Applications

Exact location of gas entries

in liquid-continuous flow
and liquid entries in gascontinuous flow
Multiphase flow analysis in
wellbores of any deviation
for production monitoring
and remedial decisions

Identification of water entries

in high-rate gas wells

Discrimination of condensate
and gas entries

Verification of bubblepoint
pressure for single-phase
fluid sampling

Benefits

Direct measurements of gas

and liquid

Measurements independent
of downhole conditions
and fluid properties

Flexibility of operations
using conveyance by wireline,
tractor, slickline or coiled
tubing

Enhanced reliability

Improved efficiency and less

deferred production time

Real-time answers for quick

decision making

Features

Fiber optic technology

Downhole measurements
of gas and liquid optical
properties

Full wellbore coverage

Borehole fluid image oriented

using relative bearing
measurement

Combinable with other

production services

Data acquisition in surface

readout or memory mode

LWD tool shock specifications

Real-time answer product with

SPRINT* single-pass rate interpretation at wellsite

Shedding light with the GHOST Gas

Holdup Optical Sensor Tool
With its unique ability to directly measure gas in the wellbore, the GHOST*
Gas Holdup Optical Sensor Tool is the
ideal production logging device for
locating the first entry of liquid in a
gas well or first entry of gas in a liquid
well. The GHOST tool uses innovative
sensing technology to enable direct
detection and quantification of gas in
multiphase flows. This new tool is part
of the PS Platform* tool family. Its
measurement complements the traditional production logging measurements to give even greater confidence
in production logging answers.
Regardless of completion type or wellbore deviation, the GHOST tool, with
fiber optic technology, literally sheds
new light on production logging.

Fiber optic principles are adapted to measure gas and

liquid downhole. Light is injected into a sapphire probe
and a photodiode measures the reflected signal.

Gas or liquid
bubble

Phot

odiod

Light

Y coupler

e
e

sourc

The response signal of the GHOST probes is high when

the probes are in gas and low when in liquid.

Air
Gas (n = 1.1)
Water (n = 1.3)
Condensate (n = 1.4)
Crude (n = 1.5)
120
80

Using fiber optic technology

The GHOST tool uses the optical
properties (refractive index) of fluids
to differentiate gas from liquid downhole. Within the tool body, light is
emitted from an LED source, travels
along an optical fiber protected from
the downhole environment and
arrives at a needle-size probe manufactured from sapphire. When the
light reaches the tip of the probe,
some of it is transmitted through the
wellbore fluids, while the remaining
light is reflected and travels back
through the optical fiber. The reflected
light travels through the Y coupler to a
receiving photodiode and is converted
into an electrical signal. The amount
of reflection depends on the refractive

Reflected
light (%)

40
0
1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

Refractive index

index of the medium (gas or liquid)

and the shape of the probe. The probe
is designed so that the amount of
reflected light is much greater when
the probe is in gas than when it is in
liquid.
In air or gas almost 100% of the light
is reflected. In liquid less than 40% of
the light is reflected. Because the properties of gas and liquid are so different,

This sapphire probe, with a 0.1-mm-diameter sensing

zone, pierces potential wetting fluids and optimizes
light refraction.

1.6

Gas and liquid bubbles are directly measured by local probes to provide individual phase
holdup data.

Gas
bubble

Water
Oil
bubble

This real-time three-phase flow analysis was achieved using downhole measurements from the
PS Platform tool string and GHOST tool.

Water Holdup
0

14850
Perf
Gamma
Ray
0

Temperature
260

1
FloView
Water
Holdup

(gAPI)
150 0

GHOST
Gas
Holdup

1 0

0
Density

(g/cm3)
1
Friction Corrected
Density
(g/cm3)

(degF)

270

Spinner

Gas Holdup

Defining three-phase production

In a well producing gas, oil and water
at surface, the GHOST tool was run to
determine the downhole contribution
and depth of entry of each phase. From
data obtained in a single descent, the
SPRINT real-time answer product
defined the amounts of gas, oil and
water entering the wellbore and identified the entry points.
The first oil entry (A) was identified
at the very bottom of the well using the
bubble counts from the GHOST sensor

Threshold

Local measurements of the four optical

probes are made independently. While
logging, the probes pierce impinging
droplets of gas in a liquid-continuous
phase or liquid droplets in a gascontinuous phase. A threshold set by
the software or by the field engineer
determines the gas and liquid levels
from the raw waveform. All peaks
above the threshold are considered
gas, and all those below are considered liquid. This direct gas and liquid
holdup measurement is completely
independent of downhole temperature,
pressure, salinity, density, dielectric
properties, viscosity, resistivity, nuclear
interaction, phase velocity and well
deviation. This independence assures
accurate answers without the need
for downhole calibration or environmental assumptions.
The percentage of gas at any given
depth, called gas holdup, is the ratio
of time spent by the probe in gas to
the total scanning period. For a qualitative indication of phase entries, the
bubble count (number of bubbles
arriving during the scanning period)
is computed for each probe. Values
for both the ratio and count are transmitted uphole, and averaged outputs
for holdup and bubble count are computed at surface from each of the four
individual probes.

Flow

Making independent measurements

for greater accuracy

Time

it is relatively easy to distinguish the

two. Although the measurable difference in the refractive indices of water
and hydrocarbon liquids allows determination of three phases, the relative
optical properties are not always
distinguishable in a flowing well
environment.

FloView GHOST
Bubble Bubble
Count
Count
(cps)
(cps)

1 0

(rps)

Gas Flow Rate

75

GHOST Bubble Count

0

(cps)

Oil Flow Rate

5000

FloView Bubble Count

1 0

1 0

(cps)

Water Flow Rate

1500

Reperforation of the bottom interval added oil production without increasing gas production.

GHOST
Gas Holdup
1

3
Gamma
Ray
0 (gAPI) 200 3
Relative
Bearing
0 (deg) 360 3

A well with increasing gas/oil ratio

shared a multiphase separator with
three other wells, making it impossible
to determine water cut from each
well. The PS Platform tool string and
GHOST sensor were run to
determine the flow profile from the
various perforation intervals

calculate the water cut from this

specific well

determine if there was a dry gas

entry into the wellbore

provide information for a decision

on adding perforations to the
bottom interval.

X0900

Original
perforations

Reperforations

The SPRINT wellsite product

determined the flow profile and

calculated the water cut

identified a gas entry at the

top of the upper perforation interval

indicated the bottom perforation

interval was producing only oil.

A log recorded after the new perforations confirmed the bottom interval
was producing only oil, and the flow
was diverted to a single separator.
The gas/oil ratio measured by the
GHOST sensor agreed with the log
to within a few cubic feet per barrel.
This information was used to redesign
the field production strategy.

(ft/hr)

2000

Water
Holdup

X1000

(in.)

(in.)

(in.)

1
Corrected
Water Holdup

8 0.5 + 0.5 0

Gas Flow Rate

1

Density

Y Caliper

GHOST
Caliper

0
FloView
Water Holdup

X Caliper

Calculating water cut

(V)
Cable Speed

Gas
Holdup

0.07 (g/cm3) 1.03

Friction Corrected
Density

8 0.5 + 0.5 0.07 (g/cm3) 1.03

Spinner

Bubble
Count
20
GHOST

0
Corrected
Gas Holdup

Collar Locator

FloView

and the FloView* holdup tool. The

large three-phase production entry (B),
also located using the GHOST and
FloView bubble counts, confirmed
that only the top portion of this perforated interval was producing. The
GHOST tool was able to determine
that the top interval (C) was producing
oil and gas with no water; its small
probes were not adversely affected by
the turbulent, high-velocity production.
Only by using a combination of the
GHOST and FloView holdups was a
three-phase analysis possible.

(rps)

Temperature
70 90

GHOST Bubble
Count
0

(cps)

(degC)

Oil Flow Rate

98

Pressure

500 9800 (kPaa) 10300

Water Flow Rate

Corrected
Water Holdup

Collar Locator
0

(V)

5000

Cable Speed
0

(ft/hr)

5000

X Caliper
3

(in.)

Gamma
Ray
(gAPI)
0
200 3

X0500

X1000

X1500

X2000

X2500

0.5 + 0.5

(in.)
3

1
Water
Holdup

Y Caliper
Perf

1
Corrected
Gas Holdup

8
GHOST
Caliper
(in.)
8

Total Flow Rate

(B/D)

FloView
Water Holdup
0

75000

1
Gas Flow Rate

GHOST
Gas Holdup

1
0
Temperature
Friction Corrected Bubble GHOST Bubble
Gas
(degC) or (degF)
Density
Count
Holdup
Count
260
310
(cps) 3500
0
0.2 (g/cm3) 1.2
Pressure
Density
Spinner
(kPaa) or (psia)
0.5 + 0.5
(rps) 150 2750
0.2 (g/cm3) 1.2
3250
0
GHOST

The gas disposal and reinjection

system was operating at maximum
capacity for this well, yet more oil production was required. The well was
producing 5500 BOPD with a gas/oil
ratio of 9600 scf/STB through a monobore completion consisting of a 7-in.
liner and a tapered tubing string of 5.5
to 7 in. Velocities exceeded 8 m/s, and
the flowing wellhead pressure was
1430 psi.
The GHOST tool was run in combination with the PS Platform string to
determine the profile of the hydrocarbon production and discriminate
the gas and condensate, which was
critical to reservoir management.
Before introduction of the GHOST
sensor, identifying gas in a condensate system was difficult because of
the small contrast in fluid density and
lack of temperature variation.
The GHOST data determined the
upper interval was producing at the
original gas/oil ratio but the lower
interval was experiencing lean gas
breakthrough with a ratio more than
three times that of the original. Most
of the gas was coming from the upper
400 ft of the lower intervaljust the
opposite of the expected results.
A 90-ft interval of the upper section
was reperforated and added 400 B/D
of incremental oil production without
increasing the gas/oil ratio at surface.
This increase repaid the job and surveillance costs in less than two months.
Without the GHOST measurement,
this optimization would not have been
attempted because of the danger of
reperforating intervals with high
gas/oil ratios.

Oil production increased by 400 B/D after this well was reperforated. The decision to reperforate was
based on an interpretation of GHOST holdup data.

FloView

Identifying condensate production

in a high gas/oil ratio environment

Oil Flow Rate

Water Flow Rate

This is one of many possible PS Platform configurations recommended for multiphase flow analysis.

25.4 ft
[7.72 m]

8.3 ft
[2.52 m]

4.8 ft
[1.45 m]

Basic Measurement sonde

Telemetry, gamma ray,
casing collar locator,
pressure, temperature

Gradiomanometer* tool
Density,
deviation

GHOST Tool Specifications

Length
Max OD
Max temperature
Max pressure
H2S

7.1 ft [2.18 m]
Collapses to 11116 in.
300F [150C]
15,000 psi [1035 bar]
Exceeds NACE standards for H2S resistance

Measurement accuracy
Holdup
Relative bearing
Caliper

7% with probe protector; 5% without probe protector

6
0.25 in. [5 mm]

www.connect.slb.com
SMP-5762

Schlumberger

July 2001

*Mark of Schlumberger

7.1 ft
[2.18 m]

GHOST tool
Gas holdup, gas/liquid
bubble count,
average caliper,
relative bearing

5.2 ft
[1.59 m]

Flow-Caliper
Imaging tool
Velocity,
average caliper,
water holdup,
water/hydrocarbon
bubble count,
relative bearing