Methods and apparatus for determining dynamic flow characteristics of production fluids in a well bore

摘要

In the representative embodiments of the new and improved methods and apparatus disclosed herein, a well tool incorporating the principles of the present invention is stationed in a production well and discrete quantities of a water-miscible radioactive tracer and an oil- miscible radioactive tracer are periodically discharged from spaced nozzles on the tool. By means of any of several disclosed types of fluid directors on the tool, flowing connate fluids are diverted through a restriction adjacent to the oil-miscible tracer discharge nozzle so that at least some of any oil bubbles in the connate fluids will be coalesced into larger slugs and be brought into direct contact with the ejected oil- miscible tracer. In this manner, subsequent measurements of the radioactivity level in the well bore fluids passing remote locations in the well bore will provide separate indications from which one or more of the individual dynamic flow characteristics of the produced oil and water can be determined.