Subterranean well torpedo distributed acoustic sensing system and method
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsBrett Bouldin, Michael Jervis, Andrey Bakulin
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Abstract
Provided in some embodiments is a method of distributed acoustic sensing in a subterranean well. The method including advancing a torpedo into a first portion of a wellbore of a subterranean well (the torpedo including a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic (FO) umbilical that is physically coupled to a surface component and adapted to unspool from the torpedo as the torpedo advances in the wellbore, and an engine adapted to generate thrust to propel the torpedo), and activating the engine to generate thrust to propel advancement of the torpedo within a second portion of the wellbore such that at least some of the DAS FO umbilical is disposed in the second portion of the wellbore.
Claims37
A method of deploying distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) sensors in a subterranean well, the method comprising:
- releasing a torpedo into gravity-driven advancement within a first portion of a wellbore of a subterranean well, the torpedo comprising:
- a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic (FO) umbilical that is physically coupled to a surface component and configured to unspool from the torpedo as the torpedo advances in the wellbore;
- and
- an engine configured to generate thrust to propel advancement of the torpedo in the wellbore;
- determining that the torpedo has reached a trigger point comprising a predefined depth within the wellbore;
- and
- activating, in response to determining that the torpedo has reached the trigger point within the wellbore, the engine to generate forward thrust to propel the torpedo within a horizontal portion of the wellbore such that at least some of the DAS FO umbilical is disposed in the horizontal portion of the wellbore, and the torpedo comes to rest at a deployment location within the wellbore.
A method of distributed acoustic sensing in a subterranean well, the method comprising:
- advancing a torpedo into a first portion of a wellbore of a subterranean well, the torpedo comprising:
- a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic (FO) umbilical that is physically coupled to a surface component and configured to unspool from the torpedo as the torpedo advances in the wellbore;
- and
- an engine configured to generate thrust to propel the torpedo;
- determining that the torpedo has reached a trigger point comprising a predefined depth within the wellbore;
- and
- activating, in response to determining that the torpedo has reached the trigger point within the wellbore, the engine to generate thrust to propel advancement of the torpedo within a second portion of the wellbore such that at least some of the DAS FO umbilical is disposed in the second portion of the wellbore.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause the following operations:
- advancing a torpedo into a first portion of a wellbore of a subterranean well, the torpedo comprising:
- a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic (FO) umbilical that is physically coupled to a surface component and configured to unspool from the torpedo as the torpedo advances in the wellbore;
- and
- an engine configured to generate thrust to propel the torpedo;
- determining that the torpedo has reached a trigger point comprising a predefined depth within the wellbore;
- and
- activating, in response to determining that the torpedo has reached the trigger point within the wellbore, the engine to generate thrust to propel advancement of the torpedo within a second portion of the wellbore such that at least some of the DAS FO umbilical is disposed in the second portion of the wellbore.
A subterranean well torpedo system comprising:
- a control system;
- and
- a torpedo comprising:
- a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic (FO) umbilical that is physically coupled to a surface component and configured to unspool from the torpedo as the torpedo advances in the wellbore;
- and
- an engine configured to generate thrust to propel the torpedo;
- the control system configured to:
- advance the torpedo into a first portion of the wellbore of the subterranean well;
- determine that the torpedo has reached a trigger point comprising a predefined depth within the wellbore;
- and
- activate, in response to determining that the torpedo has reached the trigger point within the wellbore, the engine to generate thrust to propel the torpedo within a second portion of the wellbore such that at least some of the DAS FO umbilical is disposed in the second portion of the wellbore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.