DTS Measurements in Oil and Gas Production and Storage Wells

The temperature distribution inside a production well or inside a storage facility and its variation with time and depth are key parameters for assessing operating conditions. In combination with geological and petrophysical data, long-term temperature monitoring of underground storage facilities can provide thermodynamic information on reservoir dynamics. The storage capacity (gas volume and injection/withdrawal rates) strongly depends on temperature. The same is true for the dew point, the vapour pressure and chemical reactions. Knowing exactly about temperature vs. depth and time in a production well of a cavern or aquifer storage facility is crucial when it comes to optimizing the methanol inhibition regime (methanol/glycol) and the operating conditions. From a known well head pressure and the thermodynamic equation of state one can derive the pressure profile based on the temperature profile. Moreover, the temperature dependence of pressure opens the chance to measure and survey fluid levels in aquifer boreholes.