Laser Wellbore Perforation and Formation Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional well perforation methods using bullets or shaped charges result in localized decreased permeability, reducing fluid production and pose safety and logistical issues, while lacking in-situ formation analysis capabilities, which delays well completion and alters rock characteristics during sampling.
Innovation Solution
The use of a laser beam to perforate and analyze the subterranean formation without removing material, allowing for precise aperture creation aligned with formation characteristics, such as permeability axes and natural fractures, and enabling concurrent material analysis during drilling or perforating operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional perforation methods (bullets or shaped charges) are used, then perforation can be achieved, but localized decreased permeability occurs reducing fluid production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical perforation methods (bullets or shaped charges) with a laser-based system. The laser beam removes material through ablation or melting, creating perforations without the mechanical impact damage that causes positive skin. This substitution eliminates the trade-off between achieving perforation and maintaining permeability, as the laser method creates clean openings without compaction or fracturing of the formation material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the formation material at the perforation site by applying concentrated laser energy. This localized heating and phase change allows precise control over the perforation process, enabling creation of optimal flow channels that maintain or improve permeability rather than degrading it. The parameter control includes adjusting laser power, pulse duration, and beam focus to achieve desired perforation characteristics.
2Reliability
If traditional explosives are used for perforation, then perforation can be achieved, but safety and transportation issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes explosive-based perforation with a laser-based system that transmits energy through optical fibers down the wellbore. This eliminates the need to transport, store, and handle explosives in the wellbore environment, removing the associated safety hazards, regulatory burdens, and security risks while maintaining the ability to create effective perforations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical fibers as an intermediary medium to transmit laser energy from the surface to the perforation location in the formation. This intermediary allows energy delivery without direct contact with hazardous materials, enabling safe operation in the wellbore environment while achieving the desired perforation effect through controlled laser ablation or melting.
3Loss of information
If formation rock is sampled for analysis, then formation characteristics can be determined, but material removal alters rock characteristics and adds time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sampling methods with in-situ laser-based analysis capabilities. By using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy or similar optical analysis techniques, the system can characterize formation rock properties directly at the wellbore location without removing samples to the surface. This eliminates the time required for sample retrieval, processing, and analysis while preserving the original rock characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the formation rock to be analyzed by itself, in-situ, without external intervention requiring material removal. The laser system excites the formation material directly, allowing its chemical and physical characteristics to be measured and interpreted at the wellbore location. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external sampling and laboratory analysis, saving time and preserving rock integrity.
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
This approach enhances permeability, reduces the need for explosives, allows for real-time formation evaluation, and increases production efficiency by creating precise apertures that match the formation's natural flow paths, thereby improving well completion and production profiles.
Implementation Method 1
use a laser beam to remove material, such as to perforate the casing, cement and formation
Implementation Method 2
using a laser to form an aperture in the wall of the wellbore
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for producing fluids from a wellbore wherein fluids may be communicated through an aperture in a wall of the wellbore. A laser can then be used to seal the aperture in the wall of the wellbore. The wall of the wellbore may include a casing, and the laser can be used to seal the aperture in the wall of the wellbore by fusing apertures in the casing shut. Fusing the aperture in the casing can involve heating the casing such that opposite sides of the aperture fuse together or can involve selectively laser sintering fusible powders. The wall of the wellbore can be an open hole and using a laser to seal the aperture can include sealing the aperture in side surfaces of the open hole by glazing the surface of hole extending into a subterranean formation.