A Note on the Theory

of Temperature

It has been observeds

that surprisingly
results
are obtained by using the values

Logging

Interest
in temperature
logs has been renewed
recently.
One of the main probiems of temperature
logs in injection
wells is that of determining
the
zones that are taking fluids.
A great step toward
solving this problem has been reported in a recent
paper. 1
The purpose of this paper is to point out another
aim of temperature
loggingnamely,
that of relating
the flow rate in water injection
wells
to some
characteristics
of the temperature
logs. It has been
statedz
that a factor
of 6:1 gives
approximate
~~e $.-.,..
,~~.u~ .fi,
vaiues
in converting
A into B/D.
which has been found empiric ally, may be explained
from theoretical
considerations
and because of this,
it may be estimated
more accurately.
It has been showns that, for flow of a liquid
a~w

72 L n...
X,.4*.OF
~ = ,,.
LU,IA.
U-J-..
.
and
a =

Taking

the lower curve of Fig. 1

for low values of t,with

=-~

the values

c = I Btu/lb-F,

It should be noted that

of Ref. 3 does not agree,
the solution
/(t)

Ei~,

(9)

4at

where
WC[k

locations.

~ = 350 lb/bbl,

~ =

0.96 sq ft/day

for different

Tw - T~ =0,.........(1)

dz

good

rlu~(~)l

2f771uk

a quantity that is different

Eq. 1 can be written as
Te-Tw=A

grad Tw

(2)

(3)

from zero.

corresponding
to the constant heat flux line source
and for this reason the graph should be used with
caution.
Ea. 8 has been piotteri in Fig. 1 foi thi~~ Yri!ues
of th; external radius r2. It may be used to estimate
the rate of water injection
down casing
from the
shape of the injecting
temperature
log above the
zone of entry of fluids.
10,

I I

Ill

I I

11111

,
which shows that A, as is defined in Ref. 2, is
identical
to A.
For injection
down casing,
the over-all
heat
transfer
coefficient,
U, may be considered
infinite.
4
Therefore,
A

we/(t)

. .

. . . . . . . . .

(4)

2nk

-,

Considering

the wellbore

as a linear

point

source,

,,

5
*

,NJECTION

~= T.-T.

!
:,,

A-FQ
Q-

#rod
1 T.-RESEF

RATE

II

or, if
A=

FQ,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6)

F.~Ei

DECEMBER, 1969

2
&....

()

.Ffl.

INJECTION

TIME,

9AYS

. . ...(7)
FIG.

THE

FACTOR

F AS A FUNCTION

OF TIME.

876

2 shows
typical
temperature
Example:
Fig.
(injecting
and shut-in),
microlog and spinner logs
of a well in the San Andres oil field. This is a Gulf
Coast field in which the productive
formation is art
oolitic limestone
of Jurassic
age. Pay thickness
is
about 70 m or 230 ft.
h Fig. 3 the measured
geothermal
gradient
and
temperature
log injecting 475 cu m/day, or 3,000 B/D
a~e shown. The geothermal
gradient
for this area
was obtained as an average of five determinations
resistance,
ti5itig c!ectr~ca!
four
wells,

in
and
point
measured
thermometers
continuous
temperature
thermometers.
The
vaIue
of the
geothermal
gradient
is 0.0314C/m
or 0.0 H32F/ft.
Injecting
and geothermal
temperatures
at 3,100-m
depth (10,17o ft), according
to Fig. 3, are 51.5 C
and
115.3C,
respectively.
Measured
injecting
temperature
gradient turns out to be 0.00875 C/m.
Then,
Te - Tw ~ 115.3
grad Tw

51.5

Ei(-x)=lnx+O.3772.

. . . . . . ..

For injection
down tubing, according
and 6, the factor F is given by

1 + p/(t)

F = 1.658

OC/m

0.00875

The estimation
is considered
satisfactory
for
recovery
project
calculations
since the
secondary
difference
between measured
and calculated
rates
of injection
is 7 percent.
Similar
results
were
obtained
for a number of wells.in
the San Andr6s
and in other oil fields.
Should the value of F be
takenas (5,the value of Q would have been 3,875
B/D, or a difference
of 29 percent of the measured
rates
of injection.
What is important
is that the
previously
empirically
determined
value
of the
factor Fcan be predicted
by the transient
heat flow
calculated.
theory and that Fcan bemore ~~~iii~i~l~
Calculation
of F from Eq. 8 can be made readily
by means,of
Fig. G.8 of Ref. 5 or, for long times of
injection,
by means of the well known approximation:
(10)

to Eqs.

. . . . . . . . . . (11)

P
= 7,291m
(Im

= 23,914ft

wherein

= 3.28 ft).

Injection

time,

B=+ .. . . . . . . . . . . . ..-(lz)
down 6 5/8-in.

casing,

is about

1,140 days, then by Fig. 1, or by a straightforward

calculation
F = 8.6 ft/(B/D),
and therefore:
~ =

29,914ft

= 2>775 B/D

8.6 ft/(B/D)

In Ref. 3, /(t) is given as a function

of the
injection
time, the casing external radius and @ as
a parameter.
For times longer than a week, all
calculated
values
of /(t) under different
imposed
boundary conditions
are coincident.
From Eq. 1 it may be seen that if Tw = Te,
grad Tw is zero. In other words, if the geothermal
gradient
line
eventually
crosses
the injecting

,!00 Wmrn,

\ \\

,,,s

319!. ,.! ., ..,

.-

-d----

+.__.
-..=.

s,%-

m%

Y%

_.._-+&
0

3 xc Ucrcs
-

&

L
---

&

To. 32C5

&

,0%
TEMPERATuRE-

FIG.

S76

MICROLOG
2 TEMPERATURE,
LOGS IN WELL A, SAN ANDRES

AND SPINNER
FIELD.

FIG.

sOCIETY

TEMPERATURE
ANDRES
OF

PETROLEUM

\\
,
.\-
,\

io

&

100

1;0

120

l-m

LOG OF
FIELD.

WELL

ENGINEERs

A,

SAN

JOURNAL

temperature
profile, the tangent to this curve at the
point of interception
must be vertical.
This property
the temperature
may be used to better delineate
profile when enough temperature
readings
are not
available.

z = aepdi

. ....4--C. , .(,.
b~b%. >U..ak.

a = thermal
A=;a;
p = specific

diffusivity
;;,

of earth,

sq ft/day

ft
gravity

of water,

lb/bbl

NOMENCLATURE
REFERENCES

A=

function

defined

c=

specific

heat of water,

Ei = transcendental
F=
/(t)

by Eq. 2, ft
mathematical

proportionality
(B/D)
= transient

k=

Q=
71 =

thermal
volume
inside

factor

heat
injection
radius

function

defined

conduction

conductivity

1.

Btu/lb-F

time function

of earth,

rate,

by Eq. 6, ft/

Btu/day-ft-F

B/D

of tubing,

W = weight

DECEMBER.

1969

c~Wellbore

Hest

Transmission,

1962) 427-435.

days

heat transfer
injection

3. Ramey, H. J., Jr.:

]. Pet. Tech. (April,

5. Matthews, C. S. and Russell, D. G.: Pfessure Buildup

and Flow Tests in Wells, Monograph Series, &ciety of
Petroleum Engineera, Dallas, Text ( 1967) Vol. 1, 163.

temperature

t = time of injection,
U = over-all
ft-F

933-941.
of Temperature Logs in
2. Bird, J. M.: slInte~re@tiOn
Water and Gas Injection
Wells and Gaa Producing
Wells, Drill. and Prod. Prac., API (1954) 187.

4. MOSS, J. T. and White, P. D.: How to Calculate

Temperature Profiles
in s Wster Injection Well, Oil
Gas J. (March 9, 1959) Vol. 57, 174.

ft

radius of casing, ft
r2 = outside
Tw = temperature
of water in the well
Te = geothermal

Cocanower, R. D., Morris, B. P. and Dillingham, M.:

Comtmterized
Temperature Decay An Asset to
Temperature
Logging,
J. Pet. Tech.
(Aug., 1969)

rate,

coefficient,
lb/day

Btu/day-sq

ANTONIO ROMERO-JUAREZ
Petr61eos Mexicanos
Mexico City, Mexico

S77