) in in Mrayl dB/m SLG Map Map –150 us 150
Echo from
8½-in
borehole wall
Echo from
7-in casing
Isolation Scanner
Advanced evaluation of wellbore integrity
Isolation Scanner* cement evaluation service integrates the conventional
pulse-echo technique with flexural wave propagation to fully characterize the
cased hole annular environment while evaluating casing condition.
C
APPLICATIONS ement placement is a critical component of a well’s architecture for
■ Differentiate high- ensuring mechanical support of the casing, providing protection from
performance lightweight fluid corrosion, and, most importantly, isolating permeable zones with
cements from liquids different pressure regimes to prevent hydraulic communication.
■ Map annulus material as
solid, liquid, or gas Conventional cement bond log (CBL) and ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques
■ Assess hydraulic isolation are sometimes used together to diagnose zonal isolation but encounter
difficulties when attempting to evaluate cements with low acoustic impedance
■ Identify channels and defects
in annular isolating material or cements contaminated with mud. Ambiguity can result because these
■ Determine casing internal tools rely on a significant contrast in acoustic impedance between the
diameter and thickness cement and displaced fluid to identify solids.
■ Assess annulus beyond the Isolation Scanner cement evaluation service provides more certainty
casing/cement interface
by combining the pulse-echo technique with a new ultrasonic technique
that induces a flexural wave in the casing with a transmitter and measures
the resulting signals at two receivers. The attenuation calculated between
the two receivers provides an independent response that is paired with
the pulse-echo measurement and compared with a laboratory-measured
database to produce an image of the material immediately behind the casing.
By measuring radially beyond traditional cement evaluation boundaries,
Isolation Scanner service confirms zonal isolation, pinpoints any channels
in the cement, and ensures confident squeeze or no-squeeze decisions.
The signals following the casing arrivals arising from the interface between
the annulus and the borehole or outer casing can be detected and measured.
These third-interface echoes (TIEs) provide the position of the casing within
the borehole, and if the borehole size is known, the velocity of the annulus
material can be determined. This additional information, available only
through the flexural measurements, can provide useful information for
remedial applications and serve to confirm or determine the correct
interpretation for complex evaluations.
8
Gas
Liquid Neat
Cement Increasing
6 Contaminated cement contamination
Difficult to diagnose with
Acoustic impedance, 4 acoustic impedance or
Mrayl CBL measurements alone
2 Light
Isolation Scanner cement evaluation
service fully characterizes the cased hole
environment, including casing position in 0
the borehole, borehole and outer string
imaging, and material identification from Identifying and distinguishing various well fluids from cement with low acoustic
velocity analysis. impedance is difficult for CBL and ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques.
x250
x300
Flexural wave imaging
R
Pulse-echo tool
Annulus
x350
Borehole
fluid
Formation
Pulse
PITCH-CATCH PROPAGATION echo
The Isolation Scanner pulse-echo acoustic impedance measurement
Isolation
is made with a rotating subassembly containing four transducers.
Scanner
The normal-incidence transducer is oriented 180° from the other
three transducers. The three obliquely aligned transducers transmit
T Casing
and receive high-frequency pulsed beams (on the order of 250 kHz)
to excite the casing in a flexural mode. Once excited in the casing,
the flexural wave propagates while radiating acoustic energy into
the annulus and back toward the receiving transducers, resulting
in a circumferential scan of the casing, annulus, cement, and near-
wellbore formation. The annulus-propagating energy is reflected at
interfaces that present an acoustic contrast, such as the cement/
formation interface, and propagates back through the casing predomi- 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170
Time, us
nantly as a flexural wave that reradiates energy into the casing fluid.
Geometrical interpretation of signal propagation for the pulse-echo
(blue paths) and flexural wave imaging (green paths) techniques shows
that the pitch-catch flexural wave signal separates into an early-arriving
(or casing) signal and a later-arriving (TIE) signal in reference to the first
interface encountered in the annulus (the inner and outer walls of the casing
are the first and second interfaces, respectively). The attenuation of the
The Isolation Scanner sub implements the casing arrival amplitude complements the pulse-echo measurement to
pulse-echo (normal-incidence) technique determine whether the material behind the casing is a fluid or a solid. If
with four transducers: a transreceiver and TIEs are present in the acquired data, they are used to further enhance
the flexural wave imager comprising one the characterization of the cased hole environment in terms of the state and
transmitter and two receivers obliquely acoustic properties (wave speed) of the material filling the annulus, the posi-
aligned to excite the casing flexural mode. tion of the casing within the hole, and the geometrical shape of the hole.
Flexural wave (TIE)
Flexural wave (casing arrival)
Ultrasonic wave
INSIGHT THROUGH ATTENUATION SOLID-LIQUID-GAS MAPPING
The rate of energy radiation into the annulus depends on the acoustic The first goal of Isolation Scanner processing is to provide a robust
properties of the annular fill. The attenuation is estimated by capturing interpreted image of the material immediately behind the casing. The
the reflected signals at two of the receivers, which are a known distance inputs are cement impedance determined by the pulse-echo measurement
apart, and calculating the decay rate of the received signal. Attenuation is and flexural wave attenuation computed from the amplitude of the casing
expressed in decibels per centimeter. arrivals on the near and far receivers. These two independent measure-
ments are linked to the properties of both the fluid inside the casing and the
For a fluid filling the annulus, the attenuation is approximately proportional
outside medium through an invertible relation. Combining them accounts for
to the acoustic impedance. For cement bonded to the casing, the attenuation
the effect of the inside fluid, which eliminates the need for logging specific
exhibits a more complex behavior as a function of the velocities at which
fluid-property measurements.
the compressional and shear waves propagate in the cement. As shown in
the plot of flexural attenuation versus acoustic impedance for a well-bonded The processing output is a solid-liquid-gas (SLG) map displaying the most
cement, below a critical impedance (Zc) of approximately 3.9 Mrayl, the likely material behind the casing. The map is computed during an initialization
attenuation increases linearly with the impedance of the annular fill, whether step before logging by using a priori knowledge of the possible materials:
the fill is liquid or solid. Beyond 3.9-Mrayl Zc, only the shear waves can
■ Gas is defined as a very low impedance material, independent of any input.
propagate in the cement, and the attenuation drops sharply to small values.
A high-impedance cement, such as Class G, has an attenuation similar to
■ Liquid is defined as a liquid with the expected acoustic impedance of the
that of a liquid. This ambiguity in identifying cement is resolved by determin- mud displaced by the cement, with provisions for possible deviations from
ing the acoustic impedance of the cement with the pulse-echo technique. this value.
However, the distinct attenuation of low-impedance cements, such as ■ Solid is defined through the expected type of cement. A laboratory-
lightweight or contaminated cements, is used to differentiate them from fluids. measured database is used to convert the material selection into
acoustic properties, again with provisions made for some contamination
or incompletely set cement.
1 Solid
Liquid ■ Areas corresponding to inconsistencies between the measurements
0.9 Water (for example, at collars) are shown in white.
Gas
0.8 The mapped states are obtained for each azimuth by locating the pulse-echo
and flexural attenuation measurements, corrected for the effect of the inside
0.7
fluid, on the map with the areas encompassed by each state.
0.6
Flexural attenuation, 1.8
Gas
dB/cm 0.5
1.6 Liquid
Solid
0.4 1.4
1.2
0.3
1
0.2 Attenuation,
Zc 0.8
dB/cm
0.1 0.6
0 0.4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nominal uncontaminated
0.2 Class G cement
Acoustic impedance, Mrayl
0
Flexural wave attenuation of a well-bonded cement is plotted
as a function of acoustic impedance for various materials. The value of –0.2
Zc corresponds to the critical compressional wave speed of the cement. –2 0 2 4 6 8 10
Zusit, Mrayl
Three clouds of points are generated in SLG mapping of the measurement plane
for a Class G cement. Zusit is the impedance determined by the pulse-echo tech-
nique; the attenuation is for the flexural wave technique.
x300
By measuring radially and
x350
beyond traditional cement evaluation boundaries,
Isolation Scanner service confirms zonal isolation, pinpoints any channels
in the cement, and ensures confident squeeze or no-squeeze decisions.
–500.0000 –500.0000 Maximum Minimum –500.0000 –500.0000 0.0000
–6.0000 –0.0780 –0.03000 50.0000
–5.6000
–0.0780 Internal Internal –0.0680 2.8000 57.0000
–0.0680
–5.2000 –0.0520 Radius Radius –0.0520
–0.0440
2.9091 64.0000
71.0000
Solid Seal
–4.8000 –0.0440 3.0182 Liquid No seal
–4.4000 –0.0380 3.1273 78.0000 Gas
Casing –3.6000 –0.0380
–0.0280 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5 –0.0280 3.2364 85.0000
–3.2000 –0.0200 3.3454 92.0000
Collar –2.6000 –0.0200 –0.0120 3.5638 99.0000
–2.4000 –0.0120 External External –0.0040 3.6727 106.0000 0º
Locator –2.0000
–1.6000
–0.0040 Radius Radius 0.0040
0.0120
3.7818
3.8909
113.0000
120.0000
0.0120
–10 30 –1.2000 0.0280 Average Average 0.0200 4.0000 127.0000
–0.6000 0.0360 0.0280 134.0000
–0.4000 0.0440
(ERAV) (ERAV) 0.0360 141.0000
0.5000 0.0440 155.0000
0.0520 0.0520
0.0600 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5 0.0600
0.0880 0.0680
0.0760 Minimum Maximum 0.0760
Internal Internal Min.
Amplitude Internal Radius Radius Thickness Hydraulic
of Echo Radii Minus Minus Flexural Commun-
Minus Max. Average, 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5 Average, Impedance, Attenuation, ication VDL of Far Rece
Depth, m (Rugosity) in in Mrayl dB/m SLG Map Map –150
x200
Echo from
8½-in
borehole wall
x250
x300
x350
In additional to pulse-echo information on the rugosity, radius, cross section, and thickness of the 7-in [17.8-cm] casing, Isolation Scanner service processed the
acoustic impedance and flexural attenuation data to produce an SLG map. Although the cement is heavy Class G, the flexural attenuation map clearly displays
low-density material from X,320 to X,270 m, revealing that the cement is contaminated in that interval. Regardless of the density difference, the material is correctly
indicated as solid on the SLG map.
NEW MEASUREMENTS FROM FORMATION-WALL ECHOES
In addition to the SLG map identifying the annular fill immediately
behind the casing, a further Isolation Scanner objective is to extract
relevant information from the annulus/formation reflection echo or
echoes for quantifying the state of the annulus between the casing
and formation. First, the echoes following the casing arrival are detected
and their time of arrival and amplitude measured. From the time differ-
ences between the reflection echoes and the casing arrival—provided
sufficient echo azimuthal presence is available in the data—the casing
centering within the borehole can be determined. This is conveniently
presented as a percentage, with 100% representing perfect centering
and 0% for fully eccentered casing, in contact with the formation wall.
If the borehole diameter is known, the time-difference processing can
be further converted into material wave velocity and is displayed as
an annulus velocity map.
Other new measurements possible with the Isolation Scanner TIE
reflected from the cement/formation interface are
■ estimated wave velocity, which can be used to confirm the
SLG map and better understand cement placement
■ imaged borehole shape
■ imaged outer string to reveal corrosion and damage.
Depth, m
X,673
Hole enlargement
X,674
X,675
Casing X,676
arrival
X,677
X,678
Echo from
formation
wall X,679
Hole enlargement
X,680
X,681
X,682
X,683
X,684
Isolation Scanner imaging of the formation wall through casing and cement reveals
hole enlargement (caving) in the reflection echo from the cement/formation interface at
two opposite azimuths in the intervals X,673–X,675 m and X,679–X,682 m. The left-side
image, displaying the raw data at all azimuths, shows that the formation-wall echo is
present at nearly all azimuths. Echo moveout appears sinusoidal because of casing
eccentering. Each cycle represents a tool azimuthal scan.
x300
x350
Measurement Specifications
Isolation Scanner Tool
Output† Solid-liquid-gas map of annulus material, hydraulic
communication map, acoustic impedance, flexural
attenuation, rugosity image, casing thickness image,
internal radius image
Max. logging speed Standard resolution (6 in, 10° sampling): 823 m/h [2,700 ft/h]
High resolution (0.6 in, 5° sampling): 172 m/h [563 ft/h]
Range of measurement Min. casing thickness: 0.38 cm [0.15 in]
Max. casing thickness: 2.01 cm [0.79 in]
Vertical resolution High resolution: 1.52 cm [0.6 in]
High speed: 15.24 cm [6 in]
Acoustic impedance‡ Range: 0 to 10 Mrayl
Resolution: 0.2 Mrayl
Accuracy: 0 to 3.3 Mrayl = ±0.5 Mrayl, >3.3 Mrayl = ±15%
Flexural attenuation Range: 0 to 2 dB/cm§
Resolution: 0.05 dB/cm§
Accuracy: 0.01 dB/cm§
Min. quantifiable channel width 30 mm [1.2 in]
Depth of investigation† Casing and annulus up to 7.62 cm [3 in]
Mud type or weight limitation†† Conditions simulated before logging
Combinability Bottom only, combinable with most wireline tools
Telemetry: fast transfer bus (FTB) or enhanced FTB (EFTB)
Special applications H2S service
† Investigationof annulus width depends on the presence of third-interface echoes. Analysis and processing
beyond cement evaluation can yield additional answers through additional outputs, including the Variable
Density log (VDL) of the annulus waveform and polar movies in AVI format.
‡ Differentiation of materials by acoustic impedance alone requires a minimum gap of 0.5 MRayl between the
fluid behind the casing and a solid.
§ For 8-mm [0.3-in] casing thickness.
†† [Link] weight depends on the mud formulation, sub used, and casing size and weight, which are simulated
before logging.
Mechanical Specifications
Isolation Scanner Tool
Max. temperature 177 degC [350 degF]
Pressure range 1 to 138 MPa [145 to 20,000 psi]
Casing size—min.† 4 1⁄2 in (min. pass-through restriction: 4 in)
Casing size—max.† 9 5⁄8 in
Outside diameter IBCS-A: 8.57 cm [3.375 in]
IBCS-B: 11.36 cm [4.472 in]
IBCS-C: 16.91 cm [6.657 in]
Length without sub 6.01 m [19.73 ft]
Weight without sub 151 kg [333 lbm]
Sub length, weight IBCS-A: 61.22 cm [24.10 in], 7.59 kg [16.75 lbm]
IBCS-B: 60.32 cm [23.75 in], 9.36 kg [20.64 lbm]
IBCS-C: 60.32 cm [23.75 in], 10.73 kg [23.66 lbm]
Sub max. tension 10,000 N [2,250 lbf]
Sub max. compression 50,000 N [12,250 lbf]
† Limits for casing size depend on the sub used. Data can be acquired in casing larger than 9 5⁄8 in with
low-attenuation mud (e.g., water, brine).
–3.2000 –0.0280 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5 –0.0200 3.3454 92.0000 Depth, m (Rugosity)
–2.6000 –0.0200 –0.0120 3.5638 99.0000
–2.4000 –0.0120 External External –0.0040 3.6727 106.0000 0º • 180º
–2.0000
–1.6000
–0.0040 Radius Radius 0.0040
0.0120
3.7818
3.8909
113.0000
120.0000 7-in
x200
0.0120
–1.2000 0.0280 Average Average 0.0200 4.0000 127.0000
casing
–0.6000 0.0280 134.0000
Isolation Scanner
0.0360
–0.4000 0.0440
(ERAV) (ERAV) 0.0360 141.0000 8½-in
0.5000 0.0440 155.0000
0.0520
0.0600 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5
0.0520 borehole x250
0.0600
0.0880 0.0680
Minimum Maximum
0.0760 0.0760
Internal Internal Min. Amplitude Max.
plitude Internal Radius Radius Thickness Hydraulic
x300
Echo Radii Minus Minus Flexural Commun-
us Max. Average, 4.5 in 3.0 3.0 in 4.5 Average, Impedance, Attenuation, ication VDL of Far Receiver at Two Opposing Azimuths,
gosity) in in Mrayl dB/m SLG Map Map –150 us 150
x350
Echo from
8½-in
borehole wall
Echo from
7-in casing
[Link]/scanner
*Mark of Schlumberger
Copyright © 2009 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 09-PR-0004
