Apparatus and methods for determining gravel pack quality
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsBruce H. Storm, Larry L. Gadeken, Ward E. Shultz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for determining the integrity or quality of a gravel pack positioned between the casing and gravel pack screen of a subterranean borehole, with the method including azimuthally scanning the gravel pack for radiation, with detection of the radiation limited to a limited angular arc of the gravel pack at any one time, with the apparatus including shielded or collimated radiation source and/or detector.
Claims17
An apparatus for use in a completed well borehole, for evaluating a gravel pack positioned in a wellbore, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a housing suitable for positioning in the completed wellbore, said housing defining longitudinal axis;
- (b) a radiation source for providing radiation to the gravel pack;
- (c) at least two radiation detectors attached to the housing and positioned to receive radiation from the gavel pack, wherein the detectors are suitable to provide azimuthal resolution of radiation from the gravel pack, and wherein the detectors are positioned in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
An apparatus for use in a completed well borehole, for evaluating a gravel pack positioned in the wellbore, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a housing suitable for positioning in the completed wellbore, said housing defining a longitudinal axis;
- (b) a radiation source for providing radiation to the gravel pack, wherein the radiation source is collimated to preferentially irradiate an angular arc of the gravel pack of between 1° and 359° at any one time;
- (c) n radiation detectors attached to the housing in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the housing, wherein n detectors are suitable to provide azimuthal resolution of radiation from the gravel pack, wherein n is at least 2, and wherein at least 2 of the n detectors are positioned in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
A method for evaluating a gravel pack positioned in the completed wellbore, the well bore having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising:
- (a) azimuthally scanning the gravel pack for radiation, wherein during said scanning radiation is detected from an angular arc of the gravel pack between 1° and 359° at any one time.
- wherein in step (a), the scanning comprises scanning with at least 2 detectors positioned in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
A method for evaluating a well bore gravel pack positioned in a completed wellbore, the method comprising:
- (a) positioning in the well bore, a tool having a longitudinal axis, and the tool comprising n detectors positioned in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein n is at least 2, and each detector is suitable for detecting radiation from an angular arc of the gravel pack, wherein the angular arc for each detector is independently selected to be between 1° and 359° at any one time;
- (b) detecting radiation with the detectors while moving the tool longitudinally through the well bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.