Emirate International University

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Petroleum Engineering

Production Logging (PL)

INTRODUCTION

Lecture - 1
Dr. Eng. Labib Hugari 1
 CONTENTS
• Production Logging Introduction
• Integrated Production logging.
• PL - For Horizontal Wells
• Production Logging Phases
• Production Logging Applications
• Key Applications and Features
• PL - Principal Activities
• Why Production Logging Evaluation?
• Flowrate Definitions
• Flowmeter Types & Flow Types
• Flow in the Casing - Monophasic Flow
• Calibration of Spinner
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 2
Before 1995, there was no effective production logging tool string
to obtain flow profiles, holdup, and the effective well length, which
is often much less than the drilled length, in horizontal wells.
• The conventional production logging tools developed for
vertical wells do not perform well in horizontal wells because a
multiphase flow in the horizontal section is highly segregated.
• Some wells contain three phases and flow behavior is usually
dominated by water sumps and gas traps if the flowing wellbore
pressure is below the bubble point pressure.
• For these reasons, it is important to establish flow profiles for
obtaining the well productivity and flow efficiency.
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 3
In general, the integrated production logging provides flow
rates, fluid holdup and velocity, pressure, temperature, and
density of the wellbore fluids to determine:
1) Production profiles as a function of well length to show how
much each perforated or barefoot interval contributes to
production;
2) Fluid types (oil, water and gas) at each flow entry;
3) Determining a thief zone or wellbore crossflow between
producing zones; and
4) Determining mechanical production problems, such as leaks
in or behind the casing.
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 4
• Production logging in horizontal wells is also important for
obtaining the effective well length, which is often much less
than the drilled length, for the interpretation of horizontal
well tests.
• The effective well length is crucial in order to determine
damage skin as well as the vertical permeability. Furthermore,
the water entry is one of the most important problems for
horizontal wells. The entry can be due to:
1) Fractures and faults,
2) High permeability zones,
3) Coning, and
4) Others such as leak behind the vertical section of casing.
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• Single phase flow
– Flowmeters
– Thermometer
– Pressure gauges
– Interpretation principles
• Multi phase flow
– Fluid density tools
– Interpretation principles
• PVT and fluid conversions
• Auxiliary sensors
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• Evaluation
– Production profile distribution
– Zonal productivity
• Monitoring
– Production profile changes
– Fluid type changes: Water or gas breakthrough
• Diagnosis
– Source of high GOR or Water Cut
– Detection of leaks and crossflow
• Production Enhancement
– Data for workover planning
– Completion and treatment effectiveness
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• Wide variety of problems and applications
– Flexible tool configuration
– Large variety of sensors
• Dynamic environment
– Simultaneous measurements
• Complex downhole regimes
– Surface readout
• Need thorough wellsite quality control
– Wellsite interpretation

By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 8

Production Logging is the measurement of fluid parameters on a
zone-by-zone basis to yield information about the type and movement
of fluids within and near the wellbore,
1) Well Diagnostics often leads to intervention to remedy a production
problem. The most common goal is the detection of water breakthrough,
with a workover decision to be made.
2) Production Monitoring is often carried out on a periodic basis to
quantify zonal contributions to the total well production. The information
is used in reservoir simulation studies for production history matching
and material-balance calculations.
3) Injection Monitoring is carried out to determine the amount of water or
gas being taken by each layer in the reservoir. This is important for
reservoir simulation. These surveys are usually quite straightforward to
carry out.
4) Well Testing applications of PL provide both pressure and flow rate data
during well tests.
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 9
1. Introduction:
♦ Identification of Zone Contribution
♦ Identification of Phase Production
♦ Diagnosing Well Problems

2. Production Splits: 3. Well Problems:

Zone Contribution ♦ Channel
♦ Oil Entry. ♦ Tubing Leaks.
♦ Gas Entry. ♦ Gas Lift Surveys.
♦ Water Entry. ♦ Packer Leaks.
♦ Thief Zone. ♦ Scale Buildup.
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4. Tools:
♦ TEMPERATURE
♦ PRESSURE

PLT - Tool Schematic

♦ FLUID DENSITY
♦ X-Y CALIPER
♦ FLOVIEW
♦ GHOST
♦ SPINNER
5. Keys to a successful PL job:
Gather together all available information:
♦ Well sketch
♦ Rig up issues
♦ Well history
♦ Current production
♦ Fluid properties
Decide what further information we need.
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Flowrate is given by the product of velocity, hold-up and pipe
area.
• Velocity, (V): This is actual mean velocity of the phase of
interest.
Flowrate
Flowrate(Q)
(Q) == Velocity (V)x xArea
Velocity (V) Area(A)(A)
The flowrate Q, is simply a product of the average fluid velocity
(V) and the pipe area (A), in the case of single-phase flow. In
multiphase a more complete definition is required.
• The area can be found using standard tables or a caliper
measurement.
• In Oilfield units this can be written: 𝐐
(Q𝐭 t=
) =𝐕V x 𝟏.
1.4𝟒xx 𝐃𝐢
𝐃𝐢 𝟐𝟐
fluid
fluid

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• Spinner are Turbine Flowmeters

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Full-bore Flowmeter Continuous Flowmeter Diverter Flowmeter
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In line Flowmeters
• Small spinner
• Good for high flowrates
Full bore Flowmeters
• Maximum spinner blade size
• Best for wide range of flowrates
Petal Basket Flowmeters
• Stationary measurement
• Good for low flowrates
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• Low Flowrate Tools or Diverter Flowmeters descend through tubing,
they then expand their effective diameter below tubing to divert the flow
through an orifice containing a small diameter spinner.
• These devices have good fluid sampling characteristics because the
majority of the fluids moving in the casing must go through the spinner
section; however, they may also create pressure drops or changes that
can cause fluid flow outside the casing if zone isolation does not exist
due to poor cement or vertical fracturing.
• These devices usually have an umbrella configuration that diverts the
fluid into the orifice; this generally results in a non-continuous or
station-type of data collection.
• This requires more logging time and also creates the risk of omitting
valuable data from the intervals that are not logged or sampled.
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• The Flowmeters is simplest and most important tool in the string.
• It is measures the fluid flow rate.

In line Full-bore Petal Basket

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• Low to Intermediate Flowrate Tools or Full-bore Flowmeters
descend through tubing, then they expand their spinner diameter
by unfolding their blades to occupy most of the inner casing
diameter.
• Strong centralizers protect the spinner blades from striking the
casing wall. These full-bore flowmeters are more complex
mechanically than the other continuous devices, but they offer
less probability of erroneous flow sampling from eccentering
(non in center). They give far better results in low flowrates than
the other types of continuous tools.
• They also cause less pressure drop across the tool than the petal
or basket type devices, which facilitates less alteration of the
natural fluid flow path in the well while logging.
• Being a continuous device, these tools supply more complete
readings in less logging time than the station-type instruments.
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What is Measured?

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• The spinner is centered in the casing, hence measures the
flow at that point, usually the maximum.
• A correction has to be applied to get the average flowrate.

• Fluid moving in pipe flows faster in the center of the pipe

than it does near the casing wall.

• Centralized flowmeters measure the flow in the center of the

pipe. As a result, the spinner reading will be higher than the
average fluid velocity in the casing. A correction factor has to
be introduced to take this effect into account.
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The spinner, centered in the borehole, sees only the
middle part of this flow as the blade is not the full casing
diameter.
The fluid velocity measured is called (Vapp).
This has to corrected for the flow pattern to give an average
mixture velocity, (Vm).

The two flow regimes differ markedly. However laminar flow

only occurs at low flow rate. This means that the flow regime
can change as we go up (or down in an injector) the borehole,
with increasing flow.
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 27
 Vaverage ==
Vaverage CCxxVVff

qq==CCxxV
Vf x A
A
Where:
C = Velocity profile correction factor, (commonly 0.83). Better,
use chart.
A = Area of flow. Use chart to convert ft/min to flowrate for
given casing.
Vf = Fluid velocity from zone calibration line.

By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 28

Production Logging (PL)
MONOPHASIC FLOW

Lecture - 2
Dr. Eng. Labib Hugari 29
 Question ..?
The single-phase case is the simplest PL situation.
In single phase production the only questions are;

• How much fluid is flowing from/into which perforations?

• Is there any flow behind casing?

This is the basic injector well with the fluid usually being water
or gas. Here the questions are relatively simple and the
interpretation easy, especially in the case of water injection.
By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 30
 Solution..!!
A simple flowmeter answers the main question of single
phase.
However, ...
• A caliper is essential for hole size changes
• Temperature is needed to look for flow behind casing

The simple tools work in the water injectors, in a gas injector

more data is needed as the fluid changes on as it goes down the
well, depending on pressure and temperature.
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• Flowrate measurement relies on relative fluid-tool
velocity

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• No fluid viscosity or mechanical friction

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• Mechanical friction

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• Fluid viscosity

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By Dr. Eng. Labib Omar Hugari (Expert of Petroleum Engineering) 36
♦ The raw spinner measurement is rps.
♦ The spinner is reacting to fluid flowing across the blades.
♦ The actual rps are also dependent on the speed and
direction of the tool.
♦ In a typical production well, the spinner reads higher
running into the well than running out at the same speed.
♦ To find the actual fluid velocity the spinner has to be
calibrated.

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