Abstract
The basic functionality and performance of a new Schlumberger active wireline heave compensation system on the JOIDES Resolution was evaluated during the sea trial and a 3-year period of the IODP Phase II operations. A suite of software programs was developed to enable real-time monitoring of the dynamics of logging tools, and assess the efficiency of wireline heave compensation during downhole operations. The evaluation of the system effectiveness was performed under normal logging conditions as well as during stationary tests. Logging data were analyzed for their overall quality and repeatability, and to assess the reliability of high-resolution data such as formation microscanner (FMS) electrical images. This revealed that the system reduces 65–80 % of displacement or 88–98 % variance of downhole tool motion in stationary mode under heave conditions of ±0.2–1.5 m and water depths of 300–4,500 m in open holes. Under similar water/heave conditions, the compensator system reduces tool displacement by 50–60 %, or 75–84 % variance in downhole tool motion during normal logging operations. Such compensation efficiency (CE) is comparable to previous compensation systems, but using advanced and upgradeable technologies, and provides 50–85 % heave motion and heave variance attenuation. Moreover, logging down/up at low speeds (300–600 m/h) reduces the system’s CE values by 15–20 %, and logging down at higher speeds (1,000–1,200 m/h) eliminates CE values by 55–65 %. Considering the high quality of the logging data collected, it is concluded that the new system can provide an improved level of compensation over previous systems. Also, if practically feasible, future integration of downhole cable dynamics as an input feedback into the current system could further improve its compensation efficiency during logging operations.
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Acknowledgments
This research project was supported by the US National Science Foundation through contract # OCE-0352500, IODP SODV subcontract JSC 5–03 and IODP subcontract JSC 4–03. We thank LEDO’s Borehole Research Group (BRG) Deputy Director of Operations M. Reagan, IODP logging scientists L. Anderson, H. Evans, A. Fehr, G. Guerin, J. Inwood, A. Malinverno, S. Morgan, A. Slagle, and T. Williams, BRG engineers T. Hussein, S. Mrozewski, and W. Masterson, BRG IT group members T. Baker, C. Broglia, D. Quoidbach, and G. Sarker, and Schlumberger wireline services for their contribution and help in this project. We are also grateful to the scientific parties of IODP expeditions 320T through 340 for their cooperation and assistance. Critical comments by two anonymous reviewers and suggestions by the editors have greatly improved the clarity of the paper. LDEO contribution number 7611.
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Liu, T., Iturrino, G., Goldberg, D. et al. Performance evaluation of active wireline heave compensation systems in marine well logging environments. Geo-Mar Lett 33, 83–93 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-012-0309-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-012-0309-8