Real-Time Fiber Optics: A Door Opener for the Wellbore Environment

Abstract

Abstract Distributed Fiber Optic (FO) sensing is a novel technique that allows for continuous monitoring of the entire wellbore. Two of the most common techniques are Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), which allow for measurement of temperature and strain, respectively (after Johannesen et al., 2012). Both have a large range of applications, but accessibility has often been a limiting factor due to large data amounts and slow data transfer rates (e.g., Schuberth, 2020, and Schuberth et al., 2021). For the Johan Sverdrup asset, Equinor has developed a data streaming solution that allows for real-time processing and interpretation of FO data. The system has been operational for more than a year. In its current state it processes approximately 500 terabytes (TB) of data each week, with insights made accessible to the end user through a web-based front-end solution. This streaming solution has been designed to give a flexible and scalable framework that enables real-time information exploitation of the fiber optic data, as well as allowing for automated monitoring. We will illustrate some of the benefits of this system, and how it can provide new understanding of well conditions and processes. Over the past year, the potential of this data has been illustrated through several prototype applications, providing automated insights ranging from downhole valve monitoring to real-time inflow profiling (e.g., Schuberth at al., 2021, and Dümmong, 2021). It even opens the door to harsh environments such as wellbore clean-up, where monitoring in the past has been a challenge. The real-time fiber optic system on Johan Sverdrup has been developed over the course of just two years. In its current state it processes 500 TB per week but is designed to handle up to 300 TB per day, which will be put in use as more interrogators are added to system. As data acquisition is continuous, the amount of information and therefore possible application space keeps growing day by day.