Cenovus Energy. has been granted a patent for a method that utilizes a fiber optic cable in a horizontal wellbore to monitor steam chamber development during thermal hydrocarbon recovery. The system employs distributed acoustic sensing to analyze seismic waves, providing insights into the steam chamber’s location and development. GlobalData’s report on Cenovus Energy gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Cenovus Energy, Wellbore drilling optimization was a key innovation area identified from patents. Cenovus Energy's grant share as of June 2024 was 56%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Monitoring steam chamber development in thermal hydrocarbon recovery
The granted patent US12000730B2 outlines a method for monitoring the development of steam chambers in reservoirs during thermal hydrocarbon recovery operations. The process begins with the drilling of at least one horizontal wellbore, into which a fiber optic cable is deployed. As the thermal recovery operation generates a steam chamber above the wellbore, a seismic wave source is positioned above and spaced from the steam chamber. The source generates multiple seismic waves, which travel through the reservoir and are received by the fiber optic cable. Notably, some of these waves pass through the steam chamber and are attenuated, providing critical information about the steam chamber's location. This information is then transmitted as a signal along the fiber optic cable to a receiver, where it is processed to monitor the steam chamber's development.
The patent further specifies that the seismic wave source can be a piezoelectric source and may be located in a vertical well, which could be an existing observation well associated with the thermal hydrocarbon recovery operation. Additionally, the processing of the received signal may involve techniques such as full-waveform inversion, enhancing the accuracy of the information extracted regarding the steam chamber's location within the reservoir. This method represents a significant advancement in monitoring techniques for thermal hydrocarbon recovery, potentially improving operational efficiency and resource management.
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GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
