Downhole flowmeter
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsHarold Pfutzner, Mohammed Badri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An intelligent completion module includes a flowmeter that uses one or more electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) sensors and a flow control valve. The flow rate and the speed of sound in the production fluid from a production zone is measured and used to make reservoir management decisions. The flowmeter includes at least two EMAT rings, including one or more EMAT sensors in a circular distribution which can be used in propagation or pulse-echo modes. In a segregated flow regime, a single EMAT sensor in pulse-echo mode is used to measure holdups of fluid components.
Claims14
A method, comprising:
- providing a first tube that conducts a fluid from a first zone, a flow control valve and a flowmeter comprising a first electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) ring pair and a second EMAT ring pair, wherein each of the first EMAT ring pair and the second EMAT ring pair comprises an EMAT sensor placed circularly around the first tube;
- measuring a first response with the first EMAT ring pair due to a disturbance passing through the first EMAT ring pair, wherein measuring the first response comprises:
- measuring a first travel time of an acoustic wave generated by a first EMAT ring and received by a second EMAT ring of the first EMAT ring pair;
- and
- measuring a second travel time of an acoustic wave generated by the second EMAT ring and received by the first EMAT ring of the first EMAT ring pair;
- measuring a second response with the second EMAT ring pair due to the disturbance passing through the second EMAT ring pair;
- obtaining a derived flow property based on a comparison of the first response and the second response;
- and
- using the derived flow property to make a reservoir management decision.
A method, comprising:
- providing an electric submersible pump and an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) flowmeter in a producing well, wherein the EMAT flowmeter comprises a first EMAT ring pair and a second EMAT ring pair, wherein each of the first EMAT ring pair and the second EMAT ring pair comprises an EMAT sensor placed circularly around a first tube;
- pumping a fluid from the producing well through the first tube using the electric submersible pump;
- measuring a first response with the first EMAT ring pair due to a disturbance passing through the first EMAT ring pair, wherein measuring the first response comprises:
- measuring a first travel time of an acoustic wave generated by a first EMAT ring and received by a second EMAT ring of the first EMAT ring pair;
- and
- measuring a second travel time of an acoustic wave generated by the second EMAT ring and received by the first EMAT ring of the first EMAT ring pair;
- measuring a second response with the second EMAT ring pair due to the disturbance passing through the second EMAT ring pair;
- obtaining a flow property of the fluid using the EMAT flowmeter based on a comparison of the first response and the second response;
- and
- inferring a parameter of the electric submersible pump from the flow property.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.