Integrated fiber optic monitoring system for a wellsite and method of using same

• US 9,074,462 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shell USA Incorporated (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Pearce, Jeremiah Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Stahl, Mike
• Application Number:
  US14/003,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20130336612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/017 Protecting measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/107 using acoustic means
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/113 using electrical indications; using light radiations
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/135 using light waves, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet waves
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4415 Cables for special applications G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence

Abstract

Integrated fiber optic monitoring techniques for a wellsite are provided. A fiber optic cable is provided with a tubular housing having a channel and a plurality of slots, a plurality of optical fibers may be floatingly positionable in the channel for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter and a plurality of optical fibers fixedly may be positionable in each of the slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter. The tubular housing is positionable into a wellbore adjacent a tubing therein. Pairs of the fixed and floating optical fibers may be spliced together to perform Stimulated Brillouin measurements.

Claims

1. An integrated fiber optic cable for a wellsite having a tubing positionable in a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable into the wellbore adjacent the tubing;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter; and

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter, wherein said housing has an internal channel and external slots and wherein said floating fibers are disposed in said channel and said fixed fibers are disposed in said slots.

2. The integrated fiber optic cable of claim 1, wherein the tubular housing has at least one flat surface positionable adjacent the tubing whereby an orientation of the tubular housing against the tubing is maintained.

3. An integrated fiber optic cable for a wellsite having a tubing positionable in a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable into the wellbore adjacent the tubing;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter; and

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter, wherein at least one of the plurality of floating optical fibers is coupled to a sensor for measuring the at least one wellsite parameter.

4. An integrated fiber optic cable for a wellsite having a tubing positionable in a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable into the wellbore adjacent the tubing;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter; and

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter, wherein pairs of the plurality of fixed optical fibers and the plurality of floating optical fibers are selectively coupled whereby an optical loop is formed for transmitting therebetween.

5. An integrated fiber optic cable for a wellsite having a tubing positionable in a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable into the wellbore adjacent the tubing;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter; and

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter, wherein the plurality of fixed optical fibers measure at least one wellsite parameter using one of Stimulated Brillouin techniques, Fiber Bragg Gratings, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) measurements and combinations thereof.

6. An integrated fiber optic cable for a wellsite having a tubing positionable in a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable into the wellbore adjacent the tubing;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter; and

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter, wherein the floating optical fibers are disposed in a gel and the fixed optical fibers are adhered to the housing.

7. The integrated fiber optic cable of claim 6, wherein the first and second wellsite parameters are selected from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, acoustics, curvature, bend, strain and combinations thereof.

8. A fiber optic monitoring system for a wellsite, the fiber optic cable comprising:

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable at the wellsite;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter;

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter; and

at least one surface interrogation unit operatively couplable to the fiber optic cable for sending optical signals into at least one of said floating and fixed optical fibers and receiving a return signal indicative of a measured wellsite parameter.

9. The integrated fiber optic monitoring system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of splices for selectively splicing together pairs of the plurality of fixed optical fibers and the plurality of floating optical fibers.

10. A method of monitoring a wellsite, the method comprising:

a) positioning a fiber optic cable at the wellsite, the fiber optic cable comprising;

a tubular housing having at least one of either an internal longitudinal channel or a plurality of external longitudinal slots, the tubular housing positionable at the wellsite;

a plurality of floating optical fibers floatingly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one first wellsite parameter;

a plurality of fixed optical fibers fixedly positionable in at least one of said channel or slots for measuring at least one second wellsite parameter;

b) measuring at least one wellsite parameter by sending optical signals into at least one of said floating and fixed optical fibers and receiving a return signal indicative of a measured wellsite parameter; and

c) transmitting the measured wellsite parameter to a surface interrogation unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fiber optic cable includes an optical loop formed by selectively splicing pairs of the plurality of fixed optical fibers and the plurality of floating optical fibers.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a shape of the cable from the measured wellsite parameter.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the fixed optical fibers and the floating optical fibers have different sensitivities to different types of acoustic modes and waves, further comprising the step of comparing the measurements taken by fixed optical fibers and the floating optical fibers.

14. The method of claim 10, further including the step of interrogating the fixed optical fibers and the floating optical fibers simultaneously, decoupling the optical signals received as a result of the interrogation, and using the decoupled signals to obtain a seismic profile.

15. The method of claim 10, further including the step of performing distributed acoustic sensing using one of the fixed fibers.