US 11,852,009 B2
Downhole monitoring method
Shaun Compton Ross, Aberdeen (GB); and Leslie David Jarvis, Aberdeen (GB)
Assigned to METROL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, Aberdeen (GB)
Appl. No. 16/474,104
Filed by METROL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, Aberdeenshire (GB)
PCT Filed Dec. 19, 2017, PCT No. PCT/GB2017/053819
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 27, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/122548, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 5, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1622440 (GB), filed on Dec. 30, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2020/0123894 A1, Apr. 23, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E21B 47/06 (2012.01); E21B 43/11 (2006.01); E21B 47/18 (2012.01); E21B 47/13 (2012.01); E21B 47/005 (2012.01); E21B 47/12 (2012.01); E21B 33/12 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 47/06 (2013.01) [E21B 43/11 (2013.01); E21B 47/005 (2020.05); E21B 47/12 (2013.01); E21B 47/13 (2020.05); E21B 47/18 (2013.01); E21B 33/1208 (2013.01)] 43 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A downhole monitoring method comprising:
setting at least one barrier in a cased borehole, the at least one barrier including a column of flowable sealing material, having a height of at least 2 m, such that pressure and fluid communication are resisted across the borehole thus separating the borehole into a lower section below the at least one barrier and an upper section above the at least one barrier;
bonding said column of flowable sealing material to a portion of formation which defines a portion of the borehole, wherein the portion of the formation on which the column of flowable material is bonded to is a first impermeable portion;
at least a portion of the lower section being cased with casing, thus defining an annulus between a surrounding part of the formation and the casing;
wherein there is provided an assembly in the lower section, including:
a perforating device;
a control mechanism to control the perforating device, and comprising a wireless communication device configured to receive a wireless control signal for activating the perforating device;
a pressure sensor;
after the at least one barrier is set, sending the wireless control signal to the wireless communication device to activate the perforating device, the wireless control signal transmitted in at least one of the following forms: electromagnetic and acoustic;
after the at least one barrier is set such that pressure and fluid communication are resisted across the borehole, activating the perforating device in the lower section below the at least one barrier, in order to create at least one perforation through the casing, wherein the perforation(s) are created adjacent a second impermeable portion of the formation;
after the perforating device has been activated:
(i) monitoring the pressure in the lower section below the at least one barrier using the pressure sensor;
(ii) sending a wireless data signal including pressure data from below the at least one barrier to above the at least one barrier, using at least one of electromagnetic communication and acoustic communication, and after step (ii),
(iii) assessing whether the lower section is, or to what extent, isolated from the upper section.