DOWNHOLE FLUID TRACKING WITH DISTRIBUTED ACOUSTIC SENSING

摘要

Various disclosed distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) based systems and methods include embodiments that process the DAS measurements to detect one or more contrasts in acoustic signatures associated with one or more fluids flowing along a tubing string, and determine positions of the one or more contrasts as a function of time. The detected contrasts may be changes in acoustic signatures arising from one or more of: turbulence, frictional noise, acoustic attenuation, acoustic coupling, resonance frequency, resonance damping, and active noise generation by entrained materials. At least some of the contrasts correspond to interfaces between different fluids such as those that might be pumped during a cementing operation. Certain other method embodiments include acquiring DAS measurements along a borehole, processing the measurements to detect one or more acoustic signature contrasts associated with interfaces between different fluids in the borehole, and responsively displaying a position of at least one of said interfaces.