Radioactive well logging to determine vertical brine flow

Patent · Tue Nov 12 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5787522

Supernaw, I R; Williams, T M

This patent describes a method of well logging to determine the presence of vertical flow of brine about a well borehole. It comprises irradiating the brine at a selected depth in the well borehole with neutrons from a neutron source in a sonde in the well borehole; moving the sonde so that a pair of vertically spaced gamma ray detectors in the sonde are at the selected depth; detecting gamma rays with each of the pair of vertically spaced gamma ray detectors; forming a measure of gamma rays counted by a first of the pair of vertically spaced gamma ray detectors; forming a measure of gamma rays counted by a second of the pair of vertically spaced gamma ray detectors; forming a ratio of the measure of gamma rays counted by the first and second of the pair of vertically spaced gamma ray detectors; and forming a measure of relative vertical brine flow from the ratio of the measure of gamma rays mounted.

• Assignee: Texaco Inc., White Plains, NY (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5065016; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-535700
• OSTI ID: 5787522
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
070204 -- Radiation Sources-- Industrial Uses
Radiometric
440101 -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
440400 -- Well Logging Instrumentation
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
BOREHOLES
BRINES
CAMERAS
CAVITIES
DETECTION
FLUID FLOW
GAMMA CAMERAS
GAMMA DETECTION
IRRADIATION
NEUTRON LOGGING
NEUTRON SOURCES
OIL WELLS
PARTICLE SOURCES
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOACTIVITY LOGGING
WELL LOGGING
WELLS