Method of tracing flow of hydrocarbon from a subterranean reservoir
AssigneeJohnson Matthey PLC
InventorsPaul Hewitt, Jonathon Dean Spencer, Vincent Brian Croud
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Abstract
A method of tracing flow of hydrocarbon from a subterranean reservoir including forming a dispersion, injecting a hydraulic fracturing fluid containing the dispersion down a well penetrating a hydrocarbon reservoir, thereafter collecting a sample of hydrocarbon fluid flowing from the reservoir, and analysing the sample to determine whether the tracer compound is present in the sample. The dispersion includes a discontinuous condensed phase having a hydrocarbon-soluble tracer compound and a continuous phase which includes an aqueous liquid.
Claims31
A method of tracing flow of hydrocarbon from a subterranean reservoir comprising the steps of forming a dispersion consisting of a discontinuous condensed phase and a continuous liquid phase, said discontinuous condensed phase comprising a hydrocarbon -soluble tracer compound and said continuous liquid phase comprising an aqueous liquid, injecting a hydraulic fracturing fluid containing the dispersion down a well penetrating a hydrocarbon reservoir, thereafter collecting a sample of hydrocarbon fluid flowing from the reservoir and analysing the sample to determine whether the tracer compound is present in the sample.
A method of identifying the flow of a hydrocarbon from a first location in a subterranean reservoir to a well located at a second location in said reservoir comprising the steps of
- a) forming a dispersion of at least one hydrocarbon-soluble tracer compound in an aqueous liquid,
- b) injecting a hydraulic fracture fluid containing the emulsion down a well penetrating a hydrocarbon reservoir at said first location,
- c) thereafter collecting a sample of hydrocarbon flowing from the well located at said second location,
- d) analysing the sample to determine whether the tracer compound is present in the sample and
- e) determining, from the results of said analysis, whether a flow of hydrocarbon has occurred from the first location to the second location.
A method of confirming the presence at a first location in a well of a barrier which would, if present, restrict flow of a hydrocarbon from a location in a well upstream of said first location to a location downstream of said first location, comprising the steps of
- a) forming a dispersion of a hydrocarbon-soluble tracer compound in an aqueous liquid,
- b) injecting a hydraulic fracture fluid containing the dispersion down a well penetrating a hydrocarbon reservoir at said location upstream of said first location,
- c) thereafter collecting a sample of hydrocarbon flowing from the reservoir at a location downstream of said first location,
- d) analysing the sample to determine whether the tracer compound is present in the sample,
- e) inferring from the presence or absence of tracer compound in the sample whether said sample contains hydrocarbon which has flowed from a location upstream of said first location, thereby to determine whether said barrier exists at said first location.
A composition comprising a dispersion consisting of a discontinuous condensed phase and a continuous liquid phase, the discontinuous condensed phase comprising a hydrocarbon-soluble tracer compound and the continuous liquid phase comprising an aqueous liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.