Ultrasonic Method for Evaluation of Annular Seals for Wells and Instrument Holes
Yesiller N, Edil TB, Benson CH
(Received 17 May 1995; accepted 8 April 1996)

Abstract
An ultrasonic testing method employing the pulse-echo inspection technique was developed to assess the integrity of annular seals surrounding casings (i.e., instrument tubes or well casings). This nondestructive testing method permits testing a seal from inside a casing without disturbing the casing, seal, or formation. Seals constructed with cement-based and bentonite-based sealants surrounding various types and sizes of casings can he evaluated using the method. An evaluation is conducted by sending and receiving ultrasonic waves using a single piezoelectric transducer and commercially available hardware (a pulser receiver and a waveform analyzer). A probe was designed and constructed for downhole testing. Differences in the ultrasonic responses of the materials in contact with a casing are analyzed to determine the presence of different materials (seal or defects filled with air or water in a seal) outside a casing.

Keywords:
annular seals, bentonite, casing, cement, cross contamination, instrument boreholes, nondestructive testing, ultrasonic method, well seals

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Author Yesiller N, Edil TB, Benson CH Title Ultrasonic Method for Evaluation of Annular Seals for Wells and Instrument Holes Symposium , Committee on