Use of Chemical Influx Tracers in Early Water Breakthrough Detection

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein the oil and / or gas production site comprises two or more oil and / or gas production wells (3a) and / or well strings (3a). The present invention utilizes chemical inflow tracers and allows simultaneous water breakthrough monitoring of two or more oil and / or gas production wells (3a) and / or completions at a centralized downstream location.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to systems and methods for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings are monitored simultaneously at a centralized downstream location, and wherein water breakthrough is monitored using one or more chemical influx tracers. Background Art

[0002] In the oil industry, underground reservoirs containing hydrocarbons are developed in order to produce oil and / or gas produced fluids. The oil and / or gas produced fluids extracted from the oil-containing and / or gas-containing underground strata include hydrocarbons, i.e. oil and / or natural gas, and to a certain extent, also water. The produced fluids are produced through wells drilled in the underground strata. The hydrocarbon-containing produced fluids, including oil and / or natural gas and water, are transported to the surface from the reservoir through one or more production pipelines.

[0003] Typically, at the beginning of reservoir development, produced fluids are lifted to the surface due to the pressure differential between the formation pressure and the pressure of the fluid column in the well. In the later stages of reservoir development, i.e., when the formation pressure is no longer sufficient to lift produced fluids to the surface due to reservoir depletion, pumps or injected fluids may be used to recover produced fluids.

[0004] In the oil and gas industry, the term "produced fluid" generally refers to a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon-containing stream that contains water only to a certain extent. However, due to reservoir depletion, large amounts of water can seep into the reservoir and thus also reach the well.

[0005] If a large amount of water is present in a well, this is generally referred to as water breakthrough. Water breakthrough, i.e., excess water in a production well, can be detrimental to the operation of the well because, for example, the production of water results in a loss of production due to multiphase flow and a heavier fluid column in the well, increased surface processing costs due to the need for water separation, treatment, and disposal, and / or results in additional requirements for reservoir pressure support per unit of hydrocarbon production. In summary, water breakthrough can lead to laborious and expensive water plugging interventions and ultimately to a loss of production.

[0006] Therefore, early detection of water breakthrough is essential to obtain satisfactory performance of production wells and can also extend the service life of the wells.

[0007] Water breakthrough detection usually relies on the detection of produced fluids at the wellhead, including analysis of the produced fluids through the interpretation of parameters acquired at the wellhead. In some cases, it is difficult or even impossible to detect water breakthrough: when wellhead instrumentation is lacking, when well testing is infrequent due to limited testing facilities, or when the detection level of such testing facilities is insufficient.

[0008] Exploring produced fluids from oil and / or gas reservoirs is essential for providing information relating in particular to the flow rate of produced fluids within the reservoir or the composition of the produced fluids, for example during drilling and completion of a well, in reservoir evaluation or testing for residual oil saturation. Exploring produced fluids from oil and / or gas reservoirs can be a direct method, such as directly measuring the physical and / or chemical properties of the produced fluids. Direct exploration of produced fluids can be direct measurement of the water content of the produced fluid at the well site when monitoring water breakthrough. In the alternative, exploration of produced fluids from oil and / or gas reservoirs can be an indirect method, such as a method involving tracers in accordance with various tracer experiments, such as in the form of single well tests or inter-well tests.

[0009] The tracer physically acts (such as adsorption, absorption, dissolution) and / or chemically (via chemical reaction and / or chemical change) with the produced fluid or a specific phase or specific component of the produced fluid. In addition, physical tracers and chemical tracers allow specific detection of the tracer. Tracers known in the art can be radioactive or non-radioactive compounds in solid, liquid or gaseous state. Common tracers include chemical tracers, radioactive tracers and / or chemical inflow tracers. Typically, chemical tracers or radioactive tracers are injected into the well along with a carrier fluid such as injected water or injected gas, and are detected in the same well or in a different well such as a production well. In contrast, chemical inflow tracers are typically installed underground, such as in or around a single well or a single completed wellbore, and are often exposed to the produced fluid flow.

[0010] A chemical influx tracer is a compound that reacts with one of the produced fluid components or a produced fluid phase underground and can subsequently be detected at the surface by a downstream detection device, or can be detected via manual sampling and subsequent analysis at a downstream sampling point or sampling system. Thus, the absence, presence, and amount of a produced fluid component or produced fluid phase that includes the chemical influx tracer can be determined.

[0011] Chemical influx tracers are commonly used to monitor produced fluids. Specifically, the use of chemical influx tracers in methods for determining the amount of water and distinguishing water from oil phases is known in the art. Additionally, methods for water breakthrough detection in a single well may involve a chemical influx tracer installed underground and within the well, such as at or around the wellbore.

[0012] It is known in the art to use chemical influx tracers for downhole production logging, i.e., underground monitoring of the amount of oil and / or water produced from different portions of a single well or well completion. Chemical influx tracers are widely used in downhole applications in the oil and gas industry to identify and quantify the production of oil, gas, and water from different reservoir portions of a single well or well completion. In addition, it is also known that chemical influx tracer fluids can be differentiated to detect different fluids or fluid phases in the produced fluid.

[0013] For example, US 6,016,191 relates to an apparatus for fluid flow analysis and its use. US 6,016,191 discloses a probe that is coupled to a light source and configured to detect reflectivity or fluorescence. A fluorescent chemical tracer is injected into the fluid flow. The probe will then detect oil or water in the fluid flow based on the reaction of the fluid with the dye.

[0014] Furthermore, US 7,469,597 relates to a method for measuring the total phase volume in a multiphase fluid flow, wherein a chemical tracer is injected into a pipeline. The concentration of the chemical tracer is measured as a function of time at the injection point and at one or more downstream measurement points. The volume is then calculated based on the concentration of the injected tracer and the tracer concentration measured in each phase at the various measurement points.

[0015] The scientific publication “Liquid Accumulation in Gas Condensate Pipelines Measured by use of Tracer Techniques” by Sira et al. (https: / / www.onepetro.org / conference-paper / BHR-2005-G5) discloses the use of radioactive tracers for measuring water content in gas condensate pipelines.

[0016] U.S. Patent No. 6,645,769 relates to a method for monitoring hydrocarbon and water production from different production zones / segments in a hydrocarbon reservoir and / or injection well. The method includes dividing the area surrounding a well in the reservoir into a number of zones / segments and injecting or placing a specific tracer with unique characteristics into the formation for each zone / segment so that the tracer is placed as an integral part of the well completion. In addition, the method includes detecting the tracer downstream to provide information about the different zones / segments.

[0017] U.S. Patent No. 7,347,260 relates to a method for recovering material injected into an oil well using a portable device, wherein the injected material may include a chemical tracer that can react with a fluid component such as water. Detection of one or more tracers is performed at the wellhead surface, wherein the presence of one tracer can indicate the presence of water.

[0018] U.S. Patent No. 7,805,248 B2 relates to a system and method for evaluating water breakthrough in a single production well. The method includes evaluating the amount of water in the fluid produced in at least one production zone, and using the trend of the evaluated water amount to evaluate the occurrence of water breakthrough. The amount of water can be evaluated by the use and detection of chemical tracers. U.S. Patent No. 7,805,248 B2 discloses that the production zone can include multiple production zones, such as an upper production zone and a lower production zone.

[0019] However, the above-mentioned systems and methods for water breakthrough detection currently known in the art have the risk of late or no detection of water breakthrough. This can have a negative impact on the production rate of the well and may even lead to reservoir loss or damage to the production well equipment. The main disadvantage of existing methods for water breakthrough detection is that these methods rely on sampling of the produced fluid at the well location below or near the ground. As mentioned above, water breakthrough detection is currently solved in the art by wellhead sampling, in which the water content in the produced fluid is directly measured. However, wellhead sampling may be impractical and requires wellhead exposure, which in turn means risks to health, safety and the environment. Alternatives to wellhead sampling may be other well testing methods, such as test separation or multiphase measurement. However, the latter two methods rely on regular testing using expensive equipment: if it is a large oil field with hundreds of wells, frequent testing for water breakthrough detection is impossible, and the wells may only be tested a few times a year. In addition, the detection level may not be enough to detect water, at least before it has reached a high percentage, by which time it may be too late to react when water breakthrough occurs. Furthermore, existing methods involving chemical tracers installed underground as an integral part of the well completion require well intervention or downhole operations to deploy the chemical inflow tracer in the well. Additionally, systems and methods known in the art only relate to water breakthrough detection in a single well. Furthermore, systems and methods currently known in the art are associated with time-consuming and expensive production fluid testing or expensive wellhead instrumentation.

[0020] Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for reliably detecting water breakthrough that would allow for frequent sampling of multiple production wells or well strings simultaneously at a centralized downstream location, such as at the level of a main recovery line. It would be desirable to significantly increase the sampling and measurement frequency and facilitate early detection of water breakthrough for multiple production wells or well strings simultaneously. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for detecting water breakthrough that does not require well intervention or downhole work to inject or deploy chemical tracers in the well.

[0021] In other words, there is a need for a system and method for detecting water breakthrough that allows for simultaneous detection of water breakthrough in multiple production wells or well strings at a centralized downstream location, such as at the level of a main recovery line. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for detecting water breakthrough using a chemical influx tracer that is installed at the surface to allow for simultaneous water breakthrough detection in multiple wells or well strings, wherein one or more wells that are experiencing water breakthrough are identified. Summary of the invention

[0022] The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings are simultaneously monitored for water breakthrough at a centralized location downstream of the wells and / or well strings, preferably at the level of a main recovery line, and wherein one or more tracer components, each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are used to monitor water breakthrough in the wells and / or well strings, the tracer components being located on the surface of the wells and / or well strings, for example, at the level of the wellhead, at the level of the flow line or at the level of the main recovery line.

[0023] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, the oil and / or gas production site comprising two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are exposed in one or more tracer components to natural gas and / or oil recovered from two or more wells and / or well strings. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one or more tracer components comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers are located on the surface of the well and / or well string, for example at the level of two or more wellheads, at the level of two or more flow lines upstream of a manifold, at the level of a recovery manifold or at the level of a main recovery line. In yet another aspect according to the present invention, one tracer component comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers is used for each well or well string. In another aspect according to the present invention, one tracer component comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers is used for two or more wells or well strings, but not for all wells or well strings.

[0024] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein the presence of water in the natural gas and / or oil produced by a production well or well string is detected. The presence of water in the natural gas and / or oil produced by the production well or well string is indicated by the presence of a chemical influx tracer. The chemical influx tracer used to indicate the presence of water, i.e., the aqueous phase in the natural gas and / or oil produced by the production well or completion well, is soluble in water and is thus contained by the water contained in the produced natural gas and / or oil. The presence of the chemical influx tracer is indicated by detecting the chemical influx tracer at a concentrated location downstream of the well and / or well string, preferably at the level of the main recovery line.

[0025] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are exposed in one or more tracer components to natural gas and / or oil produced from two or more wells and / or well strings. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein each well or well string uses a tracer component comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein the one or more tracer components comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers are located at the surface of the well and / or well string, preferably at the level of two or more wellheads, at the level of two or more flow lines upstream of a manifold, at the level of a recovery manifold or at the level of a main recovery line, most preferably, wherein the one or more tracer components comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers are located at the level of two or more flow lines upstream of a manifold.

[0026] For a detailed understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments according to the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1An oil and / or gas production site is shown, which includes: a) two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings; b) two or more production pipelines 3a, which produce natural gas and / or oil 10 from a reservoir 1 in a geological formation 2; c) two or more wellheads 4; d) two or more flow pipelines 3b, which transport the produced natural gas and / or oil 10; e) one or more tracer components 5, each of which includes one or more chemical inflow tracers; f) one or more manifolds 6, which merge the two or more flow pipelines 3b; g) optionally, inlets 7 from other production wells; g) a downstream main recovery line 9, which recovers natural gas and / or oil 10 from the one or more manifolds 6, wherein a detection device, sampling point or sampling system 8 for detecting the one or more chemical inflow tracers is located at the level of the downstream main recovery line 9.

[0028] Figure 2 Shown according to Figure 1 An oil and / or gas production site, wherein the tracer component 5 is located at the level of the wellhead 4.

[0029] Figure 3 Shown according to Figure 1 An oil and / or gas production site comprising a tracer component 5 at the level of a recovery manifold 6, wherein the tracer component 5 allows the simultaneous detection of water breakthrough at two or more wells.

[0030] Figure 4 A tracer assembly 5 is shown wherein a chemical inflow tracer is installed as a flowline insert 5a within a jacket 103b of a flowline 3b wherein the chemical inflow tracer is exposed to produced natural gas and / or oil.

[0031] Figure 5 A tracer component 5 is shown, wherein a chemical inflow tracer is installed in a tracer chamber 5b, which is connected to a flow line 3b via a pipe 3c, thereby allowing fluid communication between the tracer chamber 5b and the flow line 3b and allowing the one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed to the natural gas and / or oil in the tracer chamber 5b.

[0032] Figure 6 A tracer assembly 5 is shown wherein an inserted sampling tube 5c including the one or more chemical inflow tracers is installed in a jacket 103b of a flow line 3b and wherein the inserted sampling tube 5c including the one or more chemical inflow tracers is exposed to produced natural gas and / or oil. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] According to the system for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site of the present invention, the oil and / or gas production site comprises: a) two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings; b) two or more production pipelines 3a, the production pipelines 3a produce natural gas and / or oil 10 from a reservoir 1 in a geological formation 2; c) two or more wellheads 4; d) one or more manifolds 6, the manifold 6 merges two or more flow pipelines 3b; e) optionally, an inlet 7 from another production well; f) a downstream main recovery line 9, the downstream main recovery line 9 recovers natural gas and / or oil 10 from the one or more manifolds 6, wherein the system comprises:

[0034] (i) one or more tracer components 5, each tracer component comprising one or more chemical influx tracers;

[0035] (ii) a detection device, sampling point or sampling system 8 for the detection of said one or more chemical influx tracers.

[0036] The term "chemical influx tracer" according to the present invention refers to a compound having unique chemical and physical properties that allow it to be distinguished from other chemical influx tracers or components of the produced fluid containing the chemical influx tracer. Due to the high recognition factor, the chemical influx tracer according to the present invention allows to be detected specifically and individually. The high recognition factor refers to unique chemical and physical properties that are different for each chemical influx tracer and different from the components of the produced fluid containing the chemical influx tracer. Chemical properties refer to, for example, the chemical behavior of the chemical influx tracer in a specific test reaction. Physical properties refer to physical properties of the chemical influx tracer, such as spectral properties or solubility properties, etc. In other words, the chemical influx tracer allows components of the produced fluid containing the chemical influx tracer to be distinguished from each other and from each other.

[0037] The chemical inflow tracer for use in the system or method according to the present invention is specifically soluble in water and is insoluble in the natural gas and / or oil produced from the well and / or well string. Therefore, the presence of the chemical inflow tracer in the natural gas and / or oil produced from the well and / or well string indicates the presence of water in the natural gas and / or oil, that is, the presence of water breakthrough at the well or well string.

[0038] The chemical inflow tracers used in the system or method according to the present invention are all compounds that are soluble only in water and not soluble in the oil phase or the gas phase. Preferably, the chemical inflow tracers used in the system or method according to the present invention are chemical inflow tracers commonly known in the art, such as dyes, pigments, stains or radioactive compounds.

[0039] The chemical influx tracer for use in the system or method according to the present invention can be contained in a solid phase carrier and will be released when exposed to the aqueous production fluid. The carrier can be any solid phase carrier known in the art for chemical influx tracers, such as but not limited to a polymer carrier.

[0040] The one or more chemical inflow tracers are exposed to the produced fluid in one or more tracer components 5, wherein the one or more tracer components 5 are flow line inserts 5a, tracer chambers 5b, inserted sampling tubes 5c, or any combination thereof.

[0041] The detection device, sampling point or sampling system 8 allows manual sampling and / or online analysis, wherein the sampling device 8 for detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is selected from the group consisting of UV-Vis spectrometer, infrared spectrometer, mass spectrometer, or any combination thereof.

[0042] For an oil and / or gas production site comprising two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings, the water crossover detection system according to the invention comprises one or more tracer components 5, each tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical influx tracers, wherein one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical influx tracers is used for each well or well string, or wherein, for two or more wells but not for all wells, one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical influx tracers is used. Thus, the system and method according to the invention provide for the distribution of the one or more chemical influx tracers to a specific well or well string, or respectively to a group of specific wells or well strings. The presence of one or more chemical influx tracers contained in the produced oil or gas 10 at the level of two or more wellheads 4, at the level of two or more flow lines 3b upstream of the manifold 6, or at the level of the downstream main recovery line 9 allows the determination of which specific well or well string or which group of specific wells or well strings is suffering from water crossover. Thus, if several production fluids including one or more chemical tracers from different wells or well strings are combined in the downstream main recovery line 9, the different chemical influx tracers allow for simultaneous and centralized determination of the one or more wells or well strings that are experiencing water breakthrough.

[0043] Implementation

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, the oil and / or gas production site comprising: a) two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings; b) two or more production pipelines 3a, the production pipelines 3a produce natural gas and / or oil 10 from a reservoir 1 in a geological formation 2; c) two or more wellheads 4; d) one or more manifolds 6, the manifold 6 merging two or more flow pipelines 3b; e) optionally, an inlet 7 from another production well; f) a downstream main recovery line 9, the downstream main recovery line 9 recovering natural gas and / or oil 10 from the one or more manifolds 6, wherein the system comprises:

[0045] (i) one or more tracer components 5, each tracer component comprising one or more chemical influx tracers;

[0046] (ii) a detection device, sampling point or sampling system 8 for the detection of said one or more chemical influx tracers.

[0047] A preferred embodiment according to the invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical influx tracers is used per well or well string. In another embodiment according to the invention, one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical influx tracers is used for two or more wells or well strings, but not for all wells or well strings. This allows simultaneous water breakthrough detection for two or more wells at a centralized location at the production site, downstream of the wells and / or well strings, preferably at the level of the main recovery line 9. Thereby, the sampling and measurement frequency is significantly increased and thus facilitates early water breakthrough detection for multiple wells.

[0048] An even more preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one or more tracer components 5, each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are located at the surface of a well and / or a well string, preferably at the level of two or more wellheads 4, at the level of two or more flow lines 3b upstream of one or more manifolds 6, at the level of one or more manifolds 6, or at the level of a main recovery line 9, preferably, wherein one or more tracer components 5, each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are located at the level of two or more flow lines 3b upstream of one or more manifolds 6, and wherein one or more tracer components 5 allow one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed in the tracer component 5 to natural gas and / or oil 10 recovered from two or more wells and / or well strings.

[0049] This provides a system for detecting water breakthrough that does not require well intervention or downhole work to inject or deploy one or more chemical influx tracers in the well or well string. Therefore, since laborious downhole work is replaced, this simplifies operation and maintenance, while reducing risks to health, safety and the environment.

[0050] Another embodiment according to the present invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one or more tracer components 5, each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are flow line inserts 5a, tracer chambers 5b, inserted sampling tubes 5c, or any combination thereof. This allows one or more chemical inflow tracers to communicate with the natural gas and / or oil fluid recovered through the well or well string and dissolve in the water comprising the natural gas and / or oil 10. This allows the water to be detected.

[0051] Another embodiment according to the invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough, wherein the presence of water in natural gas and / or oil 10 recovered from two or more wells and / or well strings is indicated by the presence of one or more chemical inflow tracers comprised by the water phase present in the natural gas and / or oil 10. Yet another embodiment according to the invention relates to a system for detecting water breakthrough, wherein the presence of one or more chemical inflow tracers comprised by the water phase present in the natural gas and / or oil 10 is indicated by detecting the chemical tracer at a concentrated location downstream of the wells and / or well strings, preferably at the level of the main recovery line 9.

[0052] According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system for detecting water breakthrough, the system comprising one or more tracer components 5, each of which comprises one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein the one or more chemical inflow tracers are chemical inflow tracers generally known in the art, such as dyes, pigments, stains or radioactive compounds.

[0053] In another embodiment according to the present invention, the one or more chemical influx tracers are contained in a solid support. The solid support can be any solid support known in the art for chemical influx tracers, such as but not limited to a polymer support. This allows the chemical influx tracer to be released from the solid support into the aqueous phase when exposed to a produced fluid including water.

[0054] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are detected by a detection device 8, or detected via manual sampling and subsequent analysis at a downstream sampling point 8 or sampling system 8. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein the detection device 8 is selected from the group consisting of a UV-visible spectrometer, an infrared spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, or any combination thereof. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are detected by a detection device, a sampling point or a sampling system 8 that allows manual sampling and / or online analysis.

[0055] This enables frequent sampling of multiple production wells simultaneously and thus significantly increases the sampling and measurement frequency.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the detection of one or more chemical inflow tracers is carried out at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string, preferably at the level of the main recovery line 9. This allows simultaneous monitoring of multiple production wells or completions at a production site and thus significantly increases the sampling and measurement frequency. In addition, early water breakthrough detection for one or more specific wells among multiple wells is facilitated.

[0057] According to the most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a system for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, which oil and / or gas production site includes: two or more wells and / or well strings, wherein each well or well string uses a tracer component 5 including one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein each of the tracer components 5 is located at the level of two or more flow lines 3b upstream of one or more manifolds 6, wherein each of the tracer components 5 allows one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed to natural gas and / or oil 10, wherein each of the tracer components 5 is a flow line insert 5a, and wherein the detection of one or more chemical inflow tracers is performed at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string, preferably at the level of the main recovery line 9.

[0058] Other embodiments according to the present invention relate to a method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein a system according to any one of the above embodiments is used.

[0059] Another embodiment according to the present invention relates to a method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein the presence of water in natural gas and / or oil 10 recovered from two or more wells and / or well strings is indicated by the presence of one or more chemical influx tracers included in the water phase present in the natural gas and / or oil 10.

[0060] A preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to a method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers is used per well or well string. In another embodiment of the present invention, one tracer component 5 comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers is used for two or more wells or well strings, but not for all wells or well strings.

[0061] Yet another embodiment according to the present invention relates to a method for detecting water breakthrough, wherein a tracer component 5 each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers is used, wherein the one or more chemical inflow tracers are chemical inflow tracers generally known in the art, such as dyes, pigments, stains or radioactive compounds.

[0062] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are detected by a detection device 8, or detected via manual sampling and subsequent analysis at a downstream sampling point 8 or sampling system 8. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein the detection device 8 is selected from the group consisting of a UV-visible spectrometer, an infrared spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, or any combination thereof. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for detecting water breakthrough is provided, wherein one or more chemical inflow tracers are detected by a sampling point or sampling system 8 that allows manual sampling and / or online analysis.

[0063] The most preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to a method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, which oil and / or gas production site includes: two or more wells and / or well strings, wherein each well or well string uses a tracer component 5 including one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein each of the tracer components 5 is located at the level of two or more flow lines 3b upstream of one or more manifolds 6, wherein each of the tracer components 5 allows one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed to natural gas and / or oil 10, wherein each of the tracer components 5 is a flow line insert 5a, and wherein the detection of one or more chemical inflow tracers is performed at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string, preferably at the level of the main recovery line 9.

[0064] Yet another embodiment according to the present invention relates to use of the system according to any one of the above embodiments in a method for water breakthrough detection according to any one of the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A system for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, the oil and / or gas production site comprising: a) two or more oil and / or gas production wells and / or well strings; b) two or more production pipelines (3a), said production pipelines (3a) producing natural gas and / or oil (10) from a reservoir (1) in a geological formation (2); c) two or more wellheads (4); d) one or more manifolds (6), said manifolds (6) merging two or more flow lines (3b); e) a downstream main recovery line (9), said downstream main recovery line (9) producing natural gas and / or oil (10) from said one or more manifolds (6), wherein said system comprises: (i) one or more tracer components (5), each tracer component comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein the one or more tracer components (5) are a tracer chamber (5b), an insert sampling tube (5c) or any combination thereof, wherein the tracer chamber (5b) is connected to the two or more flow lines (3b) via two or more conduits (3c) to allow fluid communication between the tracer chamber (5b) and the two or more flow lines (3b) and to allow the one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed to the natural gas and / or oil in the tracer chamber (5b), and / or wherein the inserted sampling tube (5c) including the one or more chemical inflow tracers is installed in the jacket (103b) of two or more flow lines (3b), and wherein the inserted sampling tube (5c) including the one or more chemical inflow tracers is exposed to the produced natural gas and / or oil; and (ii) a detection device, sampling point or sampling system for the detection of said one or more chemical influx tracers.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The oil and / or gas production site also includes access points (7) from other production wells.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: Each well or well string uses a tracer component (5) comprising one or more chemical influx tracers.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: For two or more wells or well strings, but not for all wells or well strings, a tracer component (5) comprising one or more chemical influx tracers is used.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The one or more tracer components (5), each comprising one or more chemical influx tracers, are located at the surface of the well and / or well string.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein: The one or more tracer components (5), each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are located at the level of the two or more flow lines (3b) upstream of the one or more manifolds (6).

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, wherein: The one or more tracer components (5) allow the one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed in the tracer components (5) to natural gas and / or oil (10) recovered from the two or more wells and / or well strings.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, wherein: The one or more chemical influx tracers are contained in a solid support.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein: The solid phase carrier is a polymer carrier.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, and 9, wherein: The one or more chemical influx tracers are detected by a detection device, or via manual sampling and subsequent analysis at a downstream sampling point or sampling system.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6 and 9, wherein: The detection device is selected from the group consisting of an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, an infrared spectrometer, a mass spectrometer or any combination thereof.

12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6 and 9, wherein: The detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is performed simultaneously.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, and 9, wherein: The detection device, the sampling point or the sampling system allows manual sampling and / or online analysis.

14. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, and 9, wherein: Detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is performed at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string.

15. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, and 9, wherein: The detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is performed simultaneously at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string.

16. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, and 9, wherein: Each well or well string uses a tracer component (5) including one or more chemical inflow tracers, wherein each of the tracer components (5) is located at the level of the two or more flow lines (3b) upstream of the one or more manifolds (6), wherein each of the tracer components (5) allows the one or more chemical inflow tracers to be exposed to natural gas and / or oil (10), wherein each of the tracer components (5) is a flow line insert (5a), and wherein detection of the one or more chemical inflow tracers is performed simultaneously at a centralized location downstream of the well and / or well string.

17. The system according to claim 5, wherein: The one or more tracer components (5), each comprising one or more chemical inflow tracers, are located at the level of the two or more wellheads (4), at the level of the two or more flow lines (3b) upstream of the one or more manifolds (6), at the level of the one or more manifolds (6), or at the level of the main recovery line (9), or any combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein: The detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is performed at the level of the main recovery line (9).

19. The system of claim 15, wherein: The detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is carried out simultaneously at the level of the main recovery line (9).

20. The system of claim 16, wherein: The detection of the one or more chemical influx tracers is carried out simultaneously at the level of the main recovery line (9).

21. A method for detecting water breakthrough at an oil and / or gas production site, wherein: A system according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is used.

22. Use of a system in a method for detecting water breakthrough, the system being a system according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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