Method of using a heater with a fiber optic string in a wellbore
US6497279B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 22, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 24, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 22, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F1/6884
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The present invention provides a heater cable (10) that may be deployed in a wellbore to elevate the temperature of the wellbore above the temperature of the surrounding fluid and the formation. One or more fiber optic strings are included in or are carried by the heater cable. The heater cable carrying the fiber optics is placed along the desired length of the wellbore. At least one fiber optic string measures temperature of the heater cable at a plurality of spaced apart locations. Another string may be utilized to determine the temperature of the wellbore. In one aspect of this invention, the heater cable is heated above the temperature of the wellbore. The fluid flowing from the formation to the wellbore lowers the temperature of the cable at the inflow locations. The fiber optic string provides measurements of the temperature along the heater cable. The fluid flow is determined from the temperature profile of the heater cable provided by the fiber optic sensors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.