Method and apparatus for a tubing conveyed perforating guns fire identification system using fiber optics

• US 6,955,217 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Clark, John, Oag, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bomar, Shane
• Application Number:
  US10/440,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20040020645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 166/55, 166/55.1, 166/66, 166/250.01, 166/297, 73/351.4, 731/525.9, 250/259
• US Class Current: 166/250.01
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/11857 firing indication systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/113 using electrical indications; using light radiations

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining whether a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun has fired by detecting a change in characteristics of the flow of an oil well. A method and apparatus detects the presence of fluorescent tracer dye to determine whether or not a TCP gun has fired. The method and apparatus detects a change is capacitance, or fiber optic electrical properties to determine whether or not a TCP gun has fired. The method and apparatus detects the number of charges fired to determine whether or not all TCP guns have fired and also provides a method and apparatus for determining the contributions of injection wells to producing wells by introducing fluorescent tracers into injection wells and detecting the presence of the fluorescent tracers at production wells. A method and apparatus is provided for placing fluorescent dye particles in a gravel pack to sense when a gravel pack is deteriorating by detecting the tracer dye particles in the well flow.

Claims

1. A method for detecting detonation of a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun in a wellbore comprising:

(a) placing a sensor in a wellbore;

(b) detonating a TCP charge; and

(c) detecting a change in an electrical property of a sleeve surrounding the TCP charge indicative of detonation of the TCP charge.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a tracer module containing a fluorescent tracer dye.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of detecting detonation of the TCP charge in further comprising sensing tracer dye released from the tracer module upon detonation of the TCP charge.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises a fibre optic sleeve surrounding a TCP charge string in the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of detecting detonating of the TCP charge in further comprising sensing changes in the electrical properties of the fibre optic sleeve upon detonation of the TCP charge.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an acoustic sensor in the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of detecting detonation of the TCP charge further comprises acoustically sensing detonation of the TCP charge.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises a material that changes capacitance when the TCP charge detonates.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein material is removed from the sleeve when the TCP charge detonates.

10. An apparatus for detecting detonation of a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun in a wellbore comprising:

a TCP charge and detonator deployed in the well bore;

a sleeve surrounding the TCP charge and

a detonation sensitive device that senses a change in an electrical property of the sleeve to indicate the detonation of the TCP charge.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the detonation sensitive device comprises a fluorescent tracer dye module that releases the dye upon detonation of the TCP charge, the apparatus further comprising a fluorescent dye detector for sensing release of the fluorescent dye.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sleeve comprises a fibre optic sleeve adjacent the TCP charge that changes electrical properties upon detonation of the TCP charge, the apparatus further comprising a sensor for detecting changes in the electrical properties of the fibre optic sleeve upon detonation of the TCP charge.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the detonation sensitive device comprises an acoustic sensor that acoustically senses detonation of the TCP charge.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sleeve comprises a material that changes capacitance when the TCP charge detonates.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein material is removed from the sleeve when the TCP charge detonates.

16. A system for detecting detonation of a tubing conveyed perforating (TCP) gun in a wellbore comprising:

a drill string comprising a TCP charge and detonator deployed in the well bore;

a sleeve surrounding the TCP charge; and

a detonation sensitive device that senses a change in an electrical property of the sleeve to indicate the detonation of the TCP charge.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sleeve comprises a fibre optic sleeve adjacent the TCP charge that changes electrical properties upon detonation of the TCP charge, the apparatus further comprising a sensor for detecting changes in the electrical properties of the fibre optic sleeve upon detonation of the TCP charge.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sleeve comprises a material that changes capacitance when the TCP charge detonates.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein material is removed from the sleeve when the TCP charge detonates.