Cased Hole Logging

Surveillance and by-passed pay

Cased Hole Fluid Composition

Capacitance, Fluid Di-elect.

Fluid type - hydrocarbon vs. water.

Fluid Resistivity

Fluid type - hydrocarbon vs. salt water.

Pulsed Neutron Capture

3-phase ID in well, req. homogeneous formation

Gradiomanometers

Fluid type - oil and water, looses resolution in high deviation,

limited in high rate and high oil cut.

Fluid Density

Fluid type- oil vs. water, better in high GLR.

Temperature

Fluid entry (zones/leaks) rate/temp limits.

Noise

Leak/zone entry. Channel flow behind pipe, depending on

rate.

Fluid Level Survey

Fluid level only, confused by foams, froths and emulsions.

Spinners

Total flow rates and entry/exit points. Deviated wells are a

challenge.

Radioactive Tracer Tool

Total flow rates and entry/exit points. Not useful in deviated

wells.

Oxygen Activation

Velocity of water phase. Holdup and leak detection.

Cased Hole Casing/Cement Inspection

Caliper Log

Accuracy depends on number of

fingers, speed, tool type.

Casing Inspection

Eddy Current

Inner wall investigation. Shows some

smaller flaws, measures ID

Casing Inspection

Flux Leakage

Casing body inspection. Id of inner /

outer wall, and body casing
problems, not in OBM

Casing Inspection

Ultrasonic

Casing body inspection. Affected by

fluids, used in thicker wall pipe
(>0.2)

Casing Inspection

Electromagnetic Phase Shift

Casing body inspection. ID and wall

thickness, averaging tool may
miss small defects

Casing Inspection

Conventional Acoustic

Cement presence. Averaged data, not

really useful for most problem
identification

Cement Evaluation

Segmented Acoustic

Channels, Bond. 360o, channels and

voids, bond under right
conditions.

Cement Evaluation

Ultrasonic

Casing and Cement bond. 360o,

channels, voids, bond, pipe
conditions w/ right application.

Cement Evaluation

Cased Hole Correlation/Evaluation

Gamma Ray

Lithology and correlation

Inexpensive. No porosity.

Correlation

Neutron log single detector

Lithology and correlation

Inexpensive. No porosity.

Correlation

Neutron log dual detector

Porosity. RA source needed,

accuracy less than OH log.

Formation
Evaluation

Acoustic

Porosity. Limited in cased wells,

Formation
requires good bonds for accuracy
Evaluation

Pulsed Neutron Capture

PNC

Water saturation. Does not work in

low or changing salinity, or low
porosity

Formation
Evaluation

Pulsed Neutron
Spectrometry PNS C/O

Water saturation. Does not work

well in low porosity

Formation
Evaluation

Cased Hole Resistivity

Water Saturation. Salinity

dependent, stationary reading,
relative deep reading

Formation
Evaluation

Detection of Crossflow
Problem or
Information Needed

Detection of
Crossflow or
Underground
Blow out

Rec. Logging Tools

Procedure/Level of Detail

Temperature
Survey

Difference in slope of temperature gradient will

detect flow rates down to 25 BPD if liquid and
temperatures of fluids are different. Figures on
temperature vs. flow distance help estimate water
flow in the annulus.

Noise Log

Best performance of noise logs is with gas flow.

Gas flow to about 10 actual ft3/D (Note not
standard ft3/day). At very low gas flow rates
(q<400 actual ft3/D), gas flow can be estimated
from millivolts of noise between the 200-Hz and
600-Hz frequencies:
q = 0.35 (N200 N600). Where q is the actual gas
flow in ft3 and N = noise log cut at that frequency.

Oxygen
Activation Survey

Open hole or channels behind single string.

Accuracy is sharply reduced for investigating
channels behind two strings (use temp or noise
tools).

Location of Cement Top

Problem or
Information Needed

Location of Cement
Top

Rec. Logging
Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

Temperature
Survey

OK if run within 12 to 24 hrs of cement job.

Little temperature variation with the formation
may make cement top difficult to see.

CBL (cement
bond log)

Best results after 3 days or when cement has

developed 70%+ of the compressive strength.
These tools may be too large for slim hole wells.

Gravel-pack
logging (GR)

Tool response depends on density difference

between cement and annular fluid.

Evaluation of Cement Placement and Bond

Problem or
Information Needed

Evaluation of Cement
Placement

Rec. Logging
Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

Open hole
caliper

Accuracy depends on caliper and hole roughness

and washouts. Caliper tools with more than 4
arms are needed for hole volume measurement
accuracy.

Sweeps with
markers after
running casing

Sweeps give decent estimates of hole volume, but

sweeps may not reach all of the annular space in
uncentralized cased holes. Useful for swept hole
% analysis.

Temperature
Survey

OK if run within 12 to 24 hrs of cement job.

Little temperature variation with the formation
may make cement top difficult to see.

Gravel Pack Log

Good if fluid density difference greater than 0.3

gm/cc (0.13 lb/bbl). Could run before and after
cement for background data.
Semi-quantitative contact measurement of
pipe/cement and cement/formation. Affected by
casing pressure and tool calibration.

CBL both
regular and
segmented

Casing Inspection
Problem or
Information
Needed
Detection of
casing wear
from drilling

Rec. Logging
Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

E-line calipers

Multi-arm calipers generally good, but slick line

calipers may rotate and over-report the bad
spots.

EM eddy
current tool that
measures wall
thickness

Highly accurate if the hole is filled with a non

conductive fluid.

Acoustic wall
thickness tool

Qualitative indicators of wear (thickness

numbers are not very accurate)

Determination of External Casing Corrosion

Problem or
Information
Needed
Detect casing
collapse

Rec. Logging
Tools

Level of Detail

EM eddy
current wall
thickness survey

Investigation is to 8 to 10 radius. Investigation

ability falls off after the first string encountered.
Qualitative investigation. Splits are more
difficult to see.

Gravel-pack (GR
density)

Depth of investigation depends on source

strength may range from 4 to 16. Splits are
more difficult to see.

Flow Behind Pipe

Problem or
Information
Needed

Annular Flow

Rec. Logging
Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

Temperature
Survey

Useful where the well has active annular flow.

Can spot flows on the order of 1 bpd (after 24
hrs) if temperature of formation at
measurement and source of water is sufficiently
different. Two surveys, 12 hrs apart is usually
adequate to spot presence of a channel.

OA - oxygen
activation

Accurate, but dont swap out muds. Migration

of fluids in pipe may be seen as channel.

Noise logging

Accuracy depends on channel variations to

accelerate flow and change sound.

Determination of Flow Behind Pipe for Injector

Procedure / Level of Detail

Problem or
Information
Needed

Rec. Logging Tools

Determine
annular flow
in injector

RA Tracer Survey
- inject slug of I131 in brine.

Track from surface to annulus until slug is

completely pumped away. Track any flow that
goes behind pipe and moves up.

OA- oxygen
activation survey

Not as reliable as the chemical tracer, due to

fluctuations in the injection rate.

Temperature
survey

Three temperature surveys are needed: one before

annular injection (base line), one during and one 4 to 6
hours after injection (decay).

Borax Log

Pumping borax/water solution down tbg into the liner,

allowing mix to invade perfs & any channels in
casing/formation annuli. Initial pass, before borate
injection, is w/ Pulsed Neutron log (no Borax),
followed by passes at 20bbls, 40bbls, and 60bbls as
borax mix pumped. Borax affects neutron capture,
leaving a characteristic signature. Overlays of the
Sigma/CNL counts reveal the zones of borax
penetration, and identifies channels taking fluid.

Location of Annular Leak

Problem or
Information Needed

Certification
for annular
disposal

Rec. Logging Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

Radioactive Tracer
Survey with RA
isotope in brine,
pumped into annulus
while logging with a
GR tool in tubing.

Can distinguish entry points and limited detail

on up or down movement of the inject slug.

Oxygen activation
survey

Not as accurate as RA logging. Fluctuations in

rate create problems.

Temperature
survey

Can determine channels and entry points.

Needs 3 runs before, during and after.

Borax Log

Pumping borax/water solution down tbg into the liner,

allowing mix to invade perfs & any channels in
casing/formation annuli. Initial pass, before borate
injection, is w/ Pulsed Neutron log (no Borax), followed by
passes at 20bbls, 40bbls, and 60bbls as borax mix pumped.
Borax affects neutron capture, leaving a characteristic
signature. Overlays of the Sigma/CNL counts reveal the
zones of borax penetration, and identifies channels taking
fluid.

Location of Source of Annular Leak

Problem or
Information
Needed

Location of leak
to annulus or
crossflow behind
pipe

Rec. Logging
Tools

Procedure / Level of Detail

Temperature
survey

Relatively accurate at rates of at 1 bpd or more. Need

minimum of 2 runs, before and during injection. A
third run may help define a qualitative level of leak
rate. Run at 1oF/in sensitivity. Will not see small gas
leak rates through liquid.

Noise log

Best for gas leak detection. Run static log and then
again during flow or negative test. Upward gas
movement (percolation) at actual 10 ft3/D or more
should be detectable.
Can detect flows of 20 to 40 bpd in the annulus of a
single string well if the leak is directly opposite the
tool. Resolution drops to >200 bpd when two strings
are present
Pumping borax/water solution down tbg into the liner,
allowing mix to invade perfs & any channels in
casing/formation annuli. Initial pass, before borate
injection, is w/ Pulsed Neutron log (no Borax),
followed by passes at 20bbls, 40bbls, and 60bbls as
borax mix pumped. Borax affects neutron capture,
leaving a characteristic signature. Overlays of the
Sigma/CNL counts reveal the zones of borax
penetration, and identifies channels taking fluid.

Oxygen
activation log
Borax Log

Gamma Ray Tool (Basically a

Geiger Counter)
Uses a scintillation crystal and a photomultiplier tube to
measure naturally occurring and artificially induced
gamma-ray radiation.
The gamma-ray radiation is a signature of the formations
in a well very useful in depth control. Used in open hole
or pipe
Also used to spot changes in radiation (NORM scale) and
radioactive tracers.
GR is sensitive to logging speed and factors/statistics that
govern radioactive decay.
Used as one measurement of shaliness, correlation tool for
stacked beds and in shales, seal/barrier location, id of
organic rich zones, gross and net reservoir thicknesses.

Multi-sensor caliper (cased hole)

Multi-arm feeler gauges the shape and
smoothness of the casing id.
Corrosion and pit detection
Pipe collapse and deformation
Pipe wear

Production Logging (PLT)

Spinner or radioactive tracer ejector that is
useful for identifying and quantifying fluid
entry and exit points in the well.
Challenged by deviated wells if the tool is
not in the predominant flow stream.

PLT in Gas Lift Wells

Very common to run PLTs in gas lift wells w/ precautions.
W/ fullbore spinners, choke the well back and reduce or shut-in the lift gas
to reduce the chance of getting the tool stuck. Make sure the well is stable
before logging.
Run in at 50 to 75 ft/min. A pressure / density log may show some gas lift
problems that a flowing gradient survey will not.
There is very little chance of getting the PLT stuck in a GLM if a series of
gauging runs is made immediately prior to the log (insures full ID).
The fullbore centralizer collapses to the tubing ID and the tool is run with
the spinner centralized so the point / bull-nose on the tool does not contact
the walls of the tubing. There is a possibility of the centralizer holding up
in the mandrel, but picking up and running a little faster should take care
of this.
Adhere to the service companies recommendation on minimum tool
clearance.
Sources: Duane Toth and Franklin Bohla

PLT Sticking Hazard

Greatest risk of tool hang-up is in the tubing tail (TT).
Also watch the reservoir (may not be able to run a full ID drift gauge) for
scale build up. Running a slim hole GR prior to the spinner to look for
potential barium scale deposits is a good idea. Other scales and nonNORM BaSO4 scale may require a tool-sized drift.
Lost Tool Experiences (from Duane Toth):
Lost one in Alaska where we didn't shut-in the well before going from the 7"
production casing into 2-7/8" tubing. The tool was off center, hung-up on
the TT, and the wire came loose. We were able to fish this tool.
The other was in Algeria where we lost the tool across the reservoir section.
Believed to be result of excessive barium scale deposition, but fill may have
also been a problem. This tool string was never recovered, and since it had
the GHOST tool, it was an expensive mistake.

Source Duane Toth

Cement Bond Tool

Transmitter-receiver tool measures the
signal received back from a segment. Helps
assess cement presence and bond to the
formation and the pipe.

Temperature Tool
A recording of the wellbore temperature.

Identify fluid entry or exit

Gas channeling
Tubular leaks
Hydraulic frac height
Cement top
Fluid levels
Differential temperature curve

Down Hole Static Temperature Varies with

Depth - Effect of the Geothermal Gradient
"cellar effect - temperature normally cools from surface
temperature to about 100 ft below surface, then temperature
begins to increase with increasing depth. Watch for
anomolies.

0
1000
2000

This response is about 2.1oF per 100

ft

Depth, ft

3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
50

100

150

200

Temperature, F

250

300

Temperature log Saaman Well

Trinidad. Leak at packer using
annular injection after base line at
same rate.

Gradiomanometer
Measures the differential pressure of a 24
column of fluid calculates the fluid
density.

Determine gas or liquid entry points

Identify static fluid interfaces
Determine exact depth of fluid density change
Assist production logs

Flow meter
Measures fluids moving past the tool.
Moving fluids turn the spinner

To determine fluid entry or exit points

Evaluate perforations
Evaluate cross-flow occurrence
Helps evaluate completion design

Tension Measurement Device

A component of the tool string that records the
tension during logging in various parts of the
wellbore. Helps spot increased drag and break
free points (tool jumps) that may signal poor
logging tool records.
Used for quality control on logs, as an indicator of
depleted zones (fluid loss sticking), dog-legs,
location of sticking (above or below tool when
compared with a surface record).

Logging Behind Casing

Key Elements:
Understand the condition of the casing
Understand the connection of casing to the
formation cement bond.
Inclination, diameter, geometry

Partial List of Information Sought and

Cased Hole Logging Tools
Information Sought

Logging Tools Used

Casing Condition
Cement Condition
Saturation
Lithology
Porosity
Formation Strength
Oil
Gas
By-passed Pay
Pressure

USIT, Multi-arm Calipers, Sonic Calipers, Downhole TV

Cement Bond Logs (sonic)
Resistivity Tools (CH), C/O Logs, Reservior Saturation Tools, DSS
Gamma Ray, Density, Neutron, Sonic
Resistivity Tools (CH), Porosity (CH), CNL, Dipole Shear Sonic
Dipole Shear Sonic,
Resistivity, Casing Wall Coring Tools,
Neutron and Sonic Tools
Resistivity, O/C Logs,
Casing Wall Coring Tools