Services gather formation pressures and fluid samples in HP/HT environments
Baker Hughes has introduced the next generation of its Reservoir Characterization eXplorer™ (RCX™) and In-situ Fluids eXplorer™ (IFX™) formation testing services.
Used jointly, these services accurately characterize fluid properties in real time—eliminating the need for extensive and time-consuming analyses. Combined with other formation evaluation techniques, they provide critical information about a reservoir’s commercial viability.
Enhanced reliability
The RCX service is designed for enhanced reliability in challenging high-pressure, high-temperature wells. Its high-capacity pumps also improve operations in highly overbalanced wells. The service gathers comprehensive pressure data and representative fluid samples at up to 27,000 psi and 395°F (201°C). It is also compatible with the Baker Hughes multitank carrier module, which offers the largest volume, single-phase sample chambers in the industry—up to 28 chambers. The services can be combined into one run to reduce risk and time on the rig.
Designed primarily for deepwater and high-temperature wells, the IFX service characterizes downhole fluid compositions in real time to allow robust fluid identification, to optimize sample collection and to provide input to the petrophysical evaluations for early assessments of a reservoir’s value. Unlike other technologies in the industry, the IFX service has a tuning fork sensor and separate sound speed transducer that provide high-resolution density and viscosity and sound speed information. This data allows the direct calculation of a continuous gas-oil ratio without reference to any offset information.
Pushing boundaries
“The next generation of RCX and IFX are part of our flagship wireline suite of measurements. They push the pressure and temperature boundaries to provide our customers with critical information for decision-making in the well construction process,” says Scott Schmidt, president of drilling and evaluation for Baker Hughes.
“These fully compatible and complementary services enhance our customer’s ability to record formation pressures and collect fluid samples in a wide array of geological conditions and borehole environments.”
