EM Pipe Scanner

Electromagnetic casing
inspection tool
Keep a closer eye on your casing
Monitoring for answers. Casing and tubing corrosion costs the oil industry
billions of dollars annually—and this estimate does not include the cost of
“lost oil” underground through corrosion-induced leakage and cross flow.
Although early corrosion detection may allow preventive maintenance to
reduce the risk of environmental damage and surface incidents (explosion,
fire, leakage, and related consequences), many of the wells producing today
were completed decades ago, when corrosion control and
monitoring were not a primary concern.
Even with today’s technological advances,
corrosion cannot be completely prevented.
But corrosion can be controlled and
minimized through proper plan-
ning, monitoring, and mainte-
nance. EM Pipe Scanner*
electromagnetic (EM) casing
inspection provides the
critical monitoring step for
evaluating casing integrity
by locating, identifying,
and quantifying damage
and corrosion.
Applications
■ Quantitative evaluation of
corrosion damage in single
casing strings
■ Qualitative evaluation in
multiple casing strings
■ Corrosion rate estimates
from time-lapse comparison
■ Identification of casing
corrosion behind tubing
■ Casing inspection below
tubing string
■ Determination of inner
radius behind scale

The 18 pad sensors mounted

on the centralizer arms of the
EM Pipe Scanner tool deliver
a low-frequency-EM thickness
image and a high-frequency
discrimination image.
Your first line of defense in flow assurance
Comprehensive measurements
The EM Pipe Scanner EM casing inspection tool delivers valuable monitoring
data even while running in hole. A continuous log of the average casing
inner diameter and total metal thickness is recorded, either in single or
double casing strings at speeds up to 3,600 ft/h [1,097 m/h]. This informa-
tion is used to plan the acquisition mode of the upward pass.

For logging in single casing strings, the EM Pipe Scanner tool can
be run in two modes: casing inspection mode at 1,800 ft/h [548 m/h]
to identify any potential corrosion issues and then as required a slower
diagnostic pass to pinpoint the exact severity and nature of the corro-
sion. In both modes a low-frequency image and high-frequency image
are produced. A detailed casing summary report (CSR) is output for
single-string casing surveys, listing average metal loss, maximum
penetration, and histograms of the data joint by joint.

The EM Pipe Scanner tool also provides measurements to evaluate and

identify corrosion in two concentric completion strings such as casing
and tubing. The coil section of the tool determines the total-metal EM
thickness of both strings combined but does not resolve the thickness
of each string individually. Combined interpretation of the low-frequency
thickness image and the high-frequency discrimination image enables
determination of whether an observed metal loss is from the inner
tubing wall or elsewhere.

Operational versatility
With a slim 2.125-in [5.4-cm] diameter, the EM Pipe Scanner tool easily
passes through tubing to evaluate casing below the tubing shoe and
quantify metal loss in percentage and average ID of casing ranging
from 27⁄8- to 133⁄8-in OD. Casing up to 95⁄8-in OD is azimuthally imaged
by the pad sensors on the tool’s imaging section. The tool is fluid
insensitive, operating in liquid or gas environments.
EM Pipe Scanner service was designed
with versatility in mind. With a tool OD of
just 2.125 in, it makes measurements in pipe
ranging from 2 7⁄8 to 13 3⁄ 8-in OD. Plus, it can
operate in liquid or gas environments.
Pinpoint your well’s weakpoints
Measurement principle
The EM Pipe Scanner tool uses three types of noninvasive EM measurements to characterize
well casings. These nondestructive induction methods employ both low- and high-frequency
induction currents. Metal loss and changes in casing geometry are detected by combining the
three measurement types:

■ The imaging section provides two images: a low-frequency-EM thick-

ness image for evaluating the remaining metal and a high-frequency
discrimination image produced from 18 pad sensors mounted on the
tool centralizer arms. The EM Pipe Scanner high-frequency image
provides the status of the internal casing wall, as well as acts as
a discriminator for defects in the inner or outer wall of single casing
strings. In the log shown, the high-frequency image clearly identifies
a groove in the internal wall of the casing as vertical black traces
on the left side of the image. In addition, a casing split is obvious at
2,725 ft, in the middle of the joint body. A defect such as a casing split
that has spread through the internal wall to the external wall of the
casing is also depicted on EM Pipe Scanner low-frequency image.
 ■ The casing properties (CPR) measurement
determines the surface impedance of the
casing from the ID of the casing and the
physical casing properties. The magnetic
permeability and electrical conductivity
of the casing are also a function of its
physical properties.

■ A series of mandrel receiver windings operating at low

frequencies is used to extract the ratio of casing wall
thickness to electromagnetic skin depth.

EM Pipe Scanner surveys quantify the percentage relative metal loss and average inside diameter (ID)
of single casings ranging from about 27⁄8-in to 95⁄8-in OD. The maximum metal loss plot shown below,
which is available at the wellsite, computes the metal loss joint by joint. The casing split evident on the
high-frequency log image at about 2,725 ft is plotted as 100% metal loss.

Casing Inner Electromagnetic Casing Double Coils Double Coils Thickness High Frequency
Diameter, Computed Properties Amplitude, dB Phases, deg Minus Average, Minus Average
Maximum Metal Loss
in Thickness, in 100
in 90
2,650
80
Maximum metal loss, %

70

2,700 60
50
40
Depth, ft

2,750
30
20
10
2,800 0
2,000 2,100 2,200 2,300 2,400 2,500 2,600 2,700 2,800 2,900 3,000
Depth of top of joint, ft

2,850
As part of the detailed EM Pipe Scanner casing summary report available for
0.2
0.01 single-string surveys, maximum metal loss per joint is plotted at the wellsite.
–30 0 0 270
5 7 0 0.4 0 10 0 0
–30 0 0 270
–0.2
–0.01

Both a casing groove and casing split are evident in the EM Pipe Scanner log.
Case Studies
Corrosion in the perforated interval
EM Pipe Scanner service revealed unexpected corrosion across the perforated zone in the 5½-in liner of
a well. More corrosion is evident on the low-frequency image than the high-frequency one, which is a clear
indication that the corrosion started from the outer wall of the liner and is removing metal from the outside to
the inside, feeding the invasion of aggressively corrosive fluids from the formation to the metal and adversely
affecting production.

The level of detail delivered by the high-frequency image is shown by the readily identifiable manufacturing
patterns and the obvious effect of a liner collar at the top of the log. The perforations are also clearly shown
in the lower side of the liner.

The thickness computed from the EM Pipe Scanner measurements is consistent with that of 5½-in 15.5-lbm/ft
liner with a nominal theoretical wall thickness of 0.275 in below and above the perforated zone.

The EM Pipe Scanner low-frequency image from a double-string section in the same well revealed metal
loss on the outer 95⁄8-in casing joint, which was not seen by the high-frequency image or a PS Platform*
Multifinger Imaging Tool (PMIT) log.

Casing Inner Electromagnetic Casing Double Coils Double Coils Thickness High Frequency
Diameter, in Computed Thickness, Properties Amplitude, dB Phases, deg Minus Average, Minus Average
in in

X,X40

X,X60

X,X80
Depth, ft

X,Y00

X,Y20

X,Y40

X,Y60

0.15
0.2
–30 0 0 270 0.1
4 6 0 0.4 0 10 0 0
–30 0 0 270
–0.1
–0.2
–0.15

The EM Pipe Scanner low-frequency image (second track from right) shows corrosion in the external wall of the 5 1⁄2-in liner
in the perforated interval from X,Y15 to X,Y65 ft. The high-frequency image also images the perforations.
 CCL
3 V –1
Double-Coil Double-Coil
Short-Spacing Short-Spacing
Tension Amplitude Phase
1,000 lbf 0 -5 dB 00 deg 360
−55.0000 0.9430
−50.0000 0.9490
−45.0000 0.9550
−40.0000 0.9610
−35.0000 0.9670
−30.0000 0.9730
−25.0000 0.9790
−20.0000 0.9850
−15.0000 0.9910
−10.0000 0.9970
−5.0000 1.0030
0.0000 1.0090
5.0000 1.0150
10.0000 1.0210
15.0000 1.0270
20.0000 1.0330
25.0000 1.0390
30.0000 1.0450
35.0000 1.0510
40.0000 1.0570
45.0000 1.0630
50.0000 1.0690
55.0000

Double-Coil Double-Coil
Gamma Electromagnetic Computed Long-Spacing Long-Spacing Low-Frequency Phase Image High-Frequency Amplitude
Ray Thickness (ETHK) Amplitude Phase (PAD_LF_Ph_Image) Image (PAD_HF_Aw_Image)
0 gAPI 150 0 in 1 –5 dB 00 deg 360 deg

X00

X50

Y00

Y50

The EM Pipe Scanner ETHK curve

identified a change in the weight of
the outer 9 5⁄8-in casing in two joints from
X85 to Y50 ft that was not detected by
the high-frequency image or PMIT logging.
 Electromagnetic Computed Thickness (ETHK)
0 in 1.5
Casing Inner Diameter (CID)
3.7 in 4.7
Maximum Internal Radius (IRMX)
1.85 in 2.35
Relative
Minimum Internal Radius (IRMN) Bearing Gamma Ray
1.85 in 2.35 0 deg 360 0 gAPI 3,000

Average Internal Radius (IRAV) Tension Gamma Ray High-Frequency

1.85 in 2.35 10,000 lbf 0 gAPI 150 Amplitude Minus
Average Image Thickness Minus
Discriminated CCL Radii Minus Average (PAD_HF_AMA_ Average Image
Casing Properties (CPRS) Cable Speed (CCLD) (CRAM) IMAGE) (PAD_TMA_IMAGE)
20 200 0 m/h 1,200 9 V –1 in
X,575

Combining EM Pipe Scanner and PMIT

tools in the same string is an effective
approach for identifying and evaluating
both internal and external casing prob-
lems. The PMIT measurements of the
internal radius in Track 1 are useful for
identifying internal casing problems.
EM Pipe Scanner measurement of the
total thickness of double pipe in this
well is within 5% of the nominal value,
providing a good base measurement
for future time-lapse monitoring of the X,600
casing condition.
Metal thickness determination behind well scale
Multifinger calipers routinely calculate the inner radius from measurement of the inner pipe wall, but
the unaccounted-for presence of well scale can impair measurement. In this situation EM Pipe Scanner
logging can determine the remaining metal thickness for calculating the ID behind the scale buildup because
EM Pipe Scanner measurements are insensitive to nonferromagnetic well scale.

Multifinger caliper tools, such as the PMIT, are a well-established technology for evaluating internal casing
problems. However, calipers provide no information about external corrosion. Combining EM Pipe Scanner
and PMIT tools in the same run in the hole can provide comprehensive corrosion evaluation for the inner
tubing as well as the outer casing in double strings, with full discrimination between internal and external
defects. EM Pipe Scanner measurements have a depth of investigation beyond the tubing to the external casing,
capable of identifying corrosion and other features, including accessories such as centralizers and collars.

Casing Nominal Inner Radius (CIRC_CSR)

1.5 in 2.5
EM Pipe Scanner Casing Inner Diameter (CID)
3 in 5
Caliper Average Internal Radius (IRAV)
1.5 in 2.5
Gamma Ray (GR)
0 gAPI 5,000
1,625

1,750
Separation of
the PMIT and
EM Pipe Scanner
1,875 measurements
of internal
radius
High gamma
2,000 ray values
typical of
well scale

2,125

2,250

2,375
The presence of well scale in 4½-in tubing
is indicated by the high gamma ray values
and separation of the EM Pipe Scanner and
2,500 PMIT measurements of the internal pipe
radius. The measurements agree well up to
2,033 m, from where they steadily diverge.
The difference is used to quantify the scale
buildup for monitoring with time-lapse logging.
Measurement Specifications
Output EM thickness, casing ID, casing properties, high- and low-frequency images,
corrosion summary report†
Logging speed ETHK (single and double strings): 3,600-ft/h [1,097-m/h] inspection pass for
mandrel data
Imaging (single string): 1,800-ft/h [549-m/h] standard-resolution inspection
pass; 300-ft/h [91-m/h] high-resolution diagnostic pass
Range of measurement Maximum metal thickness‡: 1.5 in [3.81 cm] at 8.75 Hz
Resolution Attenuation < 60dB: 1%
EM thickness: 15%§
Accuracy Casing ID: ±0.05 in††
Mud type or weight limitations Any borehole fluid
Combinability All PS Platform services
Multiple-tool answer products
Special applications NACE compliant for H2S and CO2 resistance

Mechanical Specifications
Temperature rating 302 degF [150 degC]
Pressure rating 15,000 psi [103 MPa]
Casing size—min. 27⁄8 in (ID > 2.313 in)
Casing size—max. 133⁄8 in for EM thickness
Outside diameter 2.125 in [5.4 cm]
Pad sensor arms 18 coupled
Max. diameter 95⁄8-in casing
100% image coverage 7-in casing
Length 19.7 ft [6.0 m]
Weight 110 lbm [50 kg]
Tension Fishing: 10,000 lbf [44,480 N]
Compression Fishing: 3,000 lbf [13,340 N]
† Corrosion report for single casing strings
‡ Measurement depends on casing geometry, properties, and chrome content.
§ The resolution depends on the accuracy of casing electrical conductivity (sigma). The usual method is to use API specifications in a ”good“ casing section

and adjust conductivity to match the nominal value, which has a typical 12.5% range (Oil Country Tubular Goods, API Spec 5CT, Specification for Casing
and Tubing)
†† Casing ID (d ) < 6 in and tool eccentered = [30% × (d – 2.2 in)]
ci ci

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Copyright © 2009 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 09-PR-0064