Online tracer monitoring and tracer meter

Abstract

A tracer method for online monitoring of downhole zonal contributions of oil, condensate, gas, or water mass flux of a production flow in a petroleum production well, includes arranging distinct tracer carrier systems, each in different production zones in said well, the distinct tracer carrier systems arranged for releasing unique tracers to a fluid of the production zones, the tracers having affinity after downhole release to separate phases of oil, condensate, gas, or water, using an online tracer monitor, conducting sampling of tracer concentrations for at least one of the tracers in said zonal mass fluxes at a high sampling rate, based on said concentration values, estimating the corresponding zonal tracer fluxes for each delivery data point and using said one or more estimated zonal mass fluxes to control one or more Petro Technical processes.

1 .- 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . A tracer method for online monitoring of downhole zonal contributions of oil, condensate, gas, or water mass flux of a production flow in a petroleum production well, said well having different well components with different behavior, acting as delay chambers during flush out, and comprising:
 production tubing;   a completion void;   a gravel pack; and   surrounding permeable geological formation,   said method comprising:   a) arranging one or more distinct tracer carrier systems each in different production zones in said well;   b) said distinct tracer carrier systems arranged for releasing tracers to a fluid of said production zones;   c) said tracers having affinity after downhole release to separate phases of oil, condensate, gas, or water with corresponding zonal mass fluxes;   d) conducting a continuous loop of the following steps (e)-(f), comprising:   e) using an online tracer monitor, conducting sampling of tracer concentrations for at least one of the tracers in said zonal mass fluxes at a high sampling rate, said high sampling and analysis rate, up to 1 sampling/5 sec, [claim, p 11 l2, p 11 second and third paragraph, p 12 bp(e), p19,] but set and conducted at a time rate obeying Nyquist sampling of information related to one or more Flow Physical Events and noise; and   f) based on said concentration values and the retention times for the different delay chambers, estimating the corresponding zonal tracer fluxes and the zonal mass flux of oil, condensate, gas, or water for each delivery data point;   g) using said one or more estimated zonal mass fluxes as input to control said production well.   
     
     
         42 . The method according to  claim 41 , further comprising allowing all or part of a production flow of said well to be separated, into two or more segregated phases of oil, condensate, gas, and water before conducting the continuous loop of step (e)-(f). 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising allowing all or part of a production flow of said well to be continuously separated, naturally occurring, at said downstream location. 
     
     
         44 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein the step of using a tracer monitor e) comprises applying an online tracer sensor conducting sampling of samples for at least one of the tracers in said phases at a high sampling rate of up to 1 sample/5 sec,
 the method further comprising using an analyzer, analyzing each said samples and providing discrete concentration estimates of possibly occurring said unique tracers, said high sampling and analysis rate conducted at a time rate obeying Nyquist sampling of information related to one or more petrotechnical processes and noise.   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising allowing all or part of a production flow of said well to be continuously separated, forced in a separator, in-line or in a side branch, at said downstream location. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising using said one or more estimated zonal mass fluxes as input to control one or more Petro Technical processes in said production well,
 said Petro Technical processes comprising one or more of:
 estimating the quality of clean-up and initial inflow profile of one or more component; oil, condensate, gas and water in said well; 
 estimating the inflow profile of one or more component; oil, condensate, gas and water in said well during normal production; 
 updating of reservoir model in general; 
 changing injection pattern from injection wells; 
 adjusting remotely operated downhole chokes to change drainage pattern around said well; 
 alarm water intrusion into one or more of said production zones in said well; 
 performing well flow diagnostics; 
 performing well integrity diagnostics; 
 performing production allocation; 
 infill drilling optimization; 
 Reservoir Management Purposes; and 
 Completion optimization and verification. 
   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising allowing said production flow of said well to be continuously annular separated into annular phase flows of oil, possibly gas, and water. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , further comprising allowing said annular separation to occur in a cyclone in said production flow. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47 , further comprising conducting said annular separation utilizing an annular flow formation occurring in a multi-phase fluid meter MPFM. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising arranging said online tracer monitor system and said multi-phase fluid meter MPFM near the Earth's surface, either at the seafloor wellhead or at the production platform. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising arranging said online tracer monitor system and said multi-phase fluid meter MPFM downhole near said production zones. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising arranging said monitor system and said MPFM adjacent to a liner hanger. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising allowing said production flow of said well to be continuously separated into phase flows of oil, condensate, gas, and/or water by suddenly decreasing pressure in all or part of the flow. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein after said step (c), allowing all or part of a production flow of said well to be continuously separated at a downstream location along a production tubing, into two or more segregated phases of oil, condensate, gas, and water, at one instant, changing the affinity properties of one or more of said tracers. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54 , further comprising introducing soap for moving the tracer from oil to water. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54 , further comprising changing the pH of one or more of said fluids in order to shift the tracer from oil to water or vice versa. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 54 , further comprising using a cyclone for centrifuging out tracers. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein under step (c), said tracers after release having affinity to separate phases of oil, condensate, gas, or water, in that the tracer will follow the flowing target fluid while running downstream, said affinity be based on properties such as being oleophilic or hydrophilic, or based on equality of densities. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 41 , said tracers being oleophilic, said tracer bound to or residing in a heavy particle centrifuge separable from oil to water. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 41 , each said tracer arranged for conditional release, said distinct tracer carrier systems being arranged for releasing said unique tracers:
 on condition;   on demand from the surface or another downhole node; and/or   on time.   
     
     
         61 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are arranged for being detected using optical sensors. 
     
     
         62 . The method according to  claim 61 , wherein said optical sensors comprise optical spectroscopy. 
     
     
         63 . The method according to  claim 61 , wherein said optical sensors comprise a laser source and an optical detector. 
     
     
         64 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein said heavy particles have a density similar to the density of water. 
     
     
         65 . The method according to  claim 64 , wherein said particles are oleophilic. 
     
     
         66 . The method according to  claim 64 , wherein said particles are hydrophilic. 
     
     
         67 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are acoustically detectable. 
     
     
         68 . The method according to  claim 67 , wherein said online tracer monitor system is an acoustic in-line tracer measurement device. 
     
     
         69 . The method according to  claim 67 , wherein said online tracer monitor system is an acoustic clamp on measurement device. 
     
     
         70 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are magnetically detectable. 
     
     
         71 . The method according to  claim 70 , wherein said online monitor system is a magnetic in-line tracer measurement device. 
     
     
         72 . The method according to  claim 70 , wherein said online monitor system is a magnetic clamp on measurement device. 
     
     
         73 . A high frequency multiphase fluid sampler comprising:
 two or more multiphase fluid sampler pipes for collecting fluid samples for each separated phase flow, each fluid sampling pipe further comprising:   a fluid sampling valve;   a distributing valve distributing single phase fluid samples to one or more sensors; and   analyzers for measuring and analyzing fluid samples at a high measure rate up to 1 measure/5 sec.   
     
     
         74 . The device according to  claim 73 , wherein one or more of said monitor systems is a multi phase flow meter. 
     
     
         75 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are isotopes and detectable by radiation sensors. 
     
     
         76 . The method according to  claim 75 , wherein said online tracer monitor system comprises a detector of radiation from isotopes. 
     
     
         77 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are RF ID and detectable via electromagnetic waves. 
     
     
         78 . The method according to  claim 77 , wherein said online tracer monitor system is a detector based on electromagnetic waves. 
     
     
         79 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein one or more of said tracers are chemical tracers. 
     
     
         80 . The method according to  claim 79 , wherein said online tracer monitor system is an analyzer for chemical tracers.