SCOTT, GEORGE, III, RealtimeZone, Roswell, NM

ABSTRACT: Real-Time Tracer Monitoring of Reservoir Stimulation Procedures via Electronic Wireline and Telemetry Data Transmission

Oil market conditions are presently favorable for the petroleum industry, however, in prior years the industry was significantly impacted by historically low market prices. Economic survival was difficult during this era for many domestic petroleum companies, and the infrastructure for drilling and well completion service companies was also decimated. As a result, R&D budgets were reduced. This overall situation was ominous, because while survival of the domestic energy industry required leaner operating methods and development and adaptation of more efficient well completion technology, the funding of R&D was reduced or in many cases, eliminated, During this period, the DOE approached various companies including RealtimeZone, a Permian Basin company that owns various foreign and U.S. patents related to real-time stimulation diagnostics. The DOE subsequently agreed to jointly participate in the development of a real-time system related to reservoir stimulation diagnostic technology. The stimulation diagnostic system was originally developed by RealtimeZone and Halliburton Energy Services, with minor assistance from Schlumberger Well Services, to provide means for operators to observe, in real-time, the movement of gamma tracers in the reservoir during fracturing treatments. Field testing to date has proven that real-time stimulation monitoring is feasible. Real-time tracer diagnostic data provides crucial knowledge and valuable options for successfully pumping larger hydraulic fracturing treatments, while avoiding ruined wells due to "treating out of zone". Real-time diagnostic data augments the crucial and dynamic processes involved in reservoir stimulation procedures and provides dynamic options for enhancing the recovery of petroleum reserves. Additional experimental well testing will be conducted to prepare the system for commercial field applications.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90915©2000 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, Albuquerque, New Mexico