Inflow control device technology has been employed to improve hydrocarbon recovery in a variety of wells, including horizontal wells. Adaptive inflow control device systems can improve sand face completion functionality while also providing more control over the reservoir in case of unexpected events. The increased functionality may include selective closing and opening of individual inflow control device units and selective changes of position/flow area for individual inflow control device units. However, difficulties arise in confirming actuation of specific inflow control devices. In various injector and producer wells, tracer technology has been employed to detect reservoir inflow and the allocation/contribution from well zones, but such systems have not been able to indicate tool actuation.
In general, the present disclosure provides a system and method in which a well system has a plurality of tools with actuatable components. The well system also comprises tracer elements which are unique with respect to corresponding tools of the well system. The tracer elements are positioned and oriented to open, e.g. fracture, when physically engaged by the actuatable component of a corresponding tool. Released tracer material from the tracer element may be detected to confirm actuation of a specific tool in the well system.
Certain embodiments will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying figures illustrate only the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein, and:
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of some illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the system and/or methodology may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
The disclosure herein generally relates to a system and methodology which facilitate determination of downhole tool actuation. According to one embodiment, a plurality of tools may be deployed in a downhole completion. Each tool may be actuated between operational positions via shifting of an actuatable component. Tracer elements are uniquely associated with the plurality of tools and are individualized to indicate actuation of specific tools. For example, each tracer element may be unique relative to a corresponding tool and positioned for opening, e.g. fracturing, when the tool is shifted to a different operational position. The tracer element may be positioned in the path of movement of the actuatable component such that actuation of the tool causes the actuatable component to fracture or otherwise open the tracer element and to release unique tracer material which may be detected as a confirmation of that specific tool being actuated.
In some applications, the downhole tools may comprise adaptive inflow control devices which may be individually cycled through various stages or steps of functionality. Placement of the unique tracer elements with corresponding inflow control devices provides confirmation that specific, individual inflow control devices have been switched to their next position or function without requiring downhole sensors or electrical/wireless communication links with the surface.
In general, the tracer elements may be designed to release tracers, including firm or chemical substances, downhole in a well completion. The tracer material flows upwardly to the surface and provides confirmation that a downhole tool has been actuated correctly and changed to its next operational configuration. In some embodiments, the tracer elements are pre-installed in or adjacent the downhole tools. Actuation of a downhole tool causes a shiftable/actuatable component of the downhole tool to mechanically move into engagement with the tracer element and to open the tracer element so that tracer material unique to that specific downhole tool is released. By way of example, the tracer element may be opened via mechanical fracturing of the tracer element. The fracturing may comprise shaving off tracer material particles into, for example, completion tubing so that the tracer material particles can be transported to a surface detector with the flow of well fluid. Other methods of fracturing the tracer element and releasing the tracer material may include puncturing of the tracer element or breaking of a frangible tracer element.
Referring generally to
In
In the example illustrated, wellbore 24 extends down through a subterranean formation 28 having a plurality of well zones 30. The downhole equipment 22 comprises a plurality of tools 32 associated with the plurality of well zones 32. By way of example, the tools 32 may comprise well tools in the form of inflow control devices. For example, individual inflow control devices 32 may control flow from the surrounding well zones 30 and into tubular structure 26, e.g. production tubing. Each of the illustrated tools 32 comprises an actuatable component 34, e.g. a sliding sleeve. However, tools 32 may comprise a variety of other types of actuatable components, including pistons, balls, and pins. In a variety of applications, downhole equipment 22 is a sand screen and tools 32 control inflow of fluid into the sand screen 22.
As illustrated, each tool 32 is associated with a corresponding tracer element 36. Each tracer element 36 is unique relative to the other tracer elements 36, and each tracer element is positioned such that actuation of the corresponding tool 32 causes the tracer element 36 to open and release a tracer material 38. By way of example, the tracer element 36 may be fractured, e.g. mechanically fractured, to release the tracer material 38. The tracer material 38 flows through tubular structure 26 via, for example, well fluid flow to a detector or detection system 40. By way of example, the detector 40 may be located at a surface location 42 to eliminate the need for downhole electronics and sensors otherwise needed to communicate data related to the downhole well tools 32. The tracer elements 36 and detector 40 are well-suited to complement well tools 32 (such as adaptive inflow control devices) but the system and methodology can be used with many other types of downhole devices to provide feedback/confirmation on configuration changes involving mechanical movements.
The detector 40 may be designed to collect and/or identify and categorize the tracer material 38 released via actuation of specific well tools 32. Well system 20 may be set up so that during installation each tracer element 36 comprises a unique tracer material 38 relative to the other tracer elements 36. For example, the tracer element 36 associated with the first or most distal well tool 32 is unique in that it comprises a unique tracer material 38. Release and detection of the unique tracer material 38 indicates actuation of that specific, most distal well tool 32. Similarly, the other tracer elements 36 associated with the next sequential well tools 32 are each unique in that they each comprise a unique tracer material 38 associated with the specific corresponding well tool 32. In at least some applications, each tracer element 36 is unique in that it contains a uniquely identifiable chemical 38 relative to the chemical/tracer material associated with each of the other well tools 32 along the entire tubular structure 26, e.g. completion string.
Referring generally to
Another embodiment of tracer element 36 is illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
Depending on the type of well tool 32 and the type of application in which well tool 32 is utilized, a plurality of tracer elements 36 may be installed at each well tool 32. For example, if well tool 32 comprises a multi-position well tool, the plurality of tracer elements 36 may comprise different types of tracer materials 38 to provide an indication/confirmation of the specific position to which the well tool 32 has been actuated. The different types of tracer materials 38 are released independently of each other when the specific tracer elements 36 are fractured due to movement of the multi-position tool 32 to a specific configuration.
As illustrated in the embodiment of
Furthermore, the system and methodology may be employed in non-well related applications which require actuation of devices at specific zones along a tubular structure. Similarly, the system and methodology may be employed in many types of well applications, including a variety of adaptive inflow control device systems. However, other types of valves and actuatable component can be combined with tracer elements in a variety of forms and configurations. The tracer elements also may comprise many types of tracer materials in the form of liquids, grains, dissolvable materials, and other chemicals or materials detectable by detection system 40. The number and arrangement of tracer elements positioned along the tubular structure also can vary substantially from one type of application to another.
Although only a few embodiments of the system and methodology have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims.
The present document is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/394,564, filed Oct. 19, 2010, incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130091943 A1 | Apr 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61394564 | Oct 2010 | US |