New Integral Neutron-Neutron Logging for Cement Integrity Analysis of any Backfilling

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Abstract

Background: The article presents a new technology of integral neutron-neutron logging technology for cement integrity analysis (hereinafter – NNL-C) of wells in hydrocarbon fields, developed by GeoSpectr Oil and Gas Technology Institute (Russia). NNL-C is designed to ensure the quality of well cementing focusing on the condition, integrity and leak tightness of any type and density of cement casing (including light cement). It can be used in any kind of well filling whether liquid, gas, or a mixture. NNL-C is applicable at all stages of the oil and gas well lifecycle – from construction to operation – without well-kill operation and tubing removal. This technology is free from the major limitations of standard (conventional) gamma-gamma and acoustic logging techniques for cement integrity evaluation.

Aim: The purpose of the NNL-C is to offer a prompt and cost-effective evaluation of the integrity or failure of cementing in any active wells. In contrast to NNL-C, the standard methods for analyzing cement integrity are inadequate for this purpose, as they cannot be applied to lightweight cement, tubing wells, or gas-filled wells.

Materials and methods: The science behind, methodology, and interpretation software for NNL-C were developed employing mathematical modeling. This technology hs been tested against measurement data from real wells.

Results: The NNL-C method was tested in 12 and tried in more than 20 wells, demonstrating a good correlation with standard methods and achieving high accuracy of cement-bond logging. The possibility of quantifying cement under field conditions was confirmed in scenarios where standard cement-bond logging techniques are typically not applicable, such as in tubing wells, gas-filled wells, and during the use of lightweight cement. The NNL-C technology has been successfully implemented in Kazakhstan at the Kozhasai and Alibekmola oil and gas condensate fields, as well as the Bozoi underground gas storage facility.

Conclusion: The technology provides reliable, accurate, and cost-effective information on the quality of cementing of wells under construction such as condition, integrity and tightness of cementing (cement sheath) of production wells.

About the authors

Lyudmila B. Polyachenko

Oil & Gas Technology Institute «Geo-Spectrum»

Email: l_polyachenko@int-geos.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0006-0498-896X

Cand. Sc. (Physical and Mathematical)

Russian Federation, Moscow

Anatoly L. Polyachenko

Oil & Gas Technology Institute «Geo-Spectrum»

Email: a_polyachenko@int-geos.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-6523-1479

Doct. Sc. (Physics and Mathematics)

Russian Federation, Moscow

Sergey A. Egurtsov

Oil & Gas Technology Institute «Geo-Spectrum»

Email: s_egurtsov@int-geos.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0004-6341-8305
Russian Federation, Moscow

Yuri V. Ivanov

Oil & Gas Technology Institute «Geo-Spectrum»

Author for correspondence.
Email: y_ivanov@int-geos.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0001-9888-4304

Cand. Sc. (Engineering)

Russian Federation, Moscow

References

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Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
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1. JATS XML
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2. Figure 1. Theoretical dependences of the inverse readings of the small and large NNL-C probes on the porosity Kp after normalization of the small probe to the large probe

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3. Figure 2. Theoretical crossplot in coordinates “small probe count rate JNNL.mz.nt – large probe count rate JNNL.bz.nt.” in double logarithmic scale, calculated by Monte Carlo method for the 2NNL-Nt tool

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4. Figure 3. Cross-plot in coordinates “small probe count rate Jt.mz – large probe count rate Jt.bz” in double logarithmic scale, plotted based on real measurements in the well by 2NNL-T device

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5. Figure 4. Example of normalized curves of inverse count rate curves of small and large thermal neutron probes of the 2NNL-T tool

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6. Figure 5. Example of integrity calculation result of Cement ‘Cem’ behind a production casing using a 2NNL-T dual probe tool

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7. Figure 6. Comparison of borehole annulus density curves obtained by the proposed NNL-C method using 2NNL-T thermal probes (blue curve) and independent cement density log (brown curve) when estimating the degree of cement failure

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8. Figure 7. Comparison of borehole annulus density curves obtained by the NNL-C method (blue curves) and independent cement density log (brown curves) when estimating the degree of cement failure

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9. Figure 8. Comparison of borehole annulus density curves obtained by the proposed NNL-C method (blue curves) and independent cement density log (brown curves) when estimating the degree of cement failure in two wells

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10. Figure 9. Comparison of borehole annulus density curves obtained by the proposed NNL-C method (blue curves) and independent cement density log (brown curves) when estimating the degree of cement failure in two wells

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Copyright (c) 2024 Polyachenko L.B., Polyachenko A.L., Egurtsov S.A., Ivanov Y.V.

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