UTILISATION OF TRACERS IN HYDROCARBON WELLS

摘要

Monitoring of a wellbore which penetrates a reservoir is carried out by providing tracer material at one or more subterranean locations within or proximate the wellbore, so that tracer may enter the flow and be present in flow from the wellbore; repeatedly taking samples from the flow from the wellbore, and analyzing the samples for the presence of tracer, in the vicinity of the wellsite. Taking samples from the flow will generally be done at the surface and may be done by automatic equipment controlled by a programmed computer. The computer may be programmed to take action, such as operating a valve within the well, in response to detection of tracer. Sampling repeatedly and analyzing on site can provide information in something close to real time and thus integrates the use of tracers into an overall process of monitoring and control.