Measuring frequency-dependent acoustic attenuation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10408052-B2
Application number	US-201615314617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems for frequency-dependent fluid attenuation measurement are provided. In certain embodiments, the methods comprise: generating one or more reference acoustic signals within a reference fluid; receiving one or more reference acoustic signal reflections; determining a frequency-dependent response function based, at least in part, on the one or more reference acoustic signal reflections; generating one or more sample acoustic signals within a sample fluid; receiving one or more sample acoustic signal reflections; and determining a frequency-dependent attenuation function of the sample fluid based, at least in part, on the one or more sample acoustic signal reflections and the frequency-dependent response function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
generating one or more reference acoustic signals within a reference fluid;
receiving one or more reference acoustic signal reflections;
determining a frequency-dependent response function based, at least in part, on the one or more reference acoustic signal reflections;
generating one or more sample acoustic signals within a sample fluid;
receiving one or more sample acoustic signal reflections; and
determining a frequency-dependent attenuation function of the sample fluid based, at least in part, on the one or more sample acoustic signal reflections and the frequency-dependent response function.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more reference acoustic signals and the one or more sample acoustic signals comprise a plurality of pure tone pulses.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more reference acoustic signals and the one or more sample acoustic signals comprise a tuned pulse.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more reference acoustic signals and the one or more sample acoustic signals comprise a broadband impulse.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a frequency-dependent attenuation function of the sample fluid comprises dividing the frequency-dependent response function out of the one or more sample acoustic signal reflections.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a frequency-dependent attenuation function comprises fitting attenuation response data to a model.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more reference acoustic signals travel a known standoff distance.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample fluid is a wellbore treatment fluid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sample acoustic signals are generated by a downhole tool disposed in a wellbore, wherein the downhole tool comprises a transducer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the downhole tool comprises a rotating head to which the transducer is coupled.

11. The method of claim 10 , the one or more sample acoustic signals reflect off a portion of the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the downhole tool comprises a mud cell.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more sample acoustic signals reflect off an acoustic target within the mud cell.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Mandal Batakrishna
• Jagannathan Srinivasan

Classifications

• G01V2001/526

  Mounting of transducers · CPC title

• G01V1/46

  Data acquisition · CPC title

• G01V1/50

  Analysing data · CPC title

• G01V3/00

  Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation · CPC title

• G01V1/40

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title