Key information

Title
A method and system for real-time fluid flow monitoring in a wellbore
Application number
20160274
Case type
National
Status
09.04.2018 Patent meddelt (B1)
Filed
16.02.2016
Divided to
20171833
Effective date
16.02.2016
Publicly available
01.08.2017
Next annual fee due
28.02.2027
Applicant
Wellstarter AS (NO)
Owner
WELLSTARTER AS (NO)
Inventor
Jean-Christophe Barbier (NO) et al.
Agent
ZACCO NORWAY AS (NO)
Granted
09.04.2018
Patent number
342159
Expiry date
16.02.2036

Abstract and drawing

Disclaimer: This text has been machine-scanned and may contain errors – please refer to "Publications" for legally binding content.
A method and system of monitoring fluid flow in a wellbore comprises the steps of: inducing distributed-source temperature inputs in at least a portion of the fluid in a volume (14) in the wellbore; sensing a temperature pulse caused by said temperature inputs, at one or more locations downstream of said volume; and calculating the flow rate of said fluid through said volume (14). The flow rate is calculated based on one or more characteristics of said pulse, and the RTD of said volume.

Publications

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 02.08.2018 02-01 Endring av søker/innehaver 2018/10035 UT GH Forespørsel ZACCO NORWAY AS
 02.08.2018 01-01 Endring av søker/innehaver 2018/10035 INN Generell henvendelse ZACCO NORWAY AS
 10.04.2018 25-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT PT Registreringsbrev Nasjonal Patent (15)
19.01.2018 24-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT PT Meddelelse om patent Zacco Norway AS
 02.01.2018 22-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT PT Batch Varsel om betaling av første årsavgift (3317)
19.12.2017 23-04 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 19.12.2017 23-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Beskrivelse ME Zacco Norway AS
 19.12.2017 23-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Beskrivelse Zacco Norway AS
 19.12.2017 23-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 14.12.2017 21-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Realitet patent Zacco Norway AS
 08.12.2017 20-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 08.12.2017 20-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 20.11.2017 19-05 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Beskrivelse ren Zacco Norway AS
 20.11.2017 19-04 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Beskrivelse merket Zacco Norway AS
 20.11.2017 19-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Patenttegninger Zacco Norway AS
 20.11.2017 19-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 20.11.2017 19-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 01.10.2017 18-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Realitet patent Zacco Norway AS
 26.09.2017 17-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 18.07.2017 16-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 08.06.2017 15-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Generelt Brev Patent Zacco Norway AS
 06.06.2017 14-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 16.01.2017 13-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Oppfinnererklæring Zacco Norway AS
 16.01.2017 13-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 21.11.2016 12-04 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Krav merket Zacco Norway AS
 21.11.2016 12-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 21.11.2016 12-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Krav ren Zacco Norway AS
 21.11.2016 12-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 28.08.2016 11-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT PT report 08:37:12
28.08.2016 11-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Engelsk maskinoversettelse SU 804825 A1
28.08.2016 11-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Realitet patent Zacco Norway AS
 04.08.2016 02-01 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/07970 UT GH Forespørsel Zacco Norway AS
 01.08.2016 01-03 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/07970 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 01.08.2016 01-02 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/07970 INN Fullmakt Zacco Norway AS
 01.08.2016 01-01 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/07970 INN Generell henvendelse Zacco Norway AS
 19.05.2016 10-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 19.05.2016 10-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Fullmakt Zacco Norway AS
 19.05.2016 10-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 19.05.2016 02-01 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/03114 INN Brev innkommet 2016.05.19
12.04.2016 09-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Infobrev til oppfinner Zacco Norway AS
 12.04.2016 08-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Mottatt e-post
04.04.2016 07-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 14.03.2016 06-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Formalia 1 Zacco Norway AS
 08.03.2016 05-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Fullmakt Zacco Norway AS
 08.03.2016 05-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Erklæring Søkers rett til oppfinnelse Zacco Norway AS
 08.03.2016 05-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 08.03.2016 01-02 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/03114 INN Fullmakt Zacco Norway AS
 08.03.2016 01-01 Overdragelse av søknad/rettighet 2016/03114 INN Generell henvendelse Zacco Norway AS
 02.03.2016 04-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Infobrev til oppfinner Zacco Norway AS
 28.02.2016 03-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Hovedbrev Zacco Norway AS
 28.02.2016 03-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) Zacco Norway AS
 19.02.2016 02-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 UT Formalia 1 Zacco Norway AS
 16.02.2016 01-03 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Beskrivelse
16.02.2016 01-02 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Tegninger
16.02.2016 01-01 Saksbehandling 20160274 INN Søknadsskjema Patent

Description, claims and drawings

Disclaimer: This text has been machine-scanned and may contain errors – please refer to "Publications" for legally binding content. Description
A real-time fluid monitoring system and method Field of the inventionThe invention concerns the field of monitoring fluids in zones of a wellbore. More specifically, the invention concerns a method and a system for real-time monitoring of fluid parameters, as set out in the preamble of claims 1 and 12, respectively.Background of the inventionHydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from subterranean geologic formations, referred to as reservoirs, by drilling one or more wells that penetrate the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Once a wellbore has been drilled, the well is completed and hydrocarbons may be produced from the well. A completion involves the design, selection, and installation of equipment and materials in or around the wellbore for conveying, pumping, or controlling the production or injection of fluids.Hydrocarbon wells for the exploitation of oil and/or gas from a reservoir normally consist of an upper and outer conductor, which forms the base of the well, an upper casing arranged into and in extension of the conductor, and further down in the well more casings which are arranged into and overlaps the above casing. A production tubing string (often referred to as a production liner) is located in the middle of the well for transporting petroleum from the bottom of the well to the earth's surface or to the sea floor.During production, there is a need to monitor the production inflow profile along the production zone. Production inflow profile is defined as the distributed inflow contributions along the production zone, and several monitoring systems and methods are known in the art. One traditional monitoring technique for obtaining such information is the wireline based Production Logging Tool (PLT).The prior art also includes US 2007/0234788 A1, which describes a method of tracking fluid displacement along a wellbore using real-time temperature measurements. An optical conductor is installed in a wellbore casing and is configured to produce a temperature profile of the fluid flowing along the wellbore. One or more heat sources produce a temperature gradient in at least one fluid composition, and this temperature gradient is monitored along the wellbore by the optical conductor, to track fluid displacement along the wellbore. Due to the substantially different physical properties and rates of heat transfer between the adjacent fluid compositions and the wellbore, a variation in temperature gradient occurs in the wellbore as the interface between the fluid compositions displaces through the wellbore. By observing, in real-time, the position and displacement of the temperature gradient change, the corresponding position, displacement and flow rate of the fluid and its fluid compositions may be determined.The prior art also includes US 2003/0140711 A1, which describes an apparatus comprising a temperature sensor for measuring and providing indication of the temperature of the fluid at least first and second temperature measuring points spaced by a known distance along the conduit; a heat exchanger selectably operable to alter the temperature of the fluid upstream from said temperature measuring points; and a timer, responsive to said output of said temperature sensor to measure the time difference of arrival of the temperature altered fluid at said first and second temperature measuring points. The conduit has a plurality of flow sources, and the apparatus comprises: a plurality of heat exchangers, each heat exchanger being downstream from a respective flow source; the temperature sensor being operative to measure and indicate the temperature at respective first and second points downstream from each heat exchanger; and the timer being operative to measure the time difference of arrival of temperature altered fluid at each respective pair of the first and second temperature measuring points. Thus, this publication describes an apparatus and a method which utilizes “timeof-flight” measurements for determining inflow profiles.The prior art also includes US 5226333 A, US 2013/0000398 A1, and SU 804825 A1, which also describe devices and methods of time-of-flight measurements for determining inflow profiles. In general, time-of-flight systems utilize heat sources that may be located anywhere upstream, and corresponding downstream temperature sensors. Cables are run along completion to cover multiple sensor positions along the production zone.The prior art also includes US 2014/0343908 A1, which describes a method of estimating influx volumes of fluids to a production flow in a well. Tracer sources with unique tracer materials are arranged in fluid communication with two or more of the influx zones, and each tracer material has a predefined short duration release dose. Samples of the production flow are collected at the topside, and the samples are analyzed for identifying types of tracer material and concentration of the identified tracer materials. The calculated influx volumes are utilized as parameters for controlling the production flow or for characterizing the reservoir.It is a need for an improved system and method for monitoring the inflow profile along a wellbore production zone.Summary of the inventionThe invention is set forth and characterized in the main claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention.It is thus provided a method of monitoring fluid flow in a wellbore, characterized by - inducing distributed-source temperature inputs in at least a portion of the fluid in a cavity in the wellbore; said cavity being defined between a housing inner wall and a production liner outer wall; said cavity having a fluid inlet, allowing fluid flow from a formation surrounding the wellbore, and a fluid outlet, allowing fluid flow into the interior of said production liner in the wellbore;said distributed-source temperature inputs being generated by two or more temperature pulse generators configured to induce respective temperature inputs to the fluid or by a singular temperature pulse generator, configured to induce space distributed temperature inputs to the fluid;- sensing a temperature pulse caused by said temperature inputs, at one or more locations inside the production liner downstream of said cavity; and- calculating the flow rate of said fluid through said cavity based on one or more characteristics of said pulse, and the Retention Time Distribution (RTD) of said cavity. The characteristics may be one or more of amplitude, decay, width.A temperature input may comprise a heat input or a cooling input. A heat input may comprise an exothermic process and the cooling input may comprise an endothermic process. A temperature input may comprise the injection of a chemical substance into the fluid. A temperature input may also comprise a tracer material. In one embodiment of the invention, a temperature input is configured to enhance a volume expansion in the fluid. In another embodiment, a temperature input is configured to mitigate volume expansion in the fluid.The temperature inputs may be controlled by a downhole pre-programmed timer device or by pressure signalling from an uphole location.The downhole electronics in the temperature pulse generator may sense the presence of fluid phases (water, oil and gas) and modulate the information onto the temperature pulse shape. The information on phase presence may be extracted from the signal of the downstream temperature sensor(s).It is also provided a system for monitoring fluid flow in a wellbore, characterized by one or more temperature pulse generators arranged in a cavity; said cavity being defined between a housing (15) inner wall and a production liner (1) outer wall; said cavity having a fluid inlet, allowing fluid flow from a formation surrounding the wellbore, and a fluid outlet, allowing fluid flow into the interior of said production liner arranged in the wellbore; said one or more pulse generators being configured to induce space distributed temperature inputs to the fluid; a sensor arranged at a location downstream of said cavity and in fluid communication with the flow inside the production liner; said sensor being configured to sense at least a temperature pulse caused by said temperature inputs; and computing means configured to calculate the flow rate of said fluid based on one or more characteristics of said pulse, and the Retention Time Distribution (RTD) of said cavity.The temperature pulse generators may comprise a first temperature pulse generator and a second temperature pulse generator, arranged in with a distance apart. A temperature pulse generator may comprise a heater element or a cooling element. A temperature pulse generator may comprise a chemical substance or an electrical heater. A temperature pulse generator may be powered and controlled via control lines from an uphole location. A temperature pulse generator may be powered and controlled by a downhole power and control module.The sensor may comprise real-time downstream sensors for other parameters (such as salinity). The sensor may be arranged in the production liner and be a Permanent Downhole Gauge (PDG).While the prior art is based on the exploitation of how temperature in fluid compositions develop along the wellbore as fluids are flowing, the invention comprises a system and methods for inducing a certain temperature change (i.e. heating or cooling) in a volume at a location in the wellbore where retention times are: (i) long compared to retention times elsewhere in the flow system and (ii) dependent of the flow rate passing through a cavity having a given volume.The ensuing temperature change in the fluid may be sensed at any position(s) downstream of where the temperature change was induced. In one embodiment, the temperature change is sensed at a pre-installed Permanent Downhole Gauge (PDG), a device which is commonly installed in the lower part of the upper completion of most wells. The invention may provide real-time temperature data as often as every second. Using a PDG as the temperature sensor is advantageous as it is already installed, and will thus not represent any additional cost.While the prior art relies on the tracing of a single-point-source temperature gradient distribution downstream along the well, by taking temperature measurements at several downstream locations, the invention comprises the measurement of a distributed-source (time or space) temperature wave with essentially a single-point downstream temperature sensor. The invention is not dependent on an optical fibre (conductor) or any other sensor array extending the length of the production zone, as in the prior art, but may utilize sensor equipment already installed in the wellbore.Brief description of the drawingsThese and other characteristics of the invention will become clear from the following description of an embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached schematic drawings, wherein:Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the invention, installed in a subterranean wellbore;Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the area marked “B” in figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the area marked “C” in figure 2;Figure 4 is a plot of temperature signals (temperature vs. time) as sensed at a downstream sensor, for different fluid flow rates through the volume of induced temperature pulse;Figure 5 is a signal analysis plot, illustrating the linear relationship between signal amplitude and fluid flow rate, and between decay zone exponential factor and fluid flow rate;Figure 6a is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the invention, Figure 6b is a cross-section along the section line A-A in figure 6a; andFigure 7 is similar to figure 3, but illustrates another embodiment of the invention.Detailed description of an embodimentThe following description may use terms such as “horizontal”, “vertical”, “lateral”, “back and forth”, “up and down”, ”upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “forward”, “rear”, etc. These terms generally refer to the views and orientations as shown in the drawings and that are associated with a normal use of the invention. The terms are used for the reader’s convenience only and shall not be limiting.Figure 1 illustrates a production liner 1 installed in a subterranean wellbore 16 having a wall 3 against a formation (not shown as such) surrounding the wellbore. The figure illustrates a wellbore having a vertical portion 17 (e.g. an upper completion), extending upwards to uphole control and processing facilities (not shown), and a horizontal section 18 having a “heel” 18a and a “toe” 18b. The invention shall not, however, be limited to wellbores having this configuration, but is applicable to wellbores of any orientation and inclination. Also, required lines and means to provide power, control and other signals between the downhole equipment and an uphole location are not shown, as these per se are well known in the art.A portion of the wellbore extends through a reservoir 8. The reservoir extends through several production zones 9a-c, each of which may have varying contribution characteristics. Each production zone produces fluid inflows F1, F2, F3 of varying flow rates and compositions. The zones 9a-c are separated by packers 7; however, these are optional.Referring additionally to figure 2, each production zone the production liner 1 comprises a housing 15 defining a cavity 14 between the housing inner wall and the liner outer wall. In a practical embodiment, this cavity may thus form an annulus around the production liner 1, but the cavity may have other shapes. A sand screen 4, forming a plurality of openings in the housing, allow fluid flow (i.e. produced fluids) F1, F2 from the surrounding formation and into the respective cavity 14. Perforations 5 in the liner wall allows the fluid to flow into the liner interior, and further towards the well heel and towards uphole facilities, as indicated by the arrow F in figures 1 and 2.Arranged inside the cavity 14 are two temperature pulse generators 6a,b that are configured to induce temperature inputs into the fluid flowing through the cavity. The temperature inputs may be adding heat to the fluid, or may be removing heat from the fluid (i.e. cooling it), in manners that are described below. A temperature pulse generator may thus be a cooling element or a heating element. The temperature pulse generators may be remotely controlled and powered, or may be pre-programmed to generate the temperature input at predetermined intervals. Referring additionally to figure 3, in the illustrated embodiment, a first temperature pulse generator 6a is arranged at a distance d from a second temperature pulse generator 6b. The temperature pulse generators are configured to induce individual temperature inputs (heating or cooling) in the fluid F flowing through the cavity 14, whether the fluids are injected fluids or fluids produced from the surrounding formation. Two temperature inputs may thus be induced in the fluid, one by each temperature pulse generator 6a,b, generating a temperature wave. The temperature wave is discussed below, with reference to i.a. figure 4.It should be understood that the two (or more) temperature inputs in a given production zone are preferably induced (triggered) simultaneously. Asynchronous triggering within a zone is conceivable, but will require additional software in order to factor the time difference into the ensuing computations. However, the asynchronous triggering will enable the option of modulating fluid phase information on to the temperature pulse. The temperature pulse generators in one production zone are thus synchronized with each other, but the temperature pulse generators in each production zone 9a-c are excited in a sequence to avoid ambiguities in the subsequent downstream measurements of the respective temperature waves.It should be understood that the volume of the cavity 14, Vc, is predetermined and is used in the calibration of a retention time flow loop model. For a given flow rate (q) through the volume Vc, the temperature decay may be expressed as:where T0 is the initial temperature and k1 and k2 are empirical constants.Also, ideally, each of the cavities 14 (in the various production zones 9a-c) has the same volume, but this is not a requirement: the subsequent simulations based on the sensed temperature wave may utilize the relative differences in the temperature wave produced in the different cavities.Arranged a distance downstream of the housings 15 is a sensor 2 (see figure 1), placed such that it is in fluid communication with the flow F inside the production liner 1. The sensor 2 may be any suitable sensor known in the art configured to sense such parameters as fluid pressure, temperature, radioactivity, salinity, etc. The invention thus provides for a measurement of a distributed-source (time or space) temperature wave with a single-point downstream temperature sensor.In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor 2 is a so-called Permanent Downhole Gauge (PDG; necessary power, control and signal lines to an uphole location are not illustrated). The invention shall not be limited to this type of sensor, however, an also not to the number of sensors. In principle, the temperature wave may be sensed at any position(s) downstream of where the temperature change was induced.By an appropriate design and dimensioning of such parameters as the cavity 14 volume and perforation 5, the flow retention time inside the cavity, and thus the flow rate through the cavity, may be optimised to suit characteristics of the temperature pulse generator(s). Advantageously, the design and dimensioning is preferably such that the flow retention times are long compared to retention times elsewhere in the flow system, and such that the flow retention time is dependent of the flow rate through the cavity. When the two (or more) temperature inputs are induced into the flow by the temperature pulse generators 6a,b, a temperature wave is formed, having a characteristic Retention Time Distribution (RTD) that modulates the shape of the wave in the liner 1. With the appropriate design, the RTD will depend mainly on the flow rate of the fluids flowing into the cavity 14.Figure 4 is a plot of heat waves (temperature vs. time) for different flow rates for fluid flowing through a cavity 14, as measured by the sensor 2 and processed by suitable flow simulator software. One example of such software is the OLGA dynamic flow simulator. Information about the fluid flow may be extracted from the pulse (wave) shape, which is determined by the RTD: pulse width, pulse decay (pulse shape modulation) and pulse amplitude (amplitude modulation). Figure 4 shows that the pulse amplitude is proportional with flow rate, and that the pulse width and decay both are inversely proportional with flow rate. The plots also show that the distance between the peaks (caused by the two distinct temperature inputs induced by the simultaneously triggered, but spatially separated, respective temperature pulse generators) decrease with increasing flow rate. For example, S1 and S2 indicate the respective peaks for the 4 m3/h flow rate.Figure 5 shows that the pulse amplitude and decay zone exponential factor exhibit almost linear relationships with respect to fluid flow rate, with deviations only in the range of 5 to 10%.Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in figures 6a and 6b. Figure 6a show produced fluids F flow into the housing 15 through a sand screen 4. An inflow control device (ICD) 19, having a plurality of through-going nozzles 11, is arranged inside the housing, effectively dividing the cavity 14 into a first cavity 14a and a second cavity 14b. The nozzles 11 are designed to equalize zonal flow rates, but will also ensure the desired cavity retention time for the fluid, and thus define a known RTD for the cavity 14 as a whole. A plurality of perforations 5 allow the fluid to flow from the second cavity 14b and into the production liner 1. Also arranged in the ICD 19 are first temperature pulse generators 6a and second temperature pulse generators 6b, interconnected by a synchronization line 13. Reference number 12 indicates (schematically) a power pack (e.g. a battery) and trigger electronics. Figure 6a thus illustrates a similar principle of that described above with reference to figures 1-3, namely that the first temperature pulse generator 6a is arranged at a distance from a second temperature pulse generator 6b. In the figure 6a, the first temperature pulse generator 6a is arranged in thermal connection with the fluid in the second cavity 14b, and the second temperature pulse generator 6b is arranged in thermal connection with the fluid in the first cavity 14a. This ensures a distributed-source (in space) temperature wave, as described above. The resulting temperature wave is sensed by a downstream sensor in same manner as described above with reference to the sensor 2 in figure 1. The above descriptions use the ICD completion setup as an embodiment. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to this, but may also be used for simpler completion setups like predrilled and slotted liners. It should also be noted that although a system having more than two temperature pulse generators would also provide a useful temperature wave (and in fact be closer to an ideal temperature distribution), such plurality of temperature pulse generators is for most cases considered impractical and unnecessary. Generating two temperature inputs is sufficient for obtaining the temperature wave described above with reference to figure 4.Figure 6b shows that the ICD 19 in the illustrated embodiment comprises five sets 61-5 of first 6a and second 6b temperature pulse generators. These individual sets may be activated separately, at predetermined or otherwise controlled intervals. For example, one set may be activated every six months, giving the ICD a useful lifespan of 2.5 years. If the temperature pulse generators are powered from an uphole location, in addition to or in lieu of the battery pack 12, the number of times a set might be activated will increase.As discussed above, a temperature pulse generator may be configured to heat or cool the fluid flowing through the cavity 14. As such, the temperature pulse generator may comprise one or more chemical substances that cause an exothermic reaction (i.e. releasing heat), or an endothermic reaction (in which energy is absorbed from the fluid, causing a temperature drop). The chemical reaction may be caused when chemical substances carried in the temperature pulse generator are mixed (before or during ejection into the produced fluids), or/and the chemical reaction may occur between one or more of the chemical substances and the produced fluids. The chemical substance may comprise a tracer material (e.g. an isotopic tracer or chemical tracer) which can be sensed by the downstream sensor(s), and the different tracers may be used in different production zones, whereby responses originating from each zone may be uniquely identified. The chemical substances may comprise liquids, gases, solids, or a combination of these.Also, the temperature pulse generator may comprise mechanical heating or cooling means, or electrical heating or cooling means. For example, an electrical heater having one or more resistance wires are conceivable, particularly in a configuration in which the heater is powered via an electrical wire from an uphole power source.Turning now to figure 7, the dual, distributed-source temperature inputs (time or space) may also be generated by a singular temperature pulse generator 6’. Using only one temperature pulse generator in this manner, the distributed-source temperature inputs may be generated by injecting (e.g. jetting) one or more chemically reactive substances into the fluid, thereby creating a space distribution in the fluid F.In another embodiment, the singular temperature pulse generator 6’ may comprise one or more heating elements controllable to generate varying inputs of heat along the length l. The singular temperature pulse generator 6’ may also comprise a resistance wire having a length l, thereby creating a space distribution in the fluid F.When temperature input (by one or more of two temperature pulse generators) is provided in the form of a heat input into the fluid flowing through the cavity 14, gas entrained in the fluid will expand; to an extent determined by the added energy. In certain circumstances, if the temperature increase is sufficiently high, liquid phase components may evaporate and form gas in the fluid. In addition, the chemical reactions described above may generate various gases that will affect the fluid flow. These generated gases will depend on the chemical substances used. The principle of gas formation and/or expansion in produced fluids are well known in the art, and has been utilised extensively for decades in so-called “gas lift” systems; i.e. to displace fluids (including mud) and enhance production in a wellbore.The invented system may be used as a “displacement generator”; effectively a gas lift system, by operating the temperature pulse generators in the various production zones in a selective and controlled manner to stimulate production or to provide an initial “kick” in a stagnant flow. Monitoring the respective temperature waves (at the downstream sensor 2) will provide an indication of that the zone in fact is producing (i.e. produced fluid flow is present in the respective cavity). Tracer materials (e.g. isotopic tracers), as described above, may also be used for this purpose.In other situations, the gas formation and/expansion described above is an unwanted effect of the heating input. This effect can be mitigated by operating two sets of temperature pulse generators in successive heating and cooling sequences. For example, a heat input by a first temperature pulse generator set 6a,b may be succeeded by a cooling input by the second temperature pulse generator set 6a,b.In the multiphase case it may be interesting to send message to surface about events like water and gas breakthroughs. There are, especially for water, simple monitoring methods like resistivity sensors that may more or less directly indicate if water is present (in contrast to oil and gas).
Claims
Claims1. A method of monitoring fluid flow in a wellbore (16), characterized by- inducing distributed-source temperature inputs in at least a portion of the fluid in a cavity (14; 14a,b) in the wellbore; said cavity being defined between a housing (15) inner wall and a production liner (1) outer wall; said cavity having a fluid inlet (4), allowing fluid flow from a formation surrounding the wellbore, and a fluid outlet (5), allowing fluid flow into the interior of said production liner (1) in the wellbore; said distributed-source temperature inputs being generated by two or more temperature pulse generators (6a,b) configured to induce respective temperature inputs to the fluid or by a singular temperature pulse generator (6’), configured to induce space distributed temperature inputs to the fluid;- sensing a temperature pulse caused by said temperature inputs, at one or more locations inside the production liner (1) downstream of said cavity (14; 14a,b); and - calculating the flow rate of said fluid through said cavity (14; 14a,b) based on one or more characteristics of said pulse, and the Retention Time Distribution (RTD) of said cavity.2. The method of claim 1,wherein said characteristics are one or more of amplitude, decay, width.3. The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein a temperature input comprises a heat input or a cooling input.4. The method of claim 3, wherein a heat input comprises an exothermic process and the cooling input comprises an endothermic process.5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein a temperature input comprises the injection of a chemical substance into the fluid.6. The method of any one of claims 1- 5, wherein a temperature input comprises a tracer material.7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein a temperature input is configured to enhance a volume expansion in the fluid.8. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein a temperature input is configured to mitigate volume expansion in the fluid.9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the temperature inputs are controlled by a downhole pre-programmed timer device or by pressure signalling from an uphole location.10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the downhole electronics in the temperature pulse generator senses the presence of fluid phases (water, oil and gas) and modulates the information onto the temperature pulse shape.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information on phase presence are extracted from the signal of the downstream temperature sensor(s).12. A system for monitoring fluid flow in a wellbore (16), characterized by- one or more temperature pulse generators (6a,b; 6’) arranged in a cavity (14; 14a,b); said cavity being defined between a housing (15) inner wall and a production liner (1) outer wall; said cavity having a fluid inlet (4), allowing fluid flow from a formation surrounding the wellbore, and a fluid outlet (5), allowing fluid flow into the interior of said production liner (1) arranged in the wellbore; said one or more pulse generator being configured to induce space distributed temperature inputs to the fluid;- a sensor (2) arranged at a location downstream of said cavity (14; 14a,b) and in fluid communication with the flow inside the production liner (1); said sensor being configured to sense at least a temperature pulse caused by said temperature inputs; and - computing means configured to calculate the flow rate of said fluid based on one or more characteristics of said pulse, and the Retention Time Distribution (RTD) of said cavity.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the temperature pulse generators comprise a first temperature pulse generator (6a) and a second temperature pulse generator (6b), arranged in with a distance (d) apart.14. The system of any one of claims 12-13, wherein a temperature pulse generator comprises a heater element or a cooling element.15. The system of any one of claims 12-14, wherein a temperature pulse generator comprises a chemical substance or an electrical heater.16. The system of any one of claims 12-15, wherein a temperature pulse generator is powered and controlled via control lines from an uphole location.17. The system of any one of claims 12-15, wherein a temperature pulse generator is powered and controlled by a downhole power and control module (12).18. The system of any one of claims 12-17, wherein said sensor comprises real-time downstream sensors for other parameters (such as salinity).19. The system of any one of claims 12-18, wherein the sensor (2) is arranged in the production liner (1).20. The system of any one of claims 12-19, wherein the sensor (2) is a Permanent Downhole Gauge (PDG).Patentkrav1. En fremgangsmåte for overvåking av fluidstrømning i en brønnboring (16), karakterisert ved- indusere distribuert-kilde ("distributed-source") temperaturinputs i i det minste et parti av fluidet i et hulrom (14; 14a,b) i brønnboringen; der nevnte hulrom er avgrenset mellom et hus’ (15) innervegg og et produksjonsrørs ("liner") (1) yttervegg; der nevnte hulrom har et fluidinnløp (4) som tillater fluidstrømning fra en formasjon som omgir brønnboringen, og et fluidutløp (5) som tillater fluidstrøm inn i det indre av produksjonsrøret ("liner") (1) i brønnboringen;idet nevnte distribuert-kilde temperaturinputs genereres av to eller flere temperaturpulsgeneratorer (6a,b) konfigurert for å indusere respektive temperaturinputs til fluidet eller av en enkelt temperaturpulsgenerator (6’) konfigurert til å indusere romdistribuerte temperaturinputs til fluidet;- sense en temperaturpuls forårsaket av nevnte temperaturinputs, ved en eller flere lokasjoner i produksjonsrøret (1) nedstrøms av nevnte hulrom (14; 14a,b); og- beregne strømningsraten til nevnte fluid gjennom nevnte hulrom (14; 14a,b) basert på ett eller flere særtrekk ved nevnte puls, og "Retention Time Distribution" (RTD) til nevnte hulrom.2. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til krav 1, der nevnte særtrekk er en eller flere av amplitude, tilbakegang ("decay"), bredde.3. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-2, der et temperaturinput omfatter et varmeinput eller et kjøleinput.4. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til krav 3, der et varmeinput omfatter en eksoterm prosess og kjøleinput omfatter en endoterm prosess.5. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-4, der et temperaturinput omfatter injiseringen av en kjemisk substans inn i fluidet.6. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-5, der et temperaturinput omfatter et sporingsmateriale ("tracer material").7. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-6, der et temperaturinput er konfigurert til å forsterke en volumekspansjon i fluidet.8. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-6, der et temperaturinput er konfigurert til å dempe en volumekspansjon i fluidet.9. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-8, der temperaturinputs styres av en nedihulls, forhåndsprogrammert timeranordning eller ved trykksignalering fra en lokasjon på overflaten over brønnboringen ("uphole").10. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 1-9, der nedihullselektronikken i temperaturpulsgeneratoren senser nærværet av fluidfaser (vann, olje og and gass) og modulerer informasjonen på temperaturpulsformen.11. Fremgangsmåten i henhold til krav 10, der informasjonen om fasenærvær ekstraheres fra signalet ved nedstrøms temperatursensor(er).12. Et system for overvåking av fluidstrømning i en brønnboring (16), karakterisert ved- én eller flere temperaturpulsgeneratorer (6a,b; 6’) arrangert i et hulrom (14; 14a,b); der nevnte hulrom er avgrenset mellom et hus’ (15) innervegg og et produksjonsrørs ("liner") (1) yttervegg; der nevnte hulrom har et fluidinnløp (4) som tillater fluidstrømning fra en formasjon som omgir brønnboringen, og et fluidutløp (5) som tillater fluidstrøm inn i det indre av produksjonsrøret ("liner") (1) i brønnboringen, der nevnte én eller flere pulsgeneratorer er konfigurert til å indusere romdistribuerte temperaturinputs til fluidet;- en sensor (2) arrangert ved en lokasjon nedstrøms av nevnte hulrom (14; 14a,b) og i fluidforbindelse med strømningen i produksjonsrøret (1); der nevnte sensor er konfigurert til å sense i det minste en temperaturpuls forårsaket av nevnte temperaturinputs; og- beregningsmidler konfigurert til å beregne strømningsraten til nevnte fluid basert på ett eller flere særtrekk ved nevnte puls, og "Retention Time Distribution" (RTD) til nevnte hulrom.13. Systemet i henhold til krav 12, der temperaturpulsgeneratorene omfatter en første temperaturpulsgenerator (6a) og en andre temperaturpulsgenerator (6b), anordnet med en mellomliggende avstand (d).14. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-13, der en temperaturpulsgenerator omfatter et varmeelement eller et kjøleelement.15. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-14, der en temperaturpulsgenerator omfatter en kjemisk substans eller et elektrisk varmeapparat.16. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-15, der en temperaturpulsgenerator drives og styres via styreledninger fra en lokasjon over brønnboring ("uphole location") .17. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-15, der en temperaturpulsegenerator drives og styres av en nedihulls kraft- og styremodul (12).18. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-17, der nevnte sensor omfatter sanntids nedstrøms sensorer for andre parametere (så som salinitet).19. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-18, der sensoren (2) er anordnet i productionsrøret (1).20. Systemet i henhold til et hvilket som helst av kravene 12-19, der sensoren (2) er et permanent nedihulls måleinstrument ("Permanent Downhole Gauge" - PDG).
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Patent classes

IPC classesE21B 47/103E21B 47/11E21B 47/10G01F 1/68G01F 1/704CPC classesE21B 47/1005E21B 47/1015

Citations

US 2003/0140711 A1 (A1)US 2014/0343908 A1 (A1)US 5226333 A (A)US 2013/0000398 A1 (A1)SU 804825 A1 (A1)

Applicants, owners and inventors

Owners
WELLSTARTER AS
Postboks 1292 Torgard 7462 TRONDHEIM NO (TRONDHEIM Municipality, Trøndelag county)Org. number: 915535364Inventors
Jean-Christophe Barbier
Glomstuvegen 22, Leil. 002 6412 MOLDE NO (MOLDE Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county)
Erik Iversen Nakken
Myrvegen 49 7550 HOMMELVIK NO (MALVIK Municipality, Trøndelag county)
Fridtjof Nyhavn
Bugges veg 11 7051 TRONDHEIM NO (TRONDHEIM Municipality, Trøndelag county)

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ZACCO NORWAY AS
ZACCO NORWAY AS

Org. number: 982702887

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Org. number: 982702887
Reference: P61600301NO00

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