Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Halliburton Company

Pa LLC

Halliburton Logging Services, Inc.

Gas Research Institute

Gordon Layne Moake

Craig Wayne Roddy

Krishna M Ravi

Batakrishna Mandal

Clovis Satyro Bonavides

Rick L Covington

Marvin Milewits

Michael S Bittar

Paul F Rodney

Eugene J Linyaev

Gary James Frisch

Robert Anthony Moore

James E Bradfield

John Preston Rogers

William Robert Tapie

Paul David Ringgenberg

Wei Zhang

Wesley Neil Ludwig

Jeffrey James Crawford

Ward E Schultz

Larry Alan Jacobson

Yike Hu

Paravastu Badrinarayanan

Lei Wang

Jerome Allen Truax

Daniel P Kusmer

Michel LeBLANC

Roderic K Stanley

John E Kahil

Clive C Lam

Mark S Jaynes

Curtis W Bolton, Iii

The present disclosure describes gain stabilization techniques for scintillation devices which do not require use of an intrinsic reference radiation source. Reference light pulses are emitted into the scintillation device to obtain a signal having a given magnitude. The magnitude of the signal is compared to the magnitude of a reference signal computed as a function of temperature and a degradation factor. A gain adjustment is computed which causes the magnitude of the signal to match the target reference magnitude. The gain adjustment is then used to adjust the system gain so that subsequent output signal amplitudes, measured when energetic photons interact in the scintillator, always correspond to the same energy.

Sourceless gain stabilization for scintillation counting tools

The disclosure presents a process for sharpening an image data representation of collected measurements from a subterranean formation. The sharpening process utilizes an azimuthal filter applied to azimuthal radial ranges around a borehole to designate azimuthal bins. The azimuthal filter utilizes a set of filter coefficients to modify an azimuthal target bin. The set of filter coefficients is a devolution set as it contains at least one positive and one negative filter coefficient. The filter ratio of positive to negative filter coefficients can be adjusted utilizing the statistical uncertainty of the collected measurements and a targeted filter ratio. In some aspects, an axial filter process, also using a binning methodology, can be applied to the collected measurements, where the azimuthal and axial filtered values can be combined for the final image representation. The azimuthal and axial processes can be executed in serial or parallel process flows.

Sharpening data representations of subterranean formations

A calibrator is positioned on a logging tool at an angular orientation with respect to the logging tool. The calibrator has a radioactive source of gamma radiation distributed inside the calibrator. A first detector count rate is determined based on a detector in the logging tool detecting gamma radiation. One or more of the calibrator and logging tool is rotated by a first number of degrees. A second detector count rate is determined based on the detector in the logging tool detecting gamma radiation. One or more of the calibrator and logging tool is rotated by second number of degrees. A third detector count rate is determined based on the detector in the logging tool detecting gamma radiation. The first, second, and third detector count rates are averaged to determine a calibration gain factor based on the average detector count rate and a known indication of gamma radiation emitted by the calibrator.

Calibration of a gamma logging tool

In some embodiments, an apparatus and a system, as well as a method and an article, may operate to receive gamma ray measurements from a gamma ray detector; to generate a spectrum based on the gamma ray measurements, the spectrum including a plurality of channels and count rates for the plurality of channels, wherein a channel number of a channel corresponds to energy values of the received gamma rays; to fit a curve to a portion of the spectrum; to determine a location of the maximum of the first derivative of the curve; and to adjust a gain of the gamma ray detector based on the location of the maximum of the first derivative of the curve. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Gain stabilization of a natural gamma ray tool

A method for determining a material in an annulus between two objects disposed in a borehole includes positioning logging tools in the borehole, each of the logging tools being oriented at a different angle. The method also includes measuring a property of the material in the annulus using the logging tools and determining the material in the annulus based on the measured property.

Multi-tool analysis of annuluses in cased holes

Various embodiments include apparatus and methods to conduct measurements on a formation using a dual purpose detector. The dual purpose detector can be disposed on a neutron tool in a borehole, where the dual purpose detector operatively detects neutrons and gamma rays in response to the formation being probed using a neutron source of the neutron tool. Porosity of the formation can be determined from data based on the neutrons and gamma rays detected by the dual purpose detector. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Neutron tool with dual-purpose detector

Systems and methods are presented for communicating data representing formatted characteristics of a borehole from a downhole location to a surface location. A sensor array downhole produces a first data set from which a plurality of coefficients for use in a one-dimensional angular function are determined. The coefficients are transmitted to the surface to allow a second data set to be prepared representing the first data set. Other systems and methods are presented.

Downhole systems for communicating data

A logging tool may include a stabilization source configured to emit gamma rays, a gamma ray detector configured to collect gamma rays from the stabilization source and a formation and an analysis module. The analysis module may be configured to determine a photopeak of the stabilization source in a gamma ray spectrum including counts of the gamma rays collected by the gamma ray detector and perform resolution calculations using the photopeak to determine a resolution of the gamma ray detector.

Temperature correction of a gamma detector

A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising placing a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors in a wellbore composition, placing the wellbore composition in the wellbore, obtaining data from the MEMS sensors using a plurality of data interrogation units spaced along a length of the wellbore, and telemetrically transmitting the data from an interior of the wellbore to an exterior of the wellbore using a conduit positioned in the wellbore. A system, comprising a wellbore extending the earth's surface, a conduit positioned in the wellbore, a wellbore composition positioned in the wellbore, the wellbore composition comprising a plurality of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) sensors, and a plurality of data interrogation units spaced along a length of the wellbore and adapted to obtain data from the MEMS sensors and telemetrically transmit the data from an interior of the wellbore to an entrance of the wellbore via the conduit.

Use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) in well treatments

Systems and methods for measuring natural gamma rays in a wellbore are disclosed that involve using a downhole gamma ray detector that provides signals that scale with energy deposited by gamma rays in the downhole gamma ray detector and storing digital signals in channels. A derivative of the digital signals is taken and the location of the maximum value of the derivative is used to stabilize the gamma ray detector by adjusting the threshold or gain based on the maximum value of the derivative or adjusting an amplifier or variable high voltage source. Other systems and methods are presented.

Gamma ray detectors with gain stabilization

In some embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may operate to acquire borehole standoff data (), segregate the standoff data into a plurality of azimuthal bins (), derive a plurality of diameters from the standoff data in the bins, determine an average borehole diameter from the plurality of diameters (), calculate a standard deviation from the average borehole diameter (), and compute a caliper measurement (), a major elliptical axis length, and a minor elliptical axis length based on the average borehole diameter and the standard deviation ().

Borehole characterization

Apparatus and methods for operating the apparatus provide a modular unit of hardware to make measurements in a well. The modular unit may include a housing arranged for placement in a drill-string element, where the housing includes a sensor and is structured such that the housing is transferable to another drill-string element without a calibration during or after the transfer. The drill-string elements associated with the transfer may be of different sizes.

Interchangeable measurement housings

In some embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may operate to irradiate a portion of a geological formation with neutrons in a neutron burst generated by a switchable electronic source, to measure (with one or more detectors) a flux of gamma rays to provide a measured flux, at least a portion of the gamma rays being generated by the neutrons, and to determine one or more of a neutron porosity, a density, and/or a photoelectric factor of the geological formation based on the measured flux. Other apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Determining formation characteristics

A downhole gamma ray density measurement system is described. The gamma ray density measurement system includes a pressure housing and a gamma ray source within the pressure housing. One or more detectors within the pressure housing detect gamma radiation. One or more low-attenuation inserts may be located in the pressure housing near the gamma ray source and/or one or more of the detectors. One or more high-attenuation inserts may be located in the pressure housing near the gamma ray source and/or one or more of the detectors.

Gamma-gamma density measurement system for high-pressure, high-temperature measurements

Formation density measurements in the presence of invasion of drilling fluids. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: irradiating a formation with gammas from a source of gammas, wherein drilling fluid has invaded the formation, and wherein Pe of the drilling fluid that has invaded the formation is greater than Pe of the formation; determining a first value indicative of a parameter of the formation; determining a second value indicative of a parameter of the formation; determining a third value, the third value determined based on gammas in an energy range different than used in determining the first value; and calculating, using the first, second, and third values, information such as a standoff, a formation porosity, a formation density prior to invasion by the drilling fluid, and radial depth of invasion of the drilling fluid into the formation.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Gordon Layne Moake