Acoustic Bond-Log Validation Fixture Using Segmented Wellbore Emulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Validating and calibrating acoustic bond-log tools in actual wells is difficult and costly, with limited validation points, reducing the accuracy and efficiency of cement testing in well construction.
Innovation Solution
A test fixture that emulates casing-in-hole or casing-in-casing well configurations, allowing for the evaluation of acoustic bond-log tools under various conditions, including different cement-based media, fluids, temperatures, and pressures, and enabling the assessment of factors like microannulus and zonal isolation materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If acoustic bond-log tools are validated in actual wells, then validation data can be obtained, but the cost is prohibitive and validation points are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a physical replica (copy) of a wellbore environment including casing, cement, and formation layers in a controlled test fixture. This allows acoustic bond-log tools to be validated in a realistic setting without the high costs and limitations of actual well validation, enabling multiple validation points and repeated testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The test fixture is divided into separate segments including casing sections, cement annulus, and formation simulators that can be independently configured. This segmentation allows systematic validation of acoustic tools under different conditions while reducing overall validation complexity.
2Reliability
If acoustic bond-log tools are validated in actual wells, then real-world performance data can be obtained, but the efficiency is reduced due to limited validation points
Solution Approach 1:
The test fixture is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate various acoustic bond-log tools and simulate multiple well conditions (different cement types, casing configurations, formation properties). This multi-functionality enables comprehensive validation of tool reliability without requiring separate actual well validations for each scenario, significantly improving validation efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If a test fixture is designed to emulate real well configurations, then validation accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The test fixture creates simplified copies of wellbore components (casing, cement, formation) that capture the essential acoustic properties without replicating every detail of actual wells. This approach maintains validation accuracy while controlling fixture complexity through selective replication of critical features.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cement types and conditions are tested, then tool evaluation comprehensiveness is improved, but the cost and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The test fixture is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate various acoustic bond-log tools and simulate multiple well conditions (different cement types, casing configurations, formation properties). This multi-functionality enables comprehensive validation of tool reliability without requiring separate actual well validations for each scenario, significantly improving validation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The test fixture allows preliminary validation of acoustic tools under diverse conditions before actual well deployment. By pre-configuring different cement types, temperatures, and pressures in the fixture, comprehensive tool evaluation can be performed in advance, reducing the time and cost of subsequent actual well testing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The test fixture enhances the accuracy and reliability of acoustic bond-log tools by simulating real-world conditions, allowing for the development of new algorithms and evaluation of tool performance across a range of scenarios, thereby improving cement evaluation and zonal isolation assessment.
Implementation Method 1
Cased-hole ultrasonic (acoustic bond-log) tools play a key role in determining whether well repair and the economic cost associated with it is necessary or not
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, a method for validating an acoustic bond-log tool includes having a test fixture including a wellbore casing emulating tubing. An outer tubing emulates a well formation and forms a perimeter of an annulus surrounding the wellbore casing emulating tubing. The wellbore casing tubing is configured with a stepped outer surface emulating different wellbore casing sidewall thicknesses. A dividing structure is coupled in the axial direction to the outer surface of the wellbore casing emulating tubing and to the inner surface of the outer tubing to radially subdivide the annulus into a plurality of hermetically sealable sample sections. Each sample section contains a sample of a material having a known acoustic impedance. The acoustic bond-log tool is validated by comparing a bond-log tool measurement of the acoustic impedance of each sample in a particular sample section to the known acoustic impedance of the sample.