WellWatcher BriteBlue DTS Fiber Leads Industry in Reliability, with 20-Year Track Record of Success | SLB

WellWatcher BriteBlue DTS Fiber Leads Industry in Reliability, with 20-Year Track Record of Success

Published: 04/01/2016

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The WellWatcher BriteBlue multimode DTS fiber is used to monitor downhole distributed temperature profiles from the surface in real time. The fiber has field-proven resistance to hydrogen and chemical darkening up to 572 degF [300 degC]. It provides enhanced spatial resolution and faster temperature response for high-temperature wellbore monitoring in steam-flood, steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), and other extreme applications.
Details

Global

Oilfield firsts:
 
1995
Downhole fiber-optic sensing
 
2004
Subsea fiber-optic deployment
 
2006
Hybrid fiber-optic electric cable
 
2008
Sandface fiber-optic deployment
 
2010
Fiber-optic pressure gauge
 
2015
Hydraulic fracturing assurance

Background

Since 1995, when Schlumberger began using fiber optics for distributed temperature sensing (DTS) in wells, R&D has been focused on enhancing fiber reliability. Optical fiber tends to degrade when exposed to high levels of hydrogen or high temperatures. The fiber begins to darken, causing incorrect temperature readings.

Schlumberger then pioneered accelerated aging tests for optical fibers at high temperatures. WellWatcher BriteBlue HT* high-temperature multimode DTS fiber, which resulted from this research, increased light transmission by almost 50-fold. The results were exceptional resistance to hydrogen, longer life, faster response time, and better spatial resolution.

Products Used