Madden Systems Tubing Check - Multiple Events

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Tubing Check - Multiple Events

Test Information:
This plot represents a well I ran several years ago. The customer
knew from pressure data and field reports that fluid was leaking, at a
good rate, into the tubing annulus. They had speculated that the
packer was leaking. I was asked to run a tubing check to determine
the problem and they would take remedial actions based on my
findings.
The well was plumbed from the casing with a needle valve, 1/2"
stainless tubing run to the low pressure system, and allowed to flow
all night prior to my flight to the platform the following day. The
tubing was shut-in.
Can you make the call? I've indicated the fluid level in the tubing to
help. I'll give you a hint, "It's not the packer!"
Click here , or pan down.

Tubing Check Log Seg

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Madden Systems Tubing Check - Multiple Events

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Analysis
Let's start at the bottom of the plot and work our way up. The curves
on the bottom third of the plot indicate as steady flow (spinner) up
from below the packer that is composed of a water / oil mixture
(capacitance and delta psi). I've shaded this in as light blue in the
tubing.
Moving up the well, we see a drastic increase in fluid velocity by the
spinner. There is an increase in density according to the delta
pressure and an increase in water percentage registered by the
capacitance. The flowing temperature also shows considerable
cooling at this point. We know it is not gas expansion due to the
readings from the capacitance and delta pressure sensors. These are
clear signs of a hole in the tubing, but the flow is coming into, not out
of the tubing. I've shaded the areas above this point in dark blue to
represent the higher flow rate and higher water cut in the tubing.
The next area of activity is where we get the winged kicks on the
delta pressure that are sometimes seen in conjunction with tubing
leaks. More importantly, we get a velocity reduction of approximately
one third at the same interval according to the spinner. Delta
pressure and capacitance readings would indicate that the flow
composition remains unchanged. We have identified a second hole
that is loosing about 1/3 of the total flow from the tubing to the tubing
annulus. I've drawn arrows to show the flow path.
Still, further up, we see what appears to be a third hole in the tubing.
There is the winged kick of the delta pressure. Although the delta
pressure and capacitance logs still indicate that the composition of
the fluid remains the same. The big news is that the spinner indicates
almost all of the remaining two thirds of production is exiting the
tubing at that point. Arrows indicate the fluid path.
Why is there fluid velocity still indicated above the top leak? It's quite
simple. The water in the tubing is more dense and will cause less slip
for the spinner as it travels down hole. The reading increase at fluid
level is just the spinner operating more efficiently in water than in
gas. The velocity registered on the spinner is due to line speed, not
fluid velocity.

Tubing Check Log Seg

We have a pretty good picture of what is happening in this well. But we are not done. Notice the
areas in the tubing annulus that I've shaded with question marks. Why would the flow come into the
tubing, travel up hole, and then exit back into the annulus? Surely the tubing annulus would present
much less resistance than the fluid having to enter a tubing leak, travel up hole, and then exit two
tubing leaks.
There had to be some sort of blockage in the tubing annulus for what we see to be happening. My

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12/14/03

Madden Systems Tubing Check - Multiple Events

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call was collapsed casing. It wasn't very popular and I could not absolutely prove it. But the evidence
and deductive reasoning left the customer with few other possibilities. They moved on a snubbing
unit and discovered severely damaged tubing in the area of the 3 leaks and collapsed casing just
above the bottom leak.
Retrospect
Did we do all that we could have? Did we identify all the factors within reasonable expenditures?
The answer is no. We did not find the water source. The flow coming up the tubing masked any
activities beyond the casing. It would have been valuable to shut-in both the tubing and casing to
make decay temperature passes. Once all activity in the tubing and tubing annulus was stopped, or
slowed, the depth of investigation of the decay temperatures would have increased to where we
would have been able to identify the source of the water and possibly located the entry point into the
casing.
Tubing Check Strategies
Tubing Check Intro

Gas Lift Inspection I

Tubing Check Procedures

Gas Lift Inspection II

Production Logging Page

Hole In Tubing

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Madden Systems Incorporated

http://www.maddensystems.com/tbg_chk4.htm

12/14/03