Flow pattern identification in oil wells by electromagnetic image logging

Petroleum production logging needs to determine the interpretation models first and flow pattern identification is the foundation, but traditional flow pattern identification methods have some limitations. In this paper, a new method of flow pattern identification in oil wells by electromagnetic image logging is proposed. First, the characteristics of gas-water and oil-water flow patterns in horizontal and vertical wellbores are picked up. Then, the continuous variation of the two phase flow pattern in the vertical and horizontal pipe space is discretized into continuous fluid distribution models in the pipeline section. Second, the electromagnetic flow image measurement responses of all the eight fluid distribution models are simulated and the characteristic vector of each response is analyzed in order to distinguish the fluid distribution models. Third, the time domain changes of the fluid distribution models in the pipeline section are used to identify the flow pattern. Finally, flow simulation experiments using electromagnetic flow image logging are operated and the experimental and simulated data are compared. The results show that the method can be used for flow pattern identification of actual electromagnetic image logging data.

An adaptive electrical resistance tomography sensor with flow pattern recognition capability

The all traditional electrical resistance tomography (ERT) sensors have a static structure, which cannot satisfy the intelligent requirements for adaptive optimization to ERT sensors that is subject to flow pattern changes during the real-time detection of two-phase flow. In view of this problem, an adaptive ERT sensor with a dynamic structure is proposed. The electrodes of the ERT sensor are arranged in an array structure, the flow pattern recognition technique is introduced into the ERT sensor design and accordingly an ERT flow pattern recognition method based on signal sparsity is proposed. This method uses the sparse representation of the signal to express the sampling voltage of the ERT system as a sparse combination and find its sparse solution to achieve the classification of different flow patterns. With the introduction of flow identification information, the sensor has an intelligent function of adaptively and dynamically adapting the sensor structure according to the real-time flow pattern change. The experimental results show that the sensor can automatically identify four typical flow patterns: core flow, bubble flow, laminar flow and circulation flow with recognition rates of 91%, 93%, 90% and 88% respectively. For different flow patterns, the dynamically optimized sensor can significantly improve the quality of ERT image reconstruction.

Time-Frequency Signal Processing for Gas-Liquid Two Phase Flow Through a Horizontal Venturi Based on Adaptive Optimal-Kernel Theory

A time-frequency signal processing method for two-phase flow through a horizontal Venturi based on adaptive optimal-kernel （AOK） was presented in this paper.First,the collected dynamic differential pressure signal of gas-liquid two-phase flow was preprocessed,and then the AOK theory was used to analyze the dynamic differ-ential pressure signal.The mechanism of two-phase flow was discussed through the time-frequency spectrum.On the condition of steady water flow rate,with the increasing of gas flow rate,the flow pattern changes from bubbly flow to slug flow,then to plug flow,meanwhile,the energy distribution of signal fluctuations show significant change that energy transfer from 15-35 Hz band to 0-8 Hz band;moreover,when the flow pattern is slug flow,there are two wave peaks showed in the time-frequency spectrum.Finally,a number of characteristic variables were defined by using the time-frequency spectrum and the ridge of AOK.When the characteristic variables were visu-ally analyzed,the relationship between different combination of characteristic variables and flow patterns would be gotten.The results show that,this method can explain the law of flow in different flow patterns.And characteristic variables,defined by this method,can get a clear description of the flow information.This method provides a new way for the flow pattern identification,and the percentage of correct prediction is up to 91.11%.

Dynamic Visualization Approach of the Multiphase Flow Using Electrical Capacitance Tomography

Identifying the flow patterns is vital for understanding the complicated physical mechanisms in multiphase flows.For this purpose,electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) technique is considered as a promising visualization method for the flow pattern identification,in which image reconstruction algorithms play an important role.In this paper,a generalized dynamic reconstruction model,which integrates ECT measurement information and physical evolution information of the objects of interest,was presented.A generalized objective functional that simultaneously considers the spatial constraints,temporal constraints and dynamic evolution information of the objects of interest was proposed.Numerical simulations and experiments were implemented to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.For the cases considered in this paper,the proposed algorithm can well reconstruct the flow patterns,and the quality of the reconstructed images is improved,which indicates that the proposed algorithm is competent to reconstruct the flow patterns in the visualization of multiphase flows.

Experimental study of gas-water elongated bubble flow during production logging

In order to improve the interpretation of production log data on gas-water elongated bubble （EB） flow in horizontal wells, a multi-phase flow simulation device was set up to conduct a series of measurement experiments using air and tap water as test media, which were measured using a real production logging tool （PLT） string at different deviations and in different mixed flow states. By understanding the characteristics and mechanisms of gas-water EB flow in transparent experimental boreholes during production logging, combined with an analysis of the production log response characteristics and experimental production logging flow pattern maps, a method for flow pattern identification relying on log responses and a drift-flux model were proposed for gas-water EB flow. This model, built upon experimental data of EB flow, reveals physical mechanisms of gas-water EB flow during measurement processing. The coefficients it contains are the specific values under experimental conditions and with the PLT string used in our experiments. These coefficients also reveal the interference with original downhole flow patterns by the PLT string. Due to the representativeness that our simulated flow experiments and PLT string possess, the model coefficients can be applied as empirical values of logging interpretation model parameters directly to real production logging data interpretation, when the measurement circumstances and PLT strings are similar.