One horizontal well at the Tyrihans oil field offshore Norway was equipped with RESMAN’s tracers to monitor contribution of oil production along the wellbore. Results from the initial test production from the well to the drilling rig clearly show that oil production occurs from the toe (outer part) of the well.
This is the first time RESMAN’s wireless well inflow monitoring technology based on tracers is used to characterize initial oil production along a well bore. Fridtjov Ravn Munkvold of StatoilHydro Tyrihans project said: “In this case it was important for us to know that toe section of the well contributed to the overall oil production in order to confirm that the chosen well design is efficient. The results that RESMAN technology provided gave us this certainty and we can go on drilling subsequent wells with this knowledge.”
RESMAN’s tracers can also be used to characterize the oil production from the well when it starts production towards the platform in the first half of 2009. The low detection limit of the proprietary tracers makes it possible to monitor inflow of oil and water over a long period, in this case designed to mean approximately six months. However, recent technology development has made it possible to design wireless monitoring systems throughout the life of the well. The tracer technology has been developed by RESMAN and Sintef in collaboration with StatoilHydro research center in Trondheim.
RESMAN CEO Oddvar Solemsli says: “It is extremely satisfying to see that systems developed and proven to function in the lab also give valuable data and information in real wells. I believe this is a further step on the way to seeing wireless well inflow monitoring based on tracers in the majority of oil and gas wells.”