Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Gas Research Institute

Halliburton Logging Services, Inc.

Halliburton Company

Delaware Halliburton Company

Ahlliburton Energy Services, Inc.

John W Minear

James Robert Birchak

Batakrishna Mandal

Wallace R Gardner

James E Masino

Thomas E Ritter

Vimal Vinod Shah

Eugene J Linyaev

Carl A Robbins

A J Mallett

Robert L Malloy

James W Stroud

David J Young

Donald Kyle

Alexander Lifson

Neal Gregory Skinner

Ronnie Glen Morgan

Clark E Robison

Randy Gold

Dennis E Roessler

Margaret C Waid

Wei Han

John R Dennis

Rebecca A McConnell

Kenny L McConnell

Mack H Brown

David C Rathmann

George S Reagan

Stanislav Knize

Bruce Mackie

Gerald Gardner

Raymond J McNiece

A method and related apparatus for high speed digital data conmunications from multiple distributed modems to a single central modem or a common transmission medium. In one embodiment, multiple downhole modems, with each modem associated with a geophone, transmit data to a surface modem over a single transmission medium. In a second embodiment, multiple transmission mediums are used and a plurality of downhole modems associated with geophones communicate to the surface modem over the downhole modem's respective transmission medium.

High speed downhole communications network having point to multi-point orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

A system is disclosed for synchronizing a clock in a well containing a drill string with a clock located near the surface of the well. The system includes devices for transmitting and receiving a pair of acoustic signals between locations associated with each clock and processing those signals. The system determines the time of arrival of each acoustic signal by analyzing the shape of a function of the acoustic signal chosen from a group of functions suitable to determine a clock offset with millisecond accuracy.

Method for compensating for remote clock offset

There is disclosed herein a method and apparatus that use ultrasonic signals to measure rheological properties of a fluid flow such as, e.g., the consistency index K, the flow behavior index n&prime;, the yield stress &tgr; , or other parameters of any given model for shear rate dependent viscosity &eegr;. In one embodiment, the method includes: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal into the fluid flow; (b) receiving acoustic reflections from acoustic reflectors entrained in the fluid flow; (c) determining a Doppler shift of the acoustic reflections in a set of time windows corresponding to a set of desired sampling regions in the fluid flow; and (d) analyzing the Doppler shifts associated with the set of sampling regions to determine one or more rheological properties of the fluid flow. The frequency shift caused by motion of the fluid is proportional to the velocity of the fluid, and this allows the construction of a velocity profile of the fluid flow stream. The velocity profile can be normalized and &ldquo;matched&rdquo; to one of a family of velocity profile templates, and the rheological properties identified by the curve that matches best. Alternatively, the shear rate as a function of shear stress can be calculated from the measurements, and these values may be used to find each of the parameters directly. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a transmitter, a receiver, and an electronic module. The transmitter transmits an acoustic signal into the fluid flow. The receiver receives reflections of the acoustic signal from entrained acoustic reflection sources in the fluid flow. The electronic module is coupled to the transmitter and receiver, and is configured to provide a pulsed high frequency signal to the transmitter and, responsive to the signal from the receiver, to determine a velocity vs. position profile of the fluid flow.

Method of fluid rheology characterization and apparatus therefor

An acoustic telemetry system is disclosed that reduces any through-drillstring drilling noise which contaminates a through-drillstring telemetry signal. Normal filtering operations are provided to remove noise outside the frequency band of interest, and reference signal filtering operations are provided to reduce the in-band noise, thereby enhancing the telemetry system's data rate and reliability. In one embodiment, the acoustic telemetry system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter induces an acoustic information signal that propagates along the tubing string. Existing noise in the tubing string contaminates the information signal. The receiver is provided with sensors for measuring the corrupted information signal and a reference signal that is indicative of the noise present in the measured information signal. The receiver uses a filter to convert the reference signal into an estimate of the information signal corruption, and a summing element to subtract the estimate from the reference signal to produce an information signal with reduced corruption. In a preferred embodiment, the information signal is propagated in an axial transmission mode, and the noise in the torsional mode is used as the reference signal for reducing noise the information signal picks up in the axial mode.

Acoustic telemetry system with drilling noise cancellation

This invention provides a method and an apparatus for fiber optic tomographic analysis and imaging of fluids. This invention includes a method for providing information on downhole fluid flowing in a hydrocarbon well, utilizing at least one downhole tomograph chamber ( ). Light is introduced into the tomograph chamber ( ) by an optical fiber bundle ( ), and portions of the light are collected in other optical fiber bundles ( ). The collected portions of light are conveyed through the optical fiber bundles ( ) to a surface system ( ), where the light is detected to produce signals proportional to the portions of light to provide information on optical properties of downhole fluid flowing in the well. This invention allows the generation of two or three dimensional images of multiple phase flow in the wellbore and allows determination of production parameters of multiple zones on an individual zone basis.

Fiber optic tomographic imaging of borehole fluids

The method of remotely actuating a downhole device provides the initiation of an acoustic signal. The acoustic signal is amplified within a resonance chamber and is transmitted down a fluid column in the tubing string or in the annulus around the tubing string. The signal can be coded to allow activation of multiple downhole devices. The use of a resonance chamber allows for the amplification of the actuation signal to ensure that a downhole receiver can detect it. The receiver can be either a transducer or a hydrophone. The apparatus and method allow for remote actuation without the need for intervention into the well.

Method and apparatus for remote actuation of a downhole device using a resonant chamber

The invention is an acoustic transmitter that imparts vibratory stresses onto a signal propagation medium such as oil well tubing when actuated by an electric driver. In one embodiment, the acoustic transmitter utilizes a mechanical driver that includes piezoelectric elements to generate the vibratory stresses. The acoustic transmitter is mechanically attached at only one point to the signal propagation medium. This single point attachment eliminates loading on the acoustic transmitter from compressive and tensile forces carried by the signal propagation medium. A mass backing the mechanical driver may be used to extend the frequency range over which the acoustic transmitter is operable. In addition, the resonance response of the acoustic transmitter may be minimized by the use of a viscous dampener. The viscous dampener is configured to 'couple' with the mechanical driver when the acoustic transmitter is operating and to 'uncouple' with the mechanical driver at other times.

Single point contact acoustic transmitter

An array of sensors is disposed on an umbilical cable attached to tubing extending into a well. The sensor array includes a series of evenly spaced three-component accelerometers individually mounted on biasing members, such as bowspring centralizer fins, which clamp the accelerometers to an outer casing to establish a mechanical coupling between the accelerometers and the surrounding formation. The accelerometers are lightweight such that the biasing members provide sufficient clamping force to ensure mechanical coupling, thereby facilitating the emplacement of the sensor array. The umbilical cable coupling the accelerometers and extending to the surface may include a crush resistant metal coil wrapped around an inner transmission cable which carries power and/or telemetry information from downhole to the surface. The metal coil provides a higher crush resistance and a higher flexibility than comparable solid metal tubing. A wire wrap similar to that used for wireline cables may be provided outside the metal coil for added tensile strength, and an abrasion-resistant plastic coating may also be employed to enhance the longevity of the umbilical cable.

Method for permanent emplacement of sensors inside casing

A vertical seismic profiling system includes seismic receivers for placement on a drillstring and surface seismic sources. One-way checkshot data may thus be measured without tripping the drillstring. A downhole acoustic tool measures the local interval transit time of the formation, and improves the detection of targets ahead of the drill bit. The local interval transit time may be applied to the time of travel from reflections in front of the bit to establish distance to the bit. The down-going wavetrain may be deconvolved with the total up-going wavetrain to extract the nearest reflector and the relative acoustic impedance at the reflector. A synthetic seismogram may also be created based on reflection depth data and corrected with checkshot data.

Vertical seismic profiling in a drilling tool

A transducer configuration for use in acoustically imaging a target region behind an acoustically reflective layer includes a sonde having a geometrical center and constructed and arranged to support a plurality of transducers. The system includes a first transducer disposed within the sonde at a first distance from the geometrical center for generating a first acoustic pulse and for receiving a first acoustic signal. The acoustic signal comprises a first reflection from the reflective surface, a first set of fluid multiples arising from reflections between the reflective layer and a surface of the first transducer, and a first signal associated with the target area. The system also includes a second transducer disposed within the sonde at a second distance from the geometrical center for generating a second acoustic pulse and for receiving a second acoustic signal. The second acoustic comprises a second reflection from the reflective surface, a second set of fluid multiples arising from reflections between the reflective layer and a surface of the second transducer and a second signal associated with the target area. A mechanism for receiving and processing signals received by the first and second transducers at time intervals which occur between receipt of the first and second sets of fluid multiples, respectively, wherein signal values at time intervals between receipt of fluid multiples provide acoustic waveforms associated with the target region. Each target region, therefore, has a time interval on at least one of the two waveforms which is free of fluid multiples.

System and method for providing dual distance transducers to image

A sonic or acoustic tool is disclosed which includes a transmitter with reduced transmitter spawned noise. The transmitters are either monopole or dipole depending on the orientation of ports in a chamber divided by a piston driven by an actuator. The transmitter size is limited only by the diameter of the tools itself because the transmitters are oriented within the tool parallel to the axis of the tool.

Dipole/monopole acoustic transmitter, methods for making and using same

The invention is a device and related method of finding from at least one receiver the location of a source of a transmitted acoustic signal. Both signal source and signal receiver are downhole. The invention uses either or both the triangulation method and the holographic method to determine signal location. The triangulation technique uses the relationships existing in Pythagorean's theorem to find source location. In contrast, the holographic technique uses a known velocity structure to assign propagation velocities to volume cells surrounding the receiver. By variational calculus, a ray path and start time may be assigned to a hypothetical source location for a particular receiver position. This is repeated for each receiver position. Where the hypothetical source locations and start times match for multiple receiver locations, the likely position of a source has been found.

Acoustic method of connecting boreholes for multi-lateral completion

A transducer configuration of an acoustic sensing tool for determining the consistency of a first medium disposed between a layer having a greater acoustic reflectivity than the first medium and a second medium, the sensing tool including a rotating head, wherein the tool comprises first, second and third transducer pairs in a spaced apart configuration, each pair comprising a transmitting transducer for transmitting an acoustic radiation signal in an insonified zone, and receiving transducer having a receiving radiation pattern in a insonified zone, wherein the space between the transmitting and receiving transducers in each pair is constructed and arranged to allow the transmitting and receiving insonified zones to intersect behind but not in the acoustically reflective layer to null reverberation energy therefrom. The tool also includes a centerline of radiation from each transmitting transducer that propagates and refracts through the reflective layer such that all transmitting centerlines intersect in an intersection near voxel, wherein the intersection voxel is interrogated by all three transducer pairs substantially simultaneously at nearly a single azimuthal head position, such that any occlusion is interrogated from three different directions, thereby facilitating determination of occlusion surface orientation.

Transducer configuration having a multiple viewing position feature

A transducer configuration disposed within a wellbore sonde for acoustically imaging a target region behind an acoustically reflective layer includes a transmitting transducer for producing a transmitted acoustic beamspread pattern defined by a insonified zone having a width approximately equal to a width of the transmitting transducer and a transmitting main lobe beyond the transmitting collimated zone. The transducer configuration also includes a receiving transducer disposed adjacent the transmitting transducer. The receiving transducer includes an acoustic signal reception pattern defined by a insonified zone having a width approximately equal to a width of the receiving transducer and a receiving main lobe beyond the receiving insonified zone. A beamspread angle defines an amplitude contour forming an outer periphery of the transmitting and receiving main lobes. Intersection of the transmitting and receiving main lobes behind but not within an acoustically reflective layer allows the transducer configuration to null reverberation energy from the acoustically reflective material and enhance acoustic energy received from the less reflective material disposed behind the highly reflective material.

Sensor configuration for nulling reverberations to image behind

A system for acoustically imaging a target region behind an acoustically reflective layer includes a transducer configuration for acquiring acoustic image data from the reflective layer and target region, wherein the reflective layer and target region are divided into voxels circumferentially disposed about a central point. The system includes a mechanism for processing the data comprising a transmitting transducer for transmitting a first acoustic pulse, a receiving transducer for detecting a first arrival of a first acoustic reflection signal associated with the first acoustic pulse, and a mechanism for suppressing multiple reflected signals from the acoustic reflection signal associated with the first acoustic pulse, wherein the suppressing mechanism facilitates the acquisition of image data from the target region. The system may also include a mechanism which filters and compresses acoustic data downhole, transmits data uphole and which reassembles data uphole for conversion into an image on standard computer display equipment.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

John W Minear