Produced water characterization by dual modality gamma-ray measurements

The feasibility of using detection of transmitted and scattered gamma-radiation for characterization of produced water from offshore oil wells is demonstrated. By means of measurements of transmitted and scattered gamma-rays (gamma-rays) and calibration measurements, the salinity and type of salt in the produced water can be determined. When the salinity and the type of salt are known, the density, conductivity and chlorine content of the water can be found. This is an important information for well-monitoring purposes such as detection of water breakthrough.