ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Page Count: 12

Ultrasonic Method for Evaluation of Annular Seals for Wells and Instrument Holes

Yesiller, N
Assistant professor, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Edil, TB
Professor and associate professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Benson, CH
Professor and associate professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Abstract

An ultrasonic testing method employing the pulse-echo inspection technique was developed to assess the integrity of annular seals surrounding casings (i.e., instrument tubes or well casings). This nondestructive testing method permits testing a seal from inside a casing without disturbing the casing, seal, or formation. Seals constructed with cement-based and bentonite-based sealants surrounding various types and sizes of casings can be evaluated using the method. An evaluation is conducted by sending and receiving ultrasonic waves using a single piezoelectric transducer and commercially available hardware (a pulser receiver and a waveform analyzer). A probe was designed and constructed for downhole testing. Differences in the ultrasonic responses of the materials in contact with a casing are analyzed to determine the presence of different materials (seal or defects filled with air or water in a seal) outside a casing.

Keywords:
annular seals, well seals, instrument boreholes, ultrasonic method, nondestructive testing, cement, bentonite, casing, cross contamination

Paper ID: GTJ11417J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11417J
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