Wells – Processes – With indicating – testing – measuring or locating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-24
2001-11-20
Bagnell, David (Department: 3672)
Wells
Processes
With indicating, testing, measuring or locating
C166S254200, C166S066000, C073S152170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318463
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the technology of electronic well logging. More particularly, the present invention relates to determining or identifying fluid means in a well bore using electronic logging instruments. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for identifying a fluid in a well bore using a slickline logging instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1A
is an illustration of a standard rig-up for performing down-hole logging operations in a well bore. Generally, logging is performed by a logging services truck
102
. Although truck
102
typically contains a number of different features, for this application, truck
102
contains drum
104
, which spools off cable
106
through a combination measuring device weight indicator
108
, which will be described in more detail below. Cable
106
is rigged through lower sheave wheel
110
and upper sheave wheel
112
, and enters the well bore through pressure control equipment
114
, used to contain well bore pressure while allowing a cable to move freely in and out of the well bore. Cable
106
enters the well bore at well head connection
116
, upon which pressure control equipment is connected. Below surface
118
, pipe or casing
120
proceeds in a generally vertical direction to a bottom depth (not shown). Within casing
120
is logging tool
125
, connected to cable
106
. Casing
120
is a group of casing joints
121
, generally 40 to 44 feet long, connected by casing collar
122
and cemented into place in a previously drilled bore hole.
One of the most important measurements provided by a logging truck is the depth measurement. Accurate depth measurements are essential in properly evaluating the well bore. Combination measuring device weight indicator
108
consists of at least one, but normally a plurality of measure wheels
130
. The Advanced Measurement System for slickline is an example of such a device used by the Halliburton Company, 3600 Lincoln Plaza, 500 N. Akard St., Dallas, Tex. 75201. Measure wheels
130
are precision ground to a precise diameter, and turn proportionally with cable
106
as it goes into and out of the well bore. Measure wheels
130
are mechanically connected to a depth encoder device (not shown) that provides digital signals based on the position of the depth wheel. Thus, as cable
106
moves into and out of the hole, a plurality of depth signals are sent into the logging compartment of truck
102
in order to provide the operator with accurate digital depth data. Additionally, combination measuring device weight indicator
108
contains cable tension wheel
132
. Cable tension wheel
132
applies a set amount of pressure against cable
106
, in the direction of measure wheels
130
. As the amount of cable in the well bore increases, the tension applied by the weight of the cable resists against cable tension wheel
132
, causing the load on cable tension wheel
132
to increase toward measure wheels
130
. Cable tension wheel
132
is mechanically connected to a load cell, and as the weight of cable
106
increases, causing the load on tension wheel
132
to increase, the load cell sends a signal into the logging compartment of truck
102
, indicating an increase in the tension on cable
106
.
Generally, down-hole or well logging can be divided into two categories: wireline logging, and slickline logging. Wireline logging allows for more sophisticated services and tools to be run in the well bore. Wireline cable is a braided cable which, at its center, contains one or more electrical conductors. These conductors pass electrical signals to and from logging tool
125
, along with the power needed to operate the down hole components of logging tool
125
. Conversely, a slickline may be a braided line but contains no electrical conductors. Therefore, services normally run by a slickline logging unit are generally mechanical in nature and usually do not transmit a signal up-hole, as slickline cable lacks any conductor means for transmitting electrical signals containing data information. However, there are exceptions.
The logging operation pictured in
FIG. 1A
is that of a collar locator. Logging tool
125
is divided into two sections. The first, collar locator
140
, emits a magnetic field and detects the interference with the magnet field caused by a casing collars. A casing collar location signal is then transmitted from casing collar
140
. The second section, lower electronic magnet/drag sub-assembly
142
, responds to the casing collar location signal transmitted by casing collar
140
by instantaneously activating an electromagnet.
Normally, logging operations proceed as the logging tool moves in an up-hole direction. By logging in the up direction, accurate depth measurements can be maintained because the tension at logging tool
125
remains relatively constant, even though the tool may be scraping along the side of casing
120
. Alternatively, if logging in the down-hole direction, logging tool
125
may intermittently drop and drag as it makes its way down casing
120
. Because the only tension applied to logging tool
125
in the down-hole direction is due to gravity, or the weight of the logging tool itself, depth measurements in the down-hole logging direction tend to be far less accurate.
Note that cable
106
has a slight amount of slack in it between truck
102
and lower sheave wheel
110
. Although not shown, the amount of tension from upper sheave wheel
112
to logging tool
125
also contains a certain amount of slack. The amount of slack varies from time to time due to logging tool
125
hanging up on the well bore in downhole logging operations, causing inaccurate depth measurement readings at the logging compartment. Conversely, the amount of slack between logging tool
125
and truck
102
(and in the well bore) remains relatively constant while logging in the up-hole direction, because cable tensions is driven by the cable winch at the logging truck rather than by gravity. Depth measurements are much more accurate. Therefore, the preferred method for logging is in the up-hole direction.
Another problem more commonly associated with slickline operations is the problem of line or cable stretch. While all cable stretch as tension is added to the cable, slickline cables are generally smaller in diameter and, therefore, the magnitude of the stretch is greater. Some combination depth measurement and cable tension measurement devices, such as the Advanced Measurement System for slickline used by the Halliburton Company, will correct for line stretch and other environmental factors that effect slickline measurements.
As can be seen in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, logging tool
125
is moving in the upward direction, and lower electronic magnet/drag sub-assembly
142
is across collar
122
. As can be seen in
FIG. 1B
, as logging tool
125
moves upward, and collar locator measure point
144
comes across the abutment of two joints of pipe within collar
122
, collar locator
140
sends a casing collar location signal to lower electronic magnet/drag sub-assembly
142
. At that point, magnets within electronic sub-assembly
142
are momentarily activated, and logging tool
125
momentarily sticks to the wall of casing
120
. As logging tool
125
sticks to casing
120
, tension is increased because the cable winch at logging truck
102
continues turning. An increase in cable tension is detected by combination measuring device weight indicator
108
and can be read on a panel inside logging truck
102
.
FIG. 2
illustrates up-hole components that may be found in a typical logging unit, such as that shown in FIG.
1
A. Combination cable tension speed device
200
represents a combination tension and speed readout display. Note that line tension is available to the operator in either analog form from cable tension dial
202
or in digital form from cable tension digital readout
204
. In this case, the tension is approximately 1510 pounds. Cable tension dial
202
includes tension
Fehrmann Gary Zane
Menand Pascal
Bagnell David
Carstens David W.
Dougherty Jennifer R.
Halliburton Energy Service,s Inc.
Herman Paul I.
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