Distributed measurement of mud temperature
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorJohn D. Macpherson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for estimating a temperature within sub-surface materials traversed by a wellbore includes: obtaining temperature data from a plurality of measurements of temperature taken within the wellbore; calculating an overall heat transfer coefficient from the measurement data; calculating a geothermal gradient from the overall heat transfer coefficient; and using the geothermal gradient to estimate the temperature within the sub-surface materials. A system and a computer program product are provided.
Claims23
A method for estimating a far-field temperature within a formation penetrated by a borehole, the method comprising:
- sensing temperatures during circulation of a drilling fluid using a plurality of temperature sensors distributed along a drill string to provide temperature measurement data;
- calculating an overall heat transfer coefficient from the temperature measurement data obtained only during circulation of the drilling fluid and from a drilling fluid film heat transfer coefficient using a processor;
- calculating a geothermal gradient in the formation over a depth interval from the overall heat transfer coefficient using the processor;
- and
- using the geothermal gradient to estimate the far-field temperature within the formation using the processor.
A system for determining a far-field temperature within a formation penetrated by a borehole, the system comprising:
- a plurality of temperature sensors distributed along a drill string, the drill string providing for the borehole that penetrates the formation;
- and
- a processor for receiving temperature data sensed during circulation of a drilling fluid from the plurality of temperature sensors along at least a portion of the borehole and for implementing machine executable instructions for calculating an overall heat transfer coefficient from the measurement data obtained only during circulation of the drilling fluid and from a drilling fluid film heat transfer coefficient;
- calculating a geothermal gradient in the formation over a depth interval from the overall heat transfer coefficient;
- and using the geothermal gradient to estimate the far-field temperature within the formation.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for estimating a far-field temperature in a formation penetrated by a borehole, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of:
- receiving temperature data sensed during circulation of a drilling fluid from a plurality of measurements of temperature taken by a plurality of temperature sensors distributed along a drill string within the borehole traversed by a logging instrument;
- calculating an overall heat transfer coefficient from the measurement data obtained only during circulation of the drilling fluid and from a drilling fluid film heat transfer coefficient;
- calculating a geothermal gradient in the formation over a depth interval from the overall heat transfer coefficient;
- using the geothermal gradient to estimate the temperature in the formation;
- and
- outputting the estimate to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.