Radial x-ray backscatter imaging of casing behind tubing for well integrity inspection

Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist that in 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today that is known as X-rays or Röntgen rays. This achievement earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Since then many experts and companies has tried to make use of his invention in the oil and gas industry. To date material science and the complexity of the measurements have made it too challenging to use this technology downhole. A substitude has been tried, chemical r adioactive sources, but due to HSE and general risk, that solution has only been adapted in very limited areas. The scientists at Visuray have ?cracked the code? and are currently building the worlds first downhole xray wireline tool. This project will pr ove that it is posible, with the right equipment, to evaluate CSG damage behind TBG using Xray technology.

The ability to see through or behind the production casings located in water, oil or gas wells has been a major issue for the industry. When considering the integrity of existing wells, wells which are under construction or wells which are currently being decommissioned; it is of the upmost importance to establish the current status of the infrastructure which lays hidden from view outside of the visible perimeter of the inside of the wellbore. Currently, some ultrasonic technologies and camera technolog ies are available which can establish the status of the inner-most production tube or casings. There is currently no technology in existence which is capable of 'seeing' through such casings, to help engineers establish the integrity of the equipment and casings which lay outside of the wellbore. As an environmental issue, many wells will become candidates for decommissioning during the coming years, and it is imperative that the engineers are able to establish the integrity of the outer-casings of a we ll prior to removal of the inner tubing or casing. As a safety issue, the ability to be able to accurately establish the integrity of the well, by examining the infrastructure that has been located outside of the field of view of existing technologies, i s critical to continued safe operations. The project will work on imaging Backscatter response from inner and multiple outer Casing strings, with the objective of 360deg coverage in High Definition Xray Images. The "Stripping" of data will be obtained by multiple passes over casings of interest with different levels of energy from the High Energy Photon emitter. This project addresses primarily cost effective intervention, but has also important aspects in increased oil recovery through efficient use of existing infrastructure. It will also reduce the risk of environmental effects from the industry.