Halliburton Company

Texaco Inc.

Carbo Ceramics Inc.

Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Halliburton Logging Services, Inc.

Total Separation Solutions, LLC

Thrubit, B.v.

Harry D Smith, Jr

Ward E Schultz

Dan M Arnold

Jeremy Zhang

Syed Hamid

Robert Duenckel

Larry L Gadeken

Michael P Smith

Dingding Chen

Kevin W Smith

Robert L Sloan

Neal Gregory Skinner

John Andrew Quirein

Beegamudre N Murali

Xiaogang Han

Jeffery L Grable

Christopher Michael Jones

Michael Thomas Pelletier

Daniel David Gleitman

Hans J Paap

Carl A Robbins

Carl Dodge

James G Aivalis

Michael Smith

Jerry L Verbout

Roger Lynn Schultz

Jim Basuki Surjaatmadja

Adam Davis Wright

Robert W Pitts, Jr

Robert K Michael

Ali Mese

George L Scott, Iii

Kenneth James Smith

Qianmei Zhang

Jacky Muri Wiener

Tony M Small

Liping Li

Philip France McKinlay

Dennis F Wyatt, Jr

John G Deaton

John Howard

Qianmei (Jeremy) Zhang

The present disclosure is directed to methods for evaluating a gravel pack, a frac-pack, or cement in a wellbore. In at least one embodiment, a method for evaluating a gravel pack, frac-pack or cement in a wellbore, includes pumping a first material into the wellbore, wherein the first material comprises a first tracer that is not radioactive. The method includes pumping a second material into the wellbore, wherein the second material comprises a second tracer that is not radioactive. The method includes obtaining a set of data using the downhole tool in the wellbore after the first and second materials are pumped into the wellbore. The method includes obtaining a baseline using the downhole tool in the wellbore in a depth interval without the first or second material. The method includes comparing the set of data with the baseline.

Methods for differentiating and quantifying non-radioactive tracers downhole

A method for evaluating induced fractures in a wellbore includes obtaining a first set of data in a wellbore using a downhole tool. The method also includes pumping a first proppant into the wellbore after the first set of data is obtained. The first proppant includes a first tracer that is not radioactive. The method also includes pumping a second proppant into the wellbore. The second proppant includes a second tracer that is not radioactive. The second tracer is different than the first tracer. The first proppant and the second proppant flow into fractures in the wellbore. The method also includes obtaining a second set of data in the wellbore using the downhole tool after the first and second proppants are pumped into the wellbore. The method also includes comparing the first and second sets of data.

Systems and methods for differentiating non-radioactive tracers downhole

A method for evaluating induced fractures in a wellbore includes obtaining a first set of data in a wellbore using a downhole logging tool. A first proppant is pumped into the wellbore, after the first set of data is captured. The first proppant includes a first tracer that is not radioactive. A second proppant is also pumped into the wellbore, after the first proppant is pumped into the wellbore. The second proppant includes a second tracer that is not radioactive, and the second tracer is different than the first tracer. A second set of data is obtained in the wellbore using the downhole tool after the first and second proppants are pumped into the wellbore. The first and second sets of data are compared.

Non-radioactive tracers to evaluate fracturing procedures

Methods for logging a well utilizing natural radioactivity originating from clay based particulates are disclosed. The methods can include utilizing a gravel pack slurry containing a liquid and gravel pack particles to hydraulically place the particles into a gravel pack zone of a borehole penetrating a subterranean formation and obtaining a post gravel pack data set by lowering into the borehole traversing the subterranean formation a gamma ray detector and detecting gamma rays resulting from a native radioactivity of the gravel pack particles. The methods can further include using the post gravel pack data set to determine a location of the gravel pack particles and correlating the location of the gravel-pack particles to a depth measurement of the borehole to determine the location, height, and/or percent fill of gravel-pack particles placed in the gravel pack zone of the borehole.

Use of natural low-level radioactivity of raw materials to evaluate gravel pack and cement placement in wells

Methods of using capture gamma-ray spectroscopy for analyzing gravel-packs, frac-packs, and cement are disclosed herein. The methods can include distinguishing particles placed in a borehole region from particles placed in a subterranean formation outside of the borehole region, by utilizing a slurry comprising a liquid, particles, and a thermal neutron absorbing material to place the particles into the borehole region. The methods can also include obtaining first and second data sets by lowering into a borehole traversing the borehole region a pulsed neutron logging tool comprising a pulsed neutron source and a detector, emitting pulses of neutrons from the pulsed neutron source into the borehole region at intervals of one pulse per about 1,000 &#x3bc;sec for the first data set and about one pulse per about 100 &#x3bc;sec for the second data set, and detecting capture gamma rays resulting from nuclear reactions in the borehole and the subterranean formation.

Capture gamma ray spectroscopy for analyzing gravel-packs, frac-packs and cement

Methods are provided for determining the location and height of cement in a subterranean borehole region using pulsed neutron capture (PNC) logging tools. The methods include obtaining a pre-cementing data set, placing in the borehole region a cement slurry that includes a liquid a thermal neutron absorbing material, obtaining a post-cementing data set, comparing the pre-cementing data set and the post-cementing data set to determine the location of the cement, and correlating the location of the cement to a depth measurement of the borehole to determine the location and height of the cement placed in the borehole region.

Identification of cement in subterranean borehole regions using a ratio of capture to inelastic gamma rays

Methods are provided for determining the location and height of a fracture in a subterranean formation using pulsed neutron capture (PNC) logging tools. The methods include obtaining a pre-fracture data set, hydraulically fracturing the formation with a slurry that includes a liquid and a proppant in which at least a portion of the proppant is tagged with a thermal neutron absorbing material, obtaining a post-fracture data set, comparing the pre-fracture data set and the post-fracture data set to determine the location of the proppant, and correlating the location of the proppant to a depth measurement of the borehole to determine the location and height of the propped fracture.

Identification of proppant in subterranean fracture zones using a ratio of capture to inelastic gamma rays

Methods are provided for identifying the location and height of induced subterranean formation fractures and the presence of any associated frac-pack or gravel pack material in the vicinity of the borehole using pulsed neutron capture (PNC) logging tools. The proppant/sand used in the fracturing and packing processes is tagged with a thermal neutron absorbing material. When proppant is present, increases in detected PNC formation and/or borehole component cross-sections, combined with decreases in measured count rates, are used to determine the location of the formation fractures and the presence and percent fill of pack material in the borehole region. Changes in measured formation cross-sections relative to changes in other PNC parameters provide a relative indication of the proppant in fractures compared to that in the borehole region.

Use of PNC tools to determine the depth and relative location of proppant in fractures and the near borehole region

Subterranean formation locations/heights of tagged proppant doped with a high thermal neutron capture cross-section material are determined using data obtained from before and after frac logging passes through a well of a logging tool having near and far neutron detectors. Proppant location inaccuracies arising from changes in lithology between a zone of no interest and a proppant-containing formation zone are made, after any required normalization for a between-log change in borehole fluid, using an observed difference between the near/far detector count rate ratios in the two passes to determine a count rate differential correction to be applied to the before frac detector count rate. The corrected before frac count rate log is then overlaid with the after frac count rate log such that suppression in the after frac count rate log relative to the corrected before frac count rate log indicates the presence of proppant.

Lithology and borehole condition independent methods for locating tagged proppant in induced subterranean formation fractures

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Harry D Smith, Jr