Paper: Acoustic Bottomhole Pressures in Oil, Gas and CO2 Wells

Acoustic instruments have been used routinely for many years as an aid in analyzing well performance of normal-pressure oil producers. Recent developments in equipment and techniques now permit more-accurate calculations of acoustic static bottomhole pressures at surface pressures up to 15,000 psi in corrosive (COP and H2S) environments. Equations and charts are presented herein for determining static bottomhole pressures from acoustic and well data. Also, a special technique is recommended for shutting-in a well which in most cases will yield more-accurate results. The bottomhole pressure of wells producing high concentrations of CO, gas can be determined from acoustic data and the tables and figures given herein. This method has been programmed for an inexpensive, portable notebook-size computer which can be used in the field to easily perform these calculations.