detecting the presence of microorganisms in the different zones/sections by using different fluorogenic and/or chromogenic enzyme substrates as tracers, the substrates and the fluorogenic/chromogenic part being cleaved by extracellular enzymes produced by the microorganisms in the reservoir.