Quantifying zonal flow in multi-lateral wells via taggants of fluids

A method of quantifying zonal flow in a multi-lateral well, comprising:

• providing a first tracer through a first dosing tubing to a first region of a wellbore of the multi-lateral well, the first region associated with a first lateral of the wellbore;
• providing a second tracer through a second dosing tubing to a second region of the wellbore, the second region associated with a second lateral of the wellbore, wherein the first tracer and the second tracer are each oil soluble and optically detectable;
• flowing from a subterranean formation a first produced fluid comprising hydrocarbon through the first lateral and a first valve into production tubing in the wellbore;
• flowing from the subterranean formation a second produced fluid comprising hydrocarbon through the second lateral and a second valve into the production tubing;
• flowing a produced stream comprising the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid uphole through the production tubing and discharging the produced stream from the wellbore;
• shutting off the first tracer and the second tracer provided to the first region and to the second region, respectively, resulting in respective transients in concentrations of the first tracer and the second tracer flowed with the produced stream;
• analyzing the produced stream to measure an amount of the first tracer in the produced stream and an amount of the second tracer in the produced stream;
• and
• analyzing the respective transients in concentrations of the first tracer and the second tracer to determine influx rate of the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid from the first lateral and the second lateral, respectively.

A method of quantifying zonal flow in a multi-lateral well, comprising:

• providing a first taggant from the Earth's surface through a first dosing tubing to a first region in a wellbore of the multi-lateral well, wherein the wellbore is formed through the Earth's surface into a subterranean formation in the Earth's crust, wherein the first region is a region of intersection of a first lateral in the wellbore with a vertical portion of the wellbore;
• providing a second taggant from the Earth's surface through a second dosing tubing to a second region in the wellbore, wherein the second region is a region of intersection of a second lateral in the wellbore with the vertical portion;
• producing a first produced fluid from the subterranean formation through the first lateral into production tubing in the wellbore;
• producing a second produced fluid from the subterranean formation through the second lateral into the production tubing;
• flowing a produced stream comprising the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid uphole through the production tubing and discharging the produced stream from the wellbore;
• shutting off providing the first taggant and the second taggant to the first region and the second region, respectively, resulting in respective transients in concentrations of the first taggant and the second taggant flowed with the produced stream;
• analyzing the produced stream to measure an amount of the first taggant in the produced stream and an amount of the second taggant in the produced stream, wherein the first taggant and the second taggant each comprise a taggant that comprises hydrophobic organic fluorophores soluble in apolar phases;
• and
• analyzing the respective transients in concentrations of the first taggant and the second taggant to determine influx rate of the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid from the first lateral and the second lateral, respectively.