downhole monitoring

Installation of optical
sensors in the Izaute
gas field.

Listening with light in the reservoir moves up and down with

time as the reservoir empties and fills.
Previous feasibility studies using
conventional wireline equipment have
Installing permanent seismic sensors in a wellbore to detect the demonstrated some ability to map the gas
movement of fluids over time in the surrounding reservoir could water contact and to correlate seismic
events taking place in the subsurface
open up a new chapter in reservoir management. with gas movement, providing a partial
Terry Knott talks to Weatherford about its breakthrough picture of how the gas migrates below the
development in optical seismic sensors designed to do just this. ground. The idea now is to show that a
downhole seismic sensor system using
n a well in south western France, a light’ holds the promise to become a optical sensing technology can not only

I seismic survey with a difference is

being carried out. For here, the sounds
reflected by the subsurface, and indeed
the natural creaking of the earth itself,
are being listened to not by conventional
acoustic equipment, but by beams of
light. And from the early results in the
first few months of this onshore field
trial, it would seem that ‘listening with
powerful tool in monitoring and
controlling offshore wells in challenging
environments.
The trial is taking place in the Izaute
gas storage field which is operated by
TotalFinaElf to meet cyclical seasonal
demand of natural gas. As gas is injected
into and extracted from the field, the gas
migrates and the gas water contact zone
provide more information about gas
migration, but that it can do so on a
permanent basis without the need for
periodic well intervention or the use of
less reliable downhole electronic devices.
‘Conventional borehole seismic
techniques have been used for many
years in the industry, usually in
exploration operations and based on

26 | O F F S H O R E ENGINEER | april 2003 w w w. o f f s h o r e - e n g i n e e r . c o m

 downhole monitoring

temporary wireline deployment,’ says

Tad Bostick, Weatherford’s vice president
for business development in intelligent
completion technologies in Houston. ‘But
permanent in-well seismic sensing needs
a different approach, one where the
equipment in the well can survive the
demands of the downhole conditions
while continuing to perform reliably for
field lives of up to 20 years.’
Among the conventional borehole
seismic techniques he refers to, vertical
seismic profiling (VSP) has been most
practised to date. This involves hanging
an array of geophone sensors
temporarily in the wellbore on a wireline,
while moving a seismic source across the
surface (see figure right). The sound
waves generated by the source penetrate
the earth and are reflected by rock and
fluid interfaces, the reflected signals
being picked up by the geophones. As the
surface source is moved, a different set of
reflections is received, helping to build up
a seismic image of the subsurface in the
vicinity of the well. Compared with
normal seismic surveys which have both
source and sensors at the surface, the
result is a more detailed image of the
reservoir in this region – the distance
that can be ‘seen’ from the wellbore is Vertical seismic profiling is used to build up an image of the subsurface near to the wellbore.
roughly determined geometrically by the
depth of the well and the sensor fibres, have no moving parts or programme. TotalFinaElf, Statoil, Norsk
locations. electronics in the downhole environment, Hydro and BP are supporting the Izaute
A variation on this theme is to locate allowing them to be installed perma- project.
the seismic source in a nearby wellbore nently to collect seismic data on demand. Izaute was selected for the
rather than on the surface, both of these ‘We want to show that an optical demonstration trials for several reasons.
methods being classed as ‘active’ sensor-based seismic array capable of Installation of the system onshore in a
monitoring because of the use of a both active and passive seismic shallow well is relatively straightforward,
seismic source. monitoring can be deployed, and that and much is known about the
Additional information can be gathered these sensors will track fluid movement,’ characteristics of the storage reservoir;
using conventional downhole instrumen- explains Bostick. ‘Optical sensors conventional bore hole and surface
tation by ‘passive’ monitoring, where no deployed in wells are already capable of seismic data exists, as do well logs, and
seismic source is used. The downhole detecting pressure, temperature, distri- seasonal movement of gas is reasonably
sensors instead detect the natural buted temperature, flow and even phase predictable. But a key to the project is the
seismicity of the reservoir – the sounds fraction, all now available on a fact that the seismic image of the
emitted by rock formations as they are commercial basis. Seismic detection, interface between gas and water is one of
compacted and crack. Making use of such although still in the pre-commercial the most distinctive, helping to monitor
‘microseismic’ signals has been around stage, is the next step for optical sensing – the migration of gas in the reservoir.
for a while, one notable case being in the it will mean much more than just reading The Weatherford optical sensing
Ekofisk field offshore Norway where the parameters at the wellbore itself, such as system was installed in well 102 at Izaute
seabed was discovered to be sinking as temperature and pressure, and will in November last year. Described by the
gas was extracted. provide a valuable view out into the company as an all optical multi-station,
More recently it has been demonstrated reservoir.’ multi-component permanent in-well
that microseismics can detect fluid Among the handful of companies seismic imaging and monitoring array,
movement as well, although at present offering downhole optical sensing the system is claimed to be the first of its
this is still a relatively qualitative systems, Weatherford is a recognised kind in the world, and is capable of both
measurement, says Bostick. leader with some 30 well installations to time-lapse VSP and microseismic data
But while such seismic data can be date to its credit, many of which include gathering.
gathered using short-term wireline- multiple optical sensing systems. In 2001, The optical sensor array was installed
deployed geophones, the readings can the company acquired the oilfield optical in the well, attached to the outside of 4in
only be taken periodically and require sensing division of CiDRA, which itself diameter production tubing inside 95/8in
well intervention. Permanent geophone had been in partnership with Norway’s casing – the operation took two days in
arrays have also been deployed in shallow Optoplan, an early pioneer in applying all, using mobile cranes to run the
wells; however, current technology does optical sensing technology to downhole tubing.
not allow complex instruments and their operations, having been conducting field The single optical cable, about 6mm in
associated electronics to withstand high trials since the early 1990s. The diameter and with three fibres inside,
temperatures and pressures encountered Norwegian connection is prominent in links the sensor arrays together and
downhole for long periods of time. In the current Izaute field trials, as the relays data to the surface wellhead. From
contrast, optical sensors are significantly project has its roots in the country’s here, the information is transferred by
more resilient, and being based on optical Demo 2000 technology development optical cable on the surface to the seismic ➲
28

w w w. o f f s h o r e - e n g i n e e r . c o m OFFSHORE ENGINEER | april 2003 | 27

downhole monitoring
recording devices nearby (see figure
right).
Six optical sensor stations are
integrated into the cable, at locations
‘several hundred metres down into the
well’. The sensor locations were
determined from the results of a
conventional VSP made in November
2001. Five of the sensor stations are
suspended above the reservoir, spaced
over a few metres, to collect VSP seismic
imaging data. The sixth sensor station is
located a few hundred metres lower than
the VSP array, nearer to the reservoir, for
microseismic monitoring.
The sensors are coupled to the casing to
allow them to detect seismic signals in
the reservoir using a purpose-designed
device; this also substantially decouples
the sensors from the tubing to prevent
them from picking up tubing or cable-
borne noise.
The optical sensors in the cable include
Bragg grating technology. The Bragg
gratings are used to assist in determining
strain in the optical fibre by reflecting
light back along the fibre at specific
wavelengths – the strain detected in the
fibre can be translated into the parameter
being measured (see panel on page 22). In
this case, the parameter is acceleration,
the minute movement of the earth caused
by the excitation of seismic waves
travelling through it. Weatherford’s
optically-based sensors are configured to
detect acceleration in three mutually
perpendicular directions – the three
components of multi-component 3C
seismic.
‘The breakthrough here is being able to
detect very small accelerations, down to
micro-G’s and even nano-G’s, in three
directions simultaneously, which means
we can tell where a seismic signal is
coming from,’ says Bostick. ‘And also in
being able to do this in a compact device
around 25mm in diameter which can stay
downhole at pressures up to 1000bar and
temperatures up to 175°C. There are no
electronics that can match this
combination of performance while
surviving the downhole conditions.’
At this level of sensitivity, high
frequency events such as the cracking of
rock can be detected, enabling
microseismic signals to be heard and
located, allowing an image of the
reservoir near the well to be determined.
Extraneous events, such as the passing of
trucks, can be identified and eliminated
from the survey by high tech software
that employs very sophisticated
algorithms to analyse and interpret the
results – data is only stored by the system
when there is an event of relevance.
The results of the field trial to date are
very encouraging, says Weatherford. The
first ‘snapshot’ VSP taken in November
last year using the optical system, when
the reservoir was full of gas, compares
well with the quality of the previous
28 | O F F S H O R E ENGINEER | april 2003
Power Telephone
Portacabin
Optical
surface
cable
Seismic Fibre optic
recorder interrogation unit
interstation
Layout of the optical
sensing system at
Izaute.
conventional VSP taken in November
2001, and shows greater detail of the
subsurface than conventional surface
surveys can generate. The plan now is to
take another snapshot optical VSP this
spring when the reservoir is at an ‘empty’
condition, for comparison. Continuous
microseismic measurements are also
being analysed to demonstrate that the
reservoir’s seismic response can be
correlated with gas migration. When
combined together the results of the
different surveys will help to optimise
gas storage at Izaute.
With the cost of various types of
optical sensors currently available from
Weatherford already being competitive
compared with conventional electronic-
based equivalents, looking ahead, Bostick
can see that optical permanent in-well
seismic sensing will follow suit as the
technology becomes more widely
deployed.
Offshore wells stand to gain
significantly from in-well seismic, he
believes. Here, the higher frequencies of
conventional surface seismic surveys are
‘knocked out’ as they pass through the
soft seabed, a condition also experienced
in desert locations, leaving only the
Wellhead
Optical
downhole
cable
Splitter
3-C Optical
seismic
Optical accelerometers
cable
‘longer range’ view being generated by
lower frequencies, around 30-50Hz.
Wellbore seismic enables higher
frequency sounds – typically 80-100Hz – to
reach the downhole sensors, proving the
detail of a localised view.
This is also of particular interest in
deep wells in reservoirs lying below salt
formations such as those encountered in
the Gulf of Mexico. Seismic signals are
scattered by salt formations, making
imaging of deep reservoirs difficult – in-
well surveys can deliver much clearer
images. Obtaining good images below gas
formations is also problematic when
using conventional seismic techniques. In
these circumstances, optical in-well
seismic surveys could reveal much
needed reservoir data, for example,
detecting the movement of water
injection fronts, indicating how fast a
well should be produced.
Further trials of the Weatherford in-
well optical seismic sensing system are
planned for this year, in the North Sea,
Gulf of Mexico and Europe.
‘Our goal is to make intelligent wells a
viable completion option to enhance
production optimisation and reservoir
recovery for as many field developments
w w w. o f f s h o r e - e n g i n e e r . c o m
 downhole monitoring

as possible,’ Graham Makin, Weather- a suite of all-optical, permanently

ford’s marketing director for intelligent
completions, tells OE. ‘The adoption of
simple, low cost, easily understood
hydraulically actuated flow controls is
one half of this strategy. The other half is
to displace unreliable electronic
permanent monitoring systems with
optical sensing systems. The adoption of
installed in-well sensors gives a step
change in reliability, and also opens up
the possibility of a vastly enhanced
sensing capability in terms of the types of
data that can be retrieved,’ adds Makin.
In the downhole arena, detecting
seismic signals by ‘listening with light’
looks to have a bright future. OE

Bragg grating Intersecting

UV laser

O
ptical fibres are thin flexible
strands of silicon glass, having beams
an inner core and an optical
cladding, together typically
measuring around 125 microns in
diameter, encased in a buffer UV grating
coating. Pattern copied to
(alternating series
Pulses of light can be transmitted UV-sensitive core
of light and dark
down the core of a fibre. They regions)
imagine an hydraulic bounce off the inside of the optical
cladding, an effect known as total
internal reflection. In this way,
variable gauge stabilizer optical fibres are able to convey
Photo-inscribed
UV laser beams
large volumes of digital data, such grating
that offers you: as audio and video signals for
telecommunications, and are now
Reflected
component
Transmitted
light
being used increasingly in downhole
sensing as they can withstand high
temperatures and pressures.
• up to 1 1/4" gauge change above the motor Bragg gratings are incorporated
Input Reflected Transmitted
spectrum spectrum spectrum
into the latest optical sensors. A
• the choice of two or three gauge positions Bragg grating is photo-imprinted
onto a small section of the core of
• the ability to build, hold and drop at will the optical fibre using ultraviolet
light, changing the property of the
• simple, no fuss activation at any depth fibre at that location. This causes
the fibre to reflect a very specific Strain
wavelength of light back along its Reflected Transmitted
component light
length but allows all other light to
pass through.
the hydrastab Some types of sensors employ
Bragg gratings as the sensor itself. Input
spectrum
Reflected
spectrum
Transmitted
spectrum
When a strain is applied to the fibre
h-vgs location containing the grating, for
example by changing the
surrounding pressure or
temperature, a different wavelength
you now have a choice! is reflected back, the shift in
wavelength being related to the Bragg gratings in optical fibres can be used to
strain placed on the Bragg grating – detect strain by changes in reflected
the greater the change in the sensed wavelength. Weatherford’s sensors detect
parameter, the greater the acceleration caused by seismic sound waves.
wavelength shift. Measuring this
shift in reflected wavelength permits much smaller strain changes (than
the temperature or pressure to be Bragg grating sensors). The
calculated. configuration of Weatherford’s
In the case of Weatherford’s sensors can detect strain caused by
seismic sensors, the Bragg gratings accelerations coming from any of
are isolated from direct strain and are three directions, caused by the
Unit 3, 21 Midstocket Road used as mirrors that define a sensing earth’s structure being excited by
region, consisting of a length of fibre seismic sound waves.
Aberdeen AB15 5JL exposed to strain, known as an The light which passes on beyond
Tel: +44 (0)1224 622779 interferometer. It is the straining of the grating can be used to interact
the length of fibre between the Bragg with other sensors, tuned to different
Fax: +44 (0) 01224 649790
gratings that acts as the sensor in wavelengths. This feature means an
E-mail: sales@hydrastab.com this particular case. Depending on the optical fibre can be multiplexed,
Web: www.hydrastab.com length of fibre, interferometric simultaneously carrying multiple data
sensors are capable of detecting channels in a single fibre.

30 | O F F S H O R E ENGINEER | april 2003 w w w. o f f s h o r e - e n g i n e e r . c o m