Influence of the Chemical Composition of Completion Fluids on the Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves within Oil Wells

Abstract

The propagation of electromagnetic waves in the annular region of oil wells was studied. The present study aims to analyse the propagation attenuation along the well, as well as the input impedance determined by a source placed near the wellhead. A coaxial waveguide model was adopted with heterogeneous dielectrics and losses. First, a wave equation solution for the waveguide is presented, assuming a homogeneous medium with losses, by solving the equation in cylindrical coordinates using the vector potential technique. An uncertainty analysis model is then developed to model the heterogeneous characteristics of the medium. Monte Carlo simulations were performed with the created model using data gathered from the literature. The results of the simulations indicate that propagation in the transverse electromagnetic mode has the smallest attenuation and that for depths of up to 4000 m, there is an attenuation of less than 52 dB. Furthermore, the input impedance ranges from 10 Ω to 10 kΩ because of the uncertainties involved in the problem in question.