Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Yang Liu

Smaine Zeroug

Sandip Bose

Ralph Michael D'Angelo

Bikash Kumar Sinha

A downhole tool including at least one transmitter, a receiver array, and a controller. Each receiver element of the receiver array is configured to apply variable amplification and a variable time delay to detected acoustic waveforms, wherein the variable amplification is controlled by an amplification factor assigned to the given receiver element, and wherein the variable time delay is controlled by a time delay assigned to the given receiver element. The controller assigns a set of amplification factors and time delays to the receiver elements of the receiver array and combines signals resulting from the application of the variable amplification and the variable time delay to the detected acoustic waveforms such that sensitivity of the receiver elements of the receiver array is focused at a desired zone-of-interest in a wellbore corresponding to the set of amplification factors and time delays assigned to the receiver elements of the receiver array.

Guided mode beamforming for probing open-hole and cased-hole well environments

A method and downhole tool is provided that uses beamforming to localize acoustic energy at a desired zone-of-interest within a wellbore traversing a subterranean formation. The tool has an array of transmitter elements configured to emit guided mode acoustic signals at variable amplitude and variable time delay, which are individually controlled by an amplitude factor and time delay assigned to respective transmitter elements. A set of amplitude factors and time delays can be assigned to the transmitter elements of the transmitter array such that the transmitter elements produce a focused acoustic beam at the desired zone-of-interest by combination of guided mode acoustic signals transmitted by the transmitter elements.

Methods are provided for estimating a quality of cement in the annuli of a multi-string wellbore. Wideband acoustic energy signals are generated and detected in the wellbore and are processed to obtain indications of wideband casing-formation phase slowness dispersions in the wellbore. The indications are compared to reference wideband model casing-formation phase slowness dispersions in order to estimate status of cement or lack of cement in the annuli at that location based on the results of the comparison.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Yang Liu