Radioactive tracer logging

The radioactive tracer-logging tool has a reservoir to hold radioactive material and a pump
section at the top. For injection-well logging, two gamma ray detectors below the reservoir
and pump are preferable. Some tools employ only one detector, but this is less desirable. The
tool includes the circuitry to amplify and transmit the detector counts to the surface, for
recording.

Most natural radioactivity underground is from the decay of isotopes of potassium, thorium,
and uranium. These materials concentrate in the shales, where they register approximately
100 API units on the gamma-ray log. Once downhole, a "slug" of tracer is ejected by the pump,
under surface control. The activity owing to the ejected slug is much greater than the natural
background activity. By tracking the progress of the slug down the wellbore, the exits of
injected flow from the wellbore can be determined, as well as whether any of the injection,
after exiting, passes through a channel close to the pipe.

Contents
Modes of logging
Slug tracking
Velocity-shot
Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
External links
See also
Category

Modes of logging
There are two modes of logging with radioactive tracers:

Slug tracking
Velocity shot

Slug tracking

For slug tracking, the logging operator ejects a slug of tracer from the tool. After ejection, the
tool is run up and down through the slug to ensure that the slug is uniformly mixed across the
wellbore cross section. Then, the tool is lowered quickly and an upward logging pass is made
at constant logging speed until the slug is detected. The time of detection of the peak and the
depth of the peak are recorded. Then the tool is quickly lowered again, and another upward
logging pass is made at the constant logging speed until the slug is detected again. Again, the
time of detection of the peak and the depth of the peak are recorded. This process is repeated
several times, resulting in a succession of detections of the same slug (see Fig. 1). As long as
the peak progresses downward, there is flow in or near the wellbore. Once the peak stops,
there is no flow in or near the wellbore below the stopping depth. For each detection, the area
under the trace and above the common baseline of the traces is proportional to the
percentage of injection still in or near the wellbore.

Fig. 1 – A radioactive slug-tracking record

from a water-injection well taking 600 BWPD.

By visual inspection of the area under the traces in Fig. 1, nearly all of the injection reaches
Depth D, and the injection leaves the wellbore between D and the bottom of the perforation
set. A convenient measure proportional to slug area is the product of the slug’s height, above a
common baseline, and the slug’s width at half-height. Numbers from the areas agree with
those shown on the left side of Fig. 1 as derived from the travel times. Slug A is not yet mixed
in the flow. Slug area has the advantage of being insensitive to variations in fluid velocity,
allowing the approach to be extended to traced slugs moving behind casing. Notice in Fig. 1
that activity also is detected below the perforations. A slug was ejected below the perforations.
Upward logging passes showed that the peak of this slug was stationary. Therefore, there is no
wellbore flow below the perforations, and the activity below the perforations is attributable
to tracer channeling downward behind the pipe.

Generally, only one gamma-ray detector is used for slug tracking. Slug tracking gives the best
overview of where injection leaves the wellbore and whether, after exiting, any injection
travels in a channel close to the pipe. The upward logging passes are made at high line speed.
A constant logging speed should be used, and the same speed should be used for all passes.

Provided the ejected slug is uniformly mixed in the flow by movement of the tool up and
down through the slug after ejection, the vertical distance (ft) between two successive peaks
in total flow divided by the time (minutes) between detection of the peaks provides an
accurate estimate of the average flow velocity of total injection. Such velocities are listed on
the left of Fig. 1. The most frequently used tagging material for water is an aqueous solution
of sodium iodide, which contains the isotope of iodine, I-131. The 8-day half-life is ideal. In
solution, the iodine does not stick to rock surfaces; instead, with continued injection, the
iodine is washed from the rock surfaces and carried away from the near-wellbore, beyond
detection by the logging tool.

From inspection of slug spacing in Fig. 1, it is evident that slug tracking has limited vertical
resolution. Furthermore, because 90% of the detected gamma rays originate within 1 ft of the
detector, the tracer tool’s depth of investigation is also limited and is much less than that of
the temperature tool. Because of the limited depth of investigation, tracer that is channeling
after exiting the wellbore must be close to the pipe to be detectable. Not all channels can be
detected by the tracer tool. The same is true for fractures.

Velocity-shot

A velocity-shot survey is used in intervals where greater vertical resolution is desired. To

perform a velocity shot, the logging operator stations the tool so that the detectors are at
chosen locations. Then, with the tool stationary, a slug of tracer is ejected into the injection
flow. As it passes downward, the slug is first detected by the top detector and then by the
bottom detector, resulting in two traces on the log (see Fig. 2). On the chart, time increases
from the bottom upward. Thus, the top detector gives the lower trace. The time interval
between the two peaks (travel time) is inversely related to the velocity of the injection flow.
The chart speed should be such that there are 5 to 10 vertical chart divisions between the
peaks in total flow, although such is not the case in the figure.

Fig. 2 – Example of a radioactive tracer

velocity-shot survey.

The ratio of the travel time in total flow to the travel time at a selected position is the fraction
of injection still in the wellbore at the selected position. However, dividing the separation
between the detectors (ft) by the travel time (minutes) does not produce the average velocity
of flow, as the slug cannot be uniformly mixed in the flow before it passes the detectors.

Two detectors are preferred for velocity shots. If there is only a single detector, there can be
timing errors between initiating ejection of a slug and actual ejection downhole. These timing
errors contaminate the measured travel times.

For detection of flow behind pipe, many logging operators prefer velocity shots. One detector
is stationed within the perforations, while the other is stationed above or below the
perforations to see if any flow channels up or down after exiting the wellbore. One difficulty
with velocity shots is that they investigate only a very limited part of the total injection
interval. In some circumstances, the results from velocity shots indicate the presence of a
channel when in fact there is none. Whenever the results from velocity shots indicate an
integrity problem, it is better to switch over to slug tracking, which investigates the overall
injection interval as well as the wellbore above the interval.

Fewer applications of tracer logging occur in production wells. In a true single-phase flow,
there is an appropriate tracer, whether the flow is water, oil, or gas. Because a slug is tracked
for a while and then disappears uphole, multiple slugs are used, one for each producing
interval under investigation. Usually, a well is logged from a bottom, no-flow interval up to an
interval of total flow. Because of the unusual circulation patterns that can occur in multiphase
flows, tracer results in these flows can be misleading.

Noteworthy papers in OnePetro

Anthony, J.L. and Hill, A.D. 1986. An Extended Analysis Method for Two-Pulse Tracer Logging.
SPE Prod Eng 1 (2): 117-124. SPE-13396-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/13396-PA (http://dx.doi.or
g/10.2118/13396-PA)

Bearden, W.G., Cocanower, R.D., Currans, D. et al. 1970. Interpretation of Injectivity Profiles in
Irregular Boreholes. J Pet Technol 22 (9): 1089-1097. SPE-2685-PA.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2685-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2685-PA)

Hill, A.D. and Solares, J.R. 1985. Improved Analysis Methods for Radioactive Tracer Injection
Logging. J Pet Technol 37 (3): 511-520. SPE-12140-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/12140-PA (http://
dx.doi.org/10.2118/12140-PA)
Hill, A.D., Boehm, K.E., and Akers, T.J. 1988. Tracer-Placement Techniques for Improved
Radioactive-Tracer Logging. J Pet Technol 40 (11): 1484-1492. SPE-17317-PA.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/17317-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/17317-PA)

Kelldorf, W.F.N. 1970. Radioactive Tracer Surveying--A Comprehensive Report. J Pet Technol
22 (6): 661-669. SPE-2413-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2413-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2413-P
A)

Self, C. and Dillingham, M. 1967. A New Fluid Flow Analysis Technique for Determining Bore
Hole Conditions. Presented at the SPE Mechanical Engineering Aspects of Drilling and
Production Symposium, Fort Worth, Texas, 5-7 March. SPE-1752-MS.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/1752-MS (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/1752-MS)

Simpson, G.A. and Gadeken, L.L. 1993. Interpretation of Directional Gamma Ray Logging Data
for Hydraulic Fracture Orientation. Presented at the Low Permeability Reservoirs Symposium,
Denver, Colorado, 26-28 April 1993. SPE-25851-MS. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/25851-MS (http://d
x.doi.org/10.2118/25851-MS)

Small, G.P. 1986. Steam-injection Profile Control Using Limited-Entry Perforations. SPE Prod
Eng 1 (5): 388-394. SPE-13607-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/13607-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/
13607-PA)

Wiley, R. and Cocanower, R.D. 1975. A Quantitative Technique for Determining Injectivity
Profiles Using Radioactive Tracers. Presented at the Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers of AIME, Dallas, Texas, 28 September-1 October 1975. SPE-5513-MS.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/5513-MS (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/5513-MS)

External links
Use this section to provide links to relevant material on websites other than PetroWiki and
OnePetro

See also
Production logging

Types of logs

Radioactive gas tracers

Radioactive water tracers

PEH:Production_Logging

Category
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