Beyond Steel Casing: Detecting Zonal Isolation in the Borehole Environment

Abstract

Electrically resistive composite casing materials are being introduced to the oil & gas industry. Resistive casing enables electromagnetic logging for exploration and reservoir monitoring, but it requires development of new logging methods. Here we present a technique for the detection of integrity of magnetic cement behind resistive casing. We demonstrate that an optimized induction logging tool can detect small changes in the magnetic permeability of cement through a non-conductive casing in a vertical (or horizontal) well. We can determine both integrity and solidification state of the cement filling annulus behind casing. Changes in magnetic permeability influence mostly the real part of the vertical component of magnetic field. The signal amplitude is more sensitive to a change of magnetic properties of the cement, rather than the signal phase. Our simulations show that optimum separation between the transmitter and receiver coils ranges from 0.25 to 0.6 meters, and the most suitable magnetic field frequencies vary from 0.1 to 10 kHz. A high-frequency induction probe operating at 200 MHz can measure the degree of solidification of cement. The proposed method can detect borehole cracks filled with cement, incomplete lift of cement, casing eccentricity and other borehole in homogeneities.