Radioactive Tracers: Review of Principle Factors in Design and Application

Radioactive tracers have been successfully utilized to interpret the placement of stimulation treatments. Completion effectiveness can be verified best when stimulation operations are traced. The advances in tracer technology require a thorough understanding of all the factors that affect the design and use of tracers, including the commercial manufacture of nuclides, the economic benefits of their use, the regulatory and licensing requirements, the choice of materials and systems, exposure doses and exposure risk, procedures for well reversal (flow-back) and the technology behind multi-isotope logging (gamma spectrum analysis).