Application and progress of oil and gas well monitoring techniques based on distributed optical fiber sensing

To facilitate the real-time life-cycle full-length monitoring of oil and gas wells, distributed optical fiber acoustic sensing is proposed. Distributed optical fiber sensing is divided into two techniques, namely distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), according to fundamental technical principles. The two techniques were compared, which pointed out the advantages of the DAS, such as high precision, long-distance monitoring, and high signal strength. The monitoring mechanism, optical fiber structure, and installation method were introduced, and a literature review was performed for research and applications of the DAS in fields of the seismic survey, well production and injection, hydraulic fracturing, sand production, pipe leakage, and wellbore integrity. Our research showed that the DAS is a cost-effective promising technique that enables full-lifecycle real-time monitoring of oil and gas wells and it can provide technical support for formulating appropriate development plans, improving operation safety, and reducing development costs.