Saudi Arabian Oil Company

University of Michigan

Jiangfeng Wu

Yogesh B Gianchandani

Howard Khan Schmidt

Kamal Sarabandi

Mazen Kanj

Scott R Green

Jun Tang

A fracture interrogation system includes an antenna adapted for placement in a subterranean wellbore and a plurality of pseudoparticles adapted for distribution with a proppant material into hydraulic fractures along the wellbore. The presence of the pseudoparticles in the hydraulic fractures is detectable by the antenna. The pseudoparticles can include a magnetoelastic resonator having a resonant frequency. An interrogation field excites the resonators at the resonant frequency for detection by the antenna. The same or a different antenna can act as the interrogation field source, and the system can be configured to operate in a talk-and-listen mode to better separate the response signal from the interrogation signal. Electromagnetic, mechanical, or acoustic impulses can be used to excite resonators of the pseudoparticles.

Interrogating subterranean hydraulic fractures using magnetoelastic resonators

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Jiangfeng Wu