Cased Hole Logging

• Surveillance and by-passed pay

 Cased Hole – Fluid Composition
Capacitance, Fluid Di-elect.
Fluid Resistivity
Pulsed Neutron Capture
Gradiomanometers
Fluid Density
Temperature
Noise
Fluid Level Survey
Spinners
Radioactive Tracer Tool
Oxygen Activation
Fluid type - hydrocarbon vs. water.
Fluid type - hydrocarbon vs. salt water.
3-phase ID in well, req. homogeneous formation
Fluid type - oil and water, looses resolution in high deviation,
limited in high rate and high oil cut.
Fluid type- oil vs. water, better in high GLR.
Fluid entry (zones/leaks) rate/temp limits.
Leak/zone entry. Channel flow behind pipe, depending on
rate.
Fluid level only, confused by foams, froths and emulsions.
Total flow rates and entry/exit points. Deviated wells are a
challenge.
Total flow rates and entry/exit points. Not useful in deviated
wells.
Velocity of water phase. Holdup and leak detection.
 Cased Hole – Casing/Cement Inspection
Caliper Log Accuracy depends on number of Casing Inspection
fingers, speed, tool type.

Eddy Current Inner wall investigation. Shows some Casing Inspection

smaller flaws, measures ID

Flux Leakage Casing body inspection. Id of inner / Casing Inspection

outer wall, and body casing
problems, not in OBM

Ultrasonic Casing body inspection. Affected by Casing Inspection

fluids, used in thicker wall pipe
(>0.2”)

Electromagnetic Phase Shift Casing body inspection. ID and wall Casing Inspection
thickness, averaging tool may
miss small defects

Conventional Acoustic Cement presence. Averaged data, not Cement Evaluation

really useful for most problem
identification

Segmented Acoustic Channels, Bond. 360o, channels and Cement Evaluation

voids, bond under right
conditions.

Ultrasonic Casing and Cement bond. 360o, Cement Evaluation

channels, voids, bond, pipe
conditions w/ right application.
 Cased Hole – Correlation/Evaluation
Gamma Ray Lithology and correlation Correlation
Inexpensive. No porosity.
Neutron log – single detector Lithology and correlation Correlation
Inexpensive. No porosity.
Neutron log – dual detector Porosity. RA source needed, Formation
accuracy less than OH log. Evaluation

Acoustic Porosity. Limited in cased wells, Formation

requires good bonds for accuracy Evaluation

Pulsed Neutron Capture Water saturation. Does not work in Formation

PNC low or changing salinity, or low Evaluation
porosity
Pulsed Neutron Water saturation. Does not work Formation
Spectrometry PNS C/O well in low porosity Evaluation
Cased Hole Resistivity Water Saturation. Salinity Formation
dependent, stationary reading, Evaluation
relative deep reading
 Detection of Crossflow
Problem or Rec. Logging Tools
Information Needed Procedure/Level of Detail

Detection of Temperature Difference in slope of temperature gradient – will

Crossflow or Survey detect flow rates down to 25 BPD if liquid and
Underground temperatures of fluids are different. Figures on
Blow out 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 Open hole or channels behind single string.
Activation Survey Accuracy is sharply reduced for investigating
channels behind two strings (use temp or noise
tools).
 Location of Cement Top
Problem or
Information Needed
Rec. Logging Procedure / Level of Detail
Tools

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

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

CBL (cement Best results after 3 days or when cement has

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

Gravel-pack Tool response depends on density difference

logging (GR) between cement and annular fluid.
 Evaluation of Cement Placement and Bond
Problem or
Information Needed
Rec. Logging Procedure / Level of Detail
Tools

Evaluation of Cement Open hole Accuracy depends on caliper and hole roughness
Placement
caliper and washouts. Caliper tools with more than 4
arms are needed for hole volume measurement
accuracy.
Sweeps with Sweeps give decent estimates of hole volume, but
markers after sweeps may not reach all of the annular space in
running casing uncentralized cased holes. Useful for swept hole
% analysis.
Temperature OK if run within 12 to 24 hrs of cement job.
Survey 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.
CBL – both Semi-quantitative contact measurement of
regular and pipe/cement and cement/formation. Affected by
segmented casing pressure and tool calibration.
 Casing Inspection

Problem or Rec. Logging Procedure / Level of Detail

Information Tools
Needed
Detection of E-line calipers Multi-arm calipers generally good, but slick line
casing wear calipers may rotate and “over-report” the bad
from drilling spots.
EM – eddy Highly accurate if the hole is filled with a non
current tool that conductive fluid.
measures wall
thickness
Acoustic wall Qualitative indicators of wear (thickness
thickness tool numbers are not very accurate)
 Determination of External Casing Corrosion

Problem or Rec. Logging Level of Detail

Information Tools
Needed

Detect casing EM – eddy Investigation is to 8 to 10” radius. Investigation

collapse current wall ability falls off after the first string encountered.
thickness survey Qualitative investigation. Splits are more
difficult to see.

Gravel-pack (GR Depth of investigation depends on source

– density) strength – may range from 4” to 16”. Splits are
more difficult to see.
 Flow Behind Pipe

Problem or Rec. Logging Procedure / Level of Detail

Information Tools
Needed

Annular Flow Temperature Useful where the well has active annular flow.
Survey 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 Accurate, but don’t swap out muds. Migration

activation 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
Problem or Rec. Logging Tools Procedure / Level of Detail
Information
Needed
Determine RA Tracer Survey Track from surface to annulus until slug is
annular flow - inject slug of I- completely pumped away. Track any flow that
in injector 131 in brine. goes behind pipe and moves up.

OA- oxygen Not as reliable as the chemical tracer, due to

activation survey fluctuations in the injection rate.

Temperature Three temperature surveys are needed: one before

survey 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 Rec. Logging Tools

Information Needed Procedure / Level of Detail

Certification Radioactive Tracer Can distinguish entry points and limited detail
for annular Survey with RA on up or down movement of the inject slug.
disposal isotope in brine,
pumped into annulus
while logging with a
GR tool in tubing.

Oxygen activation Not as accurate as RA logging. Fluctuations in

survey rate create problems.
Temperature Can determine channels and entry points.
survey 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 Rec. Logging Procedure / Level of Detail
Information Tools
Needed
Location of leak Temperature Relatively accurate at rates of at 1 bpd or more. Need
to annulus or survey minimum of 2 runs, before and during injection. A
crossflow behind third run may help define a qualitative level of leak
pipe 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.
Oxygen Can detect flows of 20 to 40 bpd in the annulus of a
activation log single string well if the leak is directly opposite the
tool. Resolution drops to >200 bpd when two strings
are present
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.
 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 non-
NORM 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
0
temperature to about 100 ft below surface, then temperature
1000 begins to increase with increasing depth. Watch for
anomolies.
2000
3000 This response is about 2.1oF per 100
ft
4000
Depth, ft

5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
50 100 150 200 250 300
Temperature, F
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 USIT, Multi-arm Calipers, Sonic Calipers, Downhole TV
Cement Condition Cement Bond Logs (sonic)
Saturation Resistivity Tools (CH), C/O Logs, Reservior Saturation Tools, DSS
Lithology Gamma Ray, Density, Neutron, Sonic
Porosity Resistivity Tools (CH), Porosity (CH), CNL, Dipole Shear Sonic
Formation Strength Dipole Shear Sonic,
Oil Resistivity, Casing Wall Coring Tools,
Gas Neutron and Sonic Tools
By-passed Pay Resistivity, O/C Logs,
Pressure Casing Wall Coring Tools