Article from Chevron Today Sept/Oct 2000

From outer space to deep below the sea

Imaging technology which enables satellites to analyse weather systems from space, is being transferred to the oil and gas industry, giving engineers the ability to literally see through oil.

The project, one of several just announced as a result of a joint industry and government initiative promoting scientific research to extend the future life of the North Sea, will significantly alter well inspection techniques with potential cost savings.

A picture is worth a thousand words – and this applies to diagnosing well problems too. The oil industry has attempted to use conventional video cameras for 'seeing’ “downhole” in wells. They are effective only if the borehole is continuously flushed with clean brine, because the cameras cannot see through oil. The cost of flushing is huge, and delays caused by bringing pump and filter sets to the rig mean that downhole camera use is usually not practical and the engineer is forced to rely on other indirect techniques to diagnose problems.

UK-based Proneta has combined its expertise in space-imaging technologies and its knowledge of oilfield industry needs to create an imaging technology that can take pictures of oil-well interiors with the oil still in place; avoiding the time an expense associated with flushing.

The project, co-sponsored by Amerada Hess, BP, Chevron and Shell, was recently announced by the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), an initiative of the Oil and Gas Industry Task Force, now Pilot (see supplement). ITF’s role is to broker technologhy development projects by matching the needs of the end users with the capabilities of the contracting and supply community. Chevron Europe are members of the ITF and with the help of Chevron Petroleum Technology Company, participate actively on the Technical Advisory Committee which screens proposed technology development projects.

Proneta also secured part sponsorship from the European Commission and the European Space Agency for the exploratory work.

The idea was to identify certain characteristics of oil that were never before exploited. Detectors using an unusual form of infrared radiation had already been developed for meteorological satellites such as the European Space Agency’s ENVISAT an ERS missions.

Engineered

Based on that technology and test results, useful images have been achieved in an oil-filled cylinder and its is expected that equipment an be engineered to withstand the severe environment and tight constraints on size and bandwidth. The company has filed key patents. Potential applications include:

•  Visualisation of production flow in horizontal wells

•  Inspection of flowlines, pipelines and plant/platform pipework without draining/flushing

•  “Eyes” for intelligent/autonomous tractors and robots, both downhole and pipeline.

•  Detecting onset of waxing in production wells, umbilicals and pipelines

•  Multiphase flow management

The next phase will be to build a full-scale demonstrator and to provide images of real targets. These will be damaged casing and tubulars in a 12-in. diameter, 10-ft high, crude-filled tank.

The subsequent phase would likely be to team with a company that already builds conventional downhole video cameras as well as an oilfield service company. The company already has offers of test wells from major oil companies when that stage is reached.

Petroleum engineering adviser and Clair asset manager Chris Riccobono said: “We are proud to be involved with this project and technology development. Our participation demonstrates Chevron’s commitment to source technology development and applications in the worldwide arena to meet our business objectives.