Archer, a global oil services company and well integrity specialist, has launched the VIVIDTM acoustic listening platform to detect, investigate and locate leaks in real-time, verify cement barrier seals and characterise downhole events with precision
The announcement was made at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing and Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition taking place in Houston this week.
The VIVIDTM platform consists of full-spectrum acoustic sensors that accurately measure the broadest frequency bandwidth and amplitude of acoustic energy with industry-leading sensitivity and can locate previously indiscernible low energy leaks.
Developed by Archer’s research and development team and independently-tested, VIVIDTM is expected to play a major role in casing and completion evaluation, cement performance evaluation and turbulent flow analysis.
“Our VIVIDTM acoustic listening platform represents a major turning point in the industry, detecting leaks that were previously undetectable and generating previously unavailable downhole information,” said Peter Kleinbichler, wireline vice-president for sales and marketing at Archer.
He continued that VIVIDTM aims to provide the clearest answers yet on downhole events, improving oil and gas performance and providing documented evidence that operators are addressing safety and regulatory requirements during both the operational and P&A phases of the well lifecycle.
Major applications for VIVIDTM include:
· Casing and completion evaluation with the acoustic technology able to detect leaks while logging dynamically in the presence of road or surface noise, characterise leak responses in gas and liquid and gas bubble flow, locate gas migration behind casing that was previously below detection thresholds and identify cross flow behind perforations
· Cement performance evaluation with VIVIDTM determining the sealing quality of the cement, evaluating flow in the presence of micro-annuli and establishing minimum flow levels through a cement barrier
· Turbulence mapping where turbulent flow can be mapped in real-time with VIVIDTM ‘s full broadband spectrum and sensitivity supporting production flow characterization and mitigation of completion damage
The testing of VIVIDTM took place at the International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS AS) in partnership with DrillWell.
