Baker Hughes Corporation

Baker Hughes, a Ge Compnay, LLC

Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC

Western Atlas International, Inc.

Baker Hughes Holdings LLC

Roger Steinsiek

Douglas J Patterson

James V Leggett, Iii

Jinsong Zhao

Wei Han

Ehsan Khajeh

Jason M Harris

Elan Yogeswaren

Shawn Olsen

James Domnanish

Kamalesh Chatterjee

Rocco DiFoggio

Michael H Johnson

Marc Samuelson

David S Bishop

Homero C Castillo

Marc Stephen Ramirez

James Joseph Freeman

Chad Yates

Sushant Dutta

John F Priest

Brian David Breaux

Mathew G Schmidt

Baoyan Li

Navin Sakthivel

Ryan Damont Green

Sandip Maity

Paul G Junghans

Hermanus J Nieuwoudt

Cornelis Huiszoon

James C Hunziker

Joseph Olaiya

Zhijuan Zhang

Lei Fang

Aaron Avagliano

Steffen Toscher

Carlos Felipe Rivero

Herb Dhuet

James O Guy

Charles E Redding

Baskaran Ganesan

Peter Leonard Wise

Vaibhav Sule

Gabriel Villasmil

Shaela Rahman

Brian A Moody

Andal Pierre

Bernard B Strozeski

Brian Steven Wieneke

Benjamin Hoemske

Sarah Elizabeth Austerman

Dalila Balmaceda

Anjani R Achanta

James V Iii Leggett

James V Leggett

In at least one embodiment, a well inspection method and system is disclosed. The method includes transmitting an acoustic signal from a well inspection tool into a casing structure, receiving return signals from the casing structure to the well inspection tool, performing, using at least one processor associated with the well inspection tool, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on a plurality of frequencies of the return signals to generate spectrogram data, determining entropy spectra from the spectrogram data, and determining casing loadings associated with the casing structure based at least in part on the entropy spectra.

Characterization system and method for casing loading using entropy analysis

A method of designing and forming at least one element of an acoustic transducer. The method includes receiving one or more required operating parameters of the at least one element of the acoustic transducer for an application, iteratively modeling and simulating performance of one or more materials to utilize within the at least one element of the acoustic transducer, iteratively modeling and simulating performance of one or more structures to utilize within the at least one element of the acoustic transducer, identifying at least one material and at least one structure that exhibit predicted performance that at least achieves the one or more required operating parameters of the at least one element of the acoustic transducer for the application, outputting a design of the at least one element of the acoustic transducer, and forming the at least one element of the acoustic transducer via one or more additive manufacturing processes.

Acoustic transducers, methods of designing acoustic transducers, and methods of forming acoustic transducers

A method and apparatus for determining a pressure in an annulus between an inner casing and an outer casing. An acoustic transducer is disposed within the casing at a selected depth within the inner casing and is configured to generate an acoustic pulse and receive a reflection of the acoustic pulse from the inner casing. A time of flight is measured of the acoustic pulse to the inner surface of the inner casing. An inner diameter of the inner casing is determined from the time of flight. The pressure in the annulus is determined from the inner diameter. A processor can be used to measure time and determine inner diameter and annulus pressure.

B annulus acoustic pressure sensing

A system for estimating a property of a region of interest includes an acoustic measurement device including a transmitter configured to emit an acoustic signal having at least one selected frequency configured to penetrate a surface of a borehole in an earth formation and produce internal diffuse backscatter from earth formation material behind the surface and within the region of interest, and a receiver configured to detect return signals from the region of interest and generate return signal data. The system also includes a processing device configured to receive the return signal data, process the return signal data to identify internal diffuse backscatter data indicative of the internal diffuse backscatter, calculate one or more characteristics of the internal diffuse backscatter, and estimate a property of the region of interest based on the one or more characteristics of the internal diffuse backscatter.

Detection and evaluation of ultrasonic subsurface backscatter

An apparatus for inspecting a well having nested multi-tubular structure, includes: an acoustic transducer conveyed in an inner-most tubular in the structure and configured to receive a return acoustic signal having a plurality of resonances due to the structure; an acoustic impedance matching material disposed on a sensing face of the acoustic transducer; a signal generator that generates a signal having a plurality of frequencies to drive the acoustic transducer; a signal shaper that modifies the signal to provide a drive signal to the acoustic transducer; and a processor configured to determine an annulus distance of any tubular in the structure with respect to an adjacent tubular using a time of flight of a transmitted acoustic signal, an acoustic speed in a component in the nested multi-tubular structure using the annulus distance and the plurality of resonances, and a characteristic of the component that corresponds with the acoustic speed.

Contact or proximity pad mounted sensor system for imaging cavity defects and delamination defects between layers in multilayered cylindrical structures in subsurface wells

An outer tubular is imaged by a pad assembly disposed within an inner tubular inserted within the outer tubular. The pad assembly is in contact with the inner tubular, and includes an acoustic pressure source, a backing mounted to a side of the acoustic pressure source, and an intervening layer between the acoustic pressure source and inner tubular. Signals generated by the pad assembly propagate radially outward from the inner tubular and reflect from the outer tubular. The generated and reflected signals travel through a medium between the inner and outer tubulars. An estimate of the distance between the inner and outer tubulars is based on the time from generation of the signal to when the reflected signal is sensed.

Through tubing acoustic imaging

An apparatus for determining a location of a downhole component includes at least one transmitter device and a receiver device. One of the at least one transmitter device and the receiver device is disposed at a first component of a borehole string configured to be deployed in a borehole and retained at a stationary position, and another of the at least one transmitter device and the receiver device is disposed at a moveable component configured to be moved while the first component is at the stationary position, the at least one transmitter device configured to emit a wireless signal and the receiver device configured to detect the wireless signal when the first component is at the stationary position. The apparatus also includes a processing device configured to receive signal data and estimate a location of the moveable component relative to the first component based on the signal data.

Downhole position measurement using wireless transmitters and receivers

In one aspect, the disclosure provides an apparatus that includes an acoustic transducer, and a backing coupled to the transducer, wherein the backing includes solid grains with fluid between the grains.

Acoustic transducer with a liquid-filled porous medium backing and methods of making and using same

A transducer assembly for downhole imaging includes a 1-3 Piezoelectric composite transducer of high Q ceramic rods in a polymer matrix. The assembly also includes a Teflon&#xae; window, a fluid-filled cavity adjacent to the window, and impedance matching material between the composite transducer and the fluid. The transducer is positioned to reduce the reverberation time.

Composite transducer for downhole ultrasonic imaging and caliper measurement

Systems, devices, and methods for estimating a value of a parameter of interest of an earth formation intersected by a borehole. Methods include conveying a carrier in the borehole having disposed thereon an acoustic imaging tool including at least one convex linear phased array module, each of the at least one module comprising a rigid shell forming a compartment containing a piezoelectric component array; using the acoustic imaging tool to take acoustic measurements of the borehole; and using the acoustic measurements to estimate at least one parameter of interest. Each module may be self-contained. The tool may include a plurality of modules circumferentially arrayed about a portion of the acoustic tool. Methods include individually removing one selected module from the acoustic tool. Methods may include selecting an outer tool diameter the same as an inner borehole diameter borehole and selecting a maximum number of modules fitting the outer tool diameter.

Encapsulated phased array segment for downhole applications

Systems, devices, and methods for evaluating an earth formation intersected by a borehole using signals produced at a plurality of borehole depths by an ultrasonic transducer in the borehole, the signals produced by the transducer including ringdown signals from the ultrasonic transducer and echo signals from a wall of the borehole from a plurality of azimuthal orientations. Methods include using peak amplitude values and arrival time values from the signals to construct a background modulation template corresponding to at least one depth; estimating, for each respective depth of the plurality of borehole depths, an azimuthally varying interference pattern predominantly resulting from a ringdown signal for each respective depth by mapping the modulation template to arrival time values corresponding to the respective depth; and subtracting, for each respective depth, the estimated varying interference pattern from the peak amplitude values corresponding to the respective depth to generate adjusted peak amplitudes.

Televiewer image wood-grain reduction techniques

An apparatus for imaging a borehole wall includes an array of acoustic transducers and a controller. The controller scans a section of the borehole wall with first acoustic beams that are transmitted by a series of sets of acoustic transducers in the array to produce adjacent first acoustic measurements that are spaced a first distance Dapart along the borehole wall, each set having at least one transducer that is different from an adjacent set, (ii) steers a second acoustic beam along the section of the borehole wall using one set of acoustic transducers in the array to produce adjacent second acoustic measurements that are a second distance Dapart along the borehole wall, and (iii) images the borehole wall using the first acoustic measurements and the second acoustic measurement to generate a borehole wall image, wherein at least one second acoustic measurement is between adjacent first acoustic measurements.

Multi-beam phased array acoustic transducer operation for downhole applications

Methods, systems, and devices for downhole evaluation using a sensor assembly that includes a sensor plate, wherein a surface of the sensor plate forms a portion of an exterior surface of a downhole tool. Methods may include submerging the surface of the sensor plate in a downhole fluid in a borehole; activating the sensor assembly to generate a guided wave that propagates along the sensor plate, wherein propagation of the guided wave along the sensor plate is dependent upon a parameter of interest of the downhole fluid; and using information from the sensor assembly relating to the propagation of the guided wave along the sensor plate to estimate the parameter of interest. Methods may include isolating an opposing surface of the sensor plate from the downhole fluid. The guided wave may be an interface guided wave or may propagate in the plate between the surface and an opposing surface.

Guided wave downhole fluid sensor

An embodiment of an acoustic transducer assembly includes: a piezoelectric active element configured to emit acoustic signals, the active element having an emitting surface and a back surface located opposite the emitting surface, at least a portion of the back surface having a shape that forms a curve, the shape configured to cause the active element to have a variable thickness between the emitting surface and the back surface; and a backing material disposed in contact with the backing surface and configured to absorb the acoustic signals, the backing material shaped to conform to the back surface.

Variable thickness acoustic transducers

An apparatus for estimating a property of a subsurface material includes a carrier configured to convey an acoustic wave guide though a borehole. The acoustic wave guide includes an acoustic plate configured to guide an acoustic wave along a path of the plate and an acoustic reservoir coupled to the acoustic plate and at least partially surrounding the acoustic plate. The acoustic reservoir has a mass greater than the mass of the acoustic plate and is configured to absorb acoustic wave leakage from the acoustic plate. A first acoustic transducer is coupled to the acoustic plate and configured to transmit an acoustic wave along the path. A second acoustic transducer is coupled to the acoustic plate and configured to receive the acoustic wave that travels along the path. A controller is configured to operate the first acoustic transducer and the second acoustic transducer in order to estimate the property.

Guided acoustic waves isolation system for downhole applications

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Roger Steinsiek