Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Fisher Controls International LLC

Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company

Other

Ted Alan Long

Michael Thomas Hecker

Charles S Yeh

Michael D Barry

David C Haeberle

Terje Moen

Arthur Herman Dybevik

Jon Blacklock

Kjartan Roaldsnes

Ole Sveinung Kvernstuen

Knut H Nesland

Lars Faret

Hans Brekken

Michael Wildie McCarty

Michael C Romer

Kevin H Searles

Michael Melvin Anderson

Tony W Hord

Brian C Seabrook

Bruce A Dale

Neal L Adair

Stephen McNamee

Tracy J Moffett

David A Howell

Rahul Pakal

Brian W Duffy

Prajnajyoti Mazumdar

Sriram Doraiswamy

Justin A Gantt

Limin Song

Mark M Disko

Yibing Zhang

Pavlin B Entchev

Charles John Mart

Douglas Paul Gethmann

Jose Oliverio Alvarez

Christopher Andrew Hall

Henry Nguyen

Henry Alan Wolf

John Steven Sladic

Andrey A Troshko

Amr S El-Bakry

Paul J Schafbuch

Scott R Clingman

Eric R Grueschow

Christian S Mayer

Curtis J Holub

Robin Gupta

Robert F Hodge

Peter Olenick

Mahsa Memarzadeh

Christopher C Frazier

Rodney S Royer

Nathan John Hamblin

Neeraj R Dani

Anthony J Bermea

Feng Xiao

Zachary H Borden

Charles J Mart

William Barry Fisher

Michael K Johnson

Annabel Green

Billy-Bob Walker

Joseph Salviz

Dustin H Rose

Stephen Mcnamee

William B Fisher

Michael Wildie Mccarty

Arthur H Dybevik

John S Sladic

A method of measuring a pressure of a fluid adjacent a wall of a pipe or vessel. A transducer is attached to the wall of the pipe or vessel. A signal is transmitted by the transducer at a characteristic frequency via a plurality of guided wave modes. The characteristic frequency is a frequency at which the guided wave modes are separated in time from each other when received. The signal is received after the plurality of guided wave modes travel in or through the wall a predetermined number of times. The signal has a signal receipt time after the predetermined number of times. The pressure of the fluid is calculated using the signal receipt time.

Apparatus and method for non-intrusive pressure measurement and early identification of solids formation using selected guided ultrasonic wave modes

The methods disclosed herein are directed to an automated method for monitoring performance of a well in a hydrocarbon reservoir for continuous monitoring of well test production data for a plurality of well system performance parameters, trending actual performance parameter deviations from a well system model, and determining most probable root cause(s) of the performance parameter deviations based on the trend of the deviations of a plurality of parameters for an outflow component of a well performance model and a plurality of parameters inflow component of a well performance model. The method automatically notifies an operator of detected root causes of the performance degradation, and further may perform corrective action in the well system based on at least one root cause of the deviation determined by the well performance model.

Method for performing well performance diagnostics

Hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore, a fracture that extends from the wellbore, and an electromagnetic contrast material positioned within the fracture. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole electromagnetic transmitter, which is configured to direct an electromagnetic probe signal incident upon the electromagnetic contrast material, and a downhole electromagnetic receiver, which is configured to receive an electromagnetic resultant signal from the electromagnetic contrast material. Methods for monitoring fracture morphology of a fracture that extends from a wellbore of a hydrocarbon well include flowing an electromagnetic contrast material into a fracture and generating an electromagnetic probe signal. The methods also include modifying the electromagnetic probe signal with the electromagnetic contrast material to generate an electromagnetic resultant signal. The methods further include receiving the electromagnetic resultant signal and determining the morphology of the fracture.

Hydrocarbon wells and methods for monitoring fracture morphology of a fracture that extends from a wellbore of the hydrocarbon wells

A method and apparatus are provided for determining movement of a fluid into or out of a subsurface wellbore, to thereby enable accurate allocation of fluids being produced by or injected into each of several zones of the wellbore. A temperature change is effected in the fluid in a semi-continuous or pulsed manner at one or more locations in the wellbore. A temperature of the fluid is measured at one or more sensing locations downstream of the location of the temperature change. A time of flight model is used to determine, for a plurality of points of interest, a fluid flow direction, bulk flow rate and/or a cumulative flow rate contribution.

Method for flow profiling using transient active-source heating or cooling and temperature profiling

A method of detecting and mitigating flow instabilities, such as slugging, in hydrocarbon production wells. Real-time production data pertaining to each well is are retrieved. Using the production data, patterns of flow instability are identified therein. A numerical model of transient and thermal multiphase flow in each well is generated. Well test data is are retrieved from a database. The numerical model is calibrated using the well test data. Using the calibrated numerical model, a parametric study is performed to determine how input parameters affect at least one of stability and performance of the wells. Results of the parametric study are queried to determine a type of flow instability and to determine operating conditions to improve performance of the wells. An advisory is provided to a user to change operating conditions of one or more of the wells, to improve stability and/or performance of one or more of the wells.

Detecting and mitigating flow instabilities in hydrocarbon production wells

Drill strings with probe deployment structures, hydrocarbon wells that include the drill strings, and methods of utilizing the drill strings are disclosed herein. The drill strings include a pipe string and a drill bit attached to the pipe string. The drill strings also include a probe deployment structure attached to the pipe string and a downhole communication device attached to the pipe string. The probe deployment structure includes a probe and is configured to selectively insert the probe into a subterranean formation via a wellbore of the hydrocarbon well. The probe is configured to measure at least one property of the subterranean formation. The downhole communication device is configured to communicate with the probe. The hydrocarbon wells include a drill string support structure, which supports the drill string, a wellbore extending within a subsurface region, and the drill string extending within the wellbore.

Drill strings with probe deployment structures, hydrocarbon wells that include the drill strings, and methods of utilizing the drill strings

Hydrocarbon wells that include interrogation devices positioned within a fracture and methods of monitoring at least one property of a fracture. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subsurface region and a fracture that extends from the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include a plurality of interrogation devices entrained within a carrier fluid and positioned within the fracture and a downhole communication device positioned within the wellbore and proximal the fracture. The methods include flowing the interrogation devices into the fracture and conveying the excitation signal into the fracture. The methods also include receiving the excitation signal with the interrogation devices and generating a plurality of corresponding resultant signals with the interrogation devices. The methods further include receiving at least a subset of the corresponding resultant signals with a downhole communication device and determining at least one property of the fracture based upon the corresponding resultant signals.

Monitoring a fracture in a hydrocarbon well

Methods and systems for determining a liquid level in a formation between a horizontal segment of an injection wellbore and a horizontal segment of a production wellbore are disclosed. Under shut-in conditions, local temperatures and pressures are determined for each of a plurality of inflow zones along the production wellbore segment. Local profile values are determined based on local shut-in subcool values and local shut-in liquid levels. After flow has resumed, a local liquid level is determined based on the local operating subcool value and the local profile value for that inflow zone. The local profile values may be updated during subsequent shut-ins.

Systems and methods for estimating and controlling liquid level using periodic shut-ins

Hydrocarbon wells and methods of interrogating fluid flow within hydrocarbon wells. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore and downhole tubing that defines a tubing conduit and extends within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include an interrogation device. The interrogation device is configured to indicate at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon wells. The hydrocarbon wells also include a downhole location at which the interrogation device is released into the tubing conduit and a detection structure configured to query the interrogation device to determine the at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon wells. The methods include releasing an interrogation device at a downhole location within a hydrocarbon well and flowing the interrogation device from the downhole location to a surface region. The methods also include querying the interrogation device to determine at least one property of fluid flow within the hydrocarbon well.

Hydrocarbon wells and methods of interrogating fluid flow within hydrocarbon wells

Methods and systems for determining a liquid level above a horizontal segment of a wellbore in a formation are disclosed. Local temperatures and pressures are determined for each of a plurality of zones along the wellbore segment. For each zone, a local inflow rate is determined for fluids entering the wellbore from the formation. Based on the local inflow rate, local temperature, and local pressure, a local reservoir pressure is determined, and a local liquid level is determined based on the local reservoir pressure and a pressure associated with an injector wellbore positioned above the horizontal segment.

Systems and methods for dynamic liquid level monitoring and control

A method and apparatus are provided for determining movement of a fluid into or out of a subsurface wellbore, to thereby enable accurate allocation of fluids being produced by or injected into each of several zones of the wellbore. A temperature change is effected in the fluid at a first location in the wellbore. A temperature of the fluid is measured at one or more sensing locations downstream of the location of the temperature change. A simulated heat flow profile is generated from a wellbore model. The simulated heat flow profile is compared to the measured temperature of the fluid at the one or more sensing locations. An inversion model is used to determine, for a plurality of points of interest, a fluid flow direction and/or a cumulative flow rate contribution.

Method for flow profiling using active-source heating or cooling and temperature profiling

Hydrocarbon wells including electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well. The hydrocarbon wells include a wellbore that extends within a subterranean formation and downhole tubing that extends within the wellbore. The hydrocarbon wells also include a lift gas supply system configured to provide a lift gas stream to a lift gas supply conduit of the wellbore, a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies, a valve power supply system, and a controller. The methods include measuring a respective pressure differential between a lift gas supply conduit and a production conduit of the hydrocarbon well at each electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly in a plurality of electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies of the hydrocarbon well. The methods also include selectively opening a selected electrically actuated gas lift valve assembly based on the respective pressure differential.

Hydrocarbon wells including electrically actuated gas lift valve assemblies and methods of providing gas lift in a hydrocarbon well

Evaluating annulus-tubing communication points in a production well having an annulus between a production string and a surrounding string(s) of casing. Determining a composition of production fluids produced from the well, and injecting one or more tracer materials into the annulus of the well under pressure as part of a lift gas. Each of the one or more tracer materials defines a material that is not native to the production fluids, and each has a different rate of diffusivity in the lift gas. The tracer materials are detected upon being produced at the surface. A mass spectrometer or other analyzer capable of detecting tracer materials at concentrations of less than 1,000 ppm is used. Determining injection points of the one or more tracer materials, and determining whether each of the injection points represents a gas lift valve along the production tubing.

Method for monitoring gas lift wells using minimal concentration tracer materials

A method of optimizing the operation of a gas lift well including the steps of: collecting data from at least one surface mounted sensor, the at least one surface mounted sensor including a skin-mounted temperature sensor, the at least one surface mounted sensor mounted to the gas lift well's surface equipment; collecting ambient temperature data; and determining gas lift performance from data so obtained. A system and field test kits for optimizing the operation of a gas lift well.

Gas lift optimization employing data obtained from surface mounted sensors

A sand control device is used for restricting the flow of particles from a subsurface formation into a tubular body within a wellbore during production operations. The sand control device is divided into compartments along its length that provide redundancy for particle filtration. Each compartment first comprises a base pipe. The base pipe defines an elongated tubular body having a permeable section and an impermeable section within each compartment. Each compartment also comprises a first filtering conduit and a second filtering conduit. The filtering conduits comprise filtering media and generally circumscribe the base pipe. The filtering conduits are arranged so that the first filtering conduit is adjacent to the non-permeable section of the base pipe, while the second filtering conduit is adjacent to the permeable section of the base pipe.

Sand control screen having improved reliability

Growing community of inventors

Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Ted Alan Long