Interactive virtual reality manipulation of downhole data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11977674-B2
Application number	US-202318213951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2023
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A method for three dimensional visualization and manipulation of downhole data. A measured signal is received a downhole environment and a three dimensional virtualization of the measured signal is generated. A stereographic viewer displays the three dimensional virtualization of the measured signal. The three dimensional virtualization can be manipulated in response to an input from a user, thereby creating a manipulated three dimensional virtualization. The stereographic viewer can display the manipulated three dimensional virtualization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for visualization of downhole data comprising:
receiving a left measured signal of a downhole environment and a right measured signal of the downhole environment, each representing a plurality of formation properties;
processing the left measured signal to generate a left image and the right measured signal to generate a right image; and
displaying, on a stereographic viewer, the left image to a user's left eye and the right image to a user's right eye, thereby forming a three-dimensional virtualization, wherein each formation property is represented by a different colored iso-parameter surface;
wherein variation between the left measured signal and the right measured signal is perceived as three-dimensional depth changes in the three-dimensional virtualization.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional virtualization is manipulated by hiding a colored iso-parameter surface representing one formation property of the plurality of formation properties.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the left measured signal has a first set of logging parameters and the right measured signal has a second set of logging parameters.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the left measured signal is based on a first physics and the right measured signal is based on a second physics.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
generating a three-dimensional model based on the measured signal; and
displaying, on the stereographic viewer, the three-dimensional virtualization based on the three dimensional model.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measured signal of a downhole environment is at least one or more of a formation property, a casing property, casing defect, temperature, pressure, chemical composition, distance to water/CO 2 , distance to a bed boundary (DTBB), caliper measurement, resistivity, steam assisted gravity drainage, near surface geology, and man-made structures.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displayed three-dimensional virtualization is a colored iso-parameter surfaces and/or colored volumetric fog of a borehole or casing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein input is received from a gesture control device or a head tracking system.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein manipulating the three-dimensional virtualization comprises smoothing virtualized surfaces.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining at least one parameter of a well-logging, casing inspection, or drilling operation in response to the input from a user.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the at least one parameter of a well-logging or casing inspection operation is one of specifying the settings of the next logging run or geosteering.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the head tracking system has at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or image processing.

13. A system for visualization and manipulation of downhole data comprising:
an interactive virtual reality apparatus having a stereographic display device and a gesture control device;
an electronic device communicatively coupled with the interactive virtual reality apparatus, the electronic device having a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions, which when executed cause the processor to:
receive a left measured signal of a downhole environment and a right measured signal of the downhole environment, each representing a plurality of formation properties;
process the left measured signal to generate a left image and the right measured signal to generate a right image; and
display, on a stereographic viewer, the left image to a user's left eye and the right image to a user's right eye, thereby forming a three-dimensional virtualization, wherein each formation property is represented by a different colored iso-parameter surface;
wherein variation between the left measured signal and the right measured signal is perceived as three-dimensional depth changes in the three-dimensional virtualization.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising the memory storing instructions, which when executed cause the processor to adjust a well bore operation based on the manipulated three-dimension virtualization.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the gesture control device is a head tracking system communicatively coupled with the stereographic display device.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the gesture control device is configured to be coupled with at least one extremity of a user, the gesture control device having one or more sensors tracking movement of the at least one extremity.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the three-dimensional virtualization is manipulated by hiding a colored iso-parameter surface representing one formation property of the plurality of formation properties.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the left measured signal has a first set of logging parameters and the right measured signal has a second set of logging parameters.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the left measured signal is based on a first physics and the right measured signal is based on a second physics.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Capoglu Ilker R
• Donderici Burkay

Classifications

• G06F3/012 Primary

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• E21B41/00

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• E21B47/002

  by visual inspection · CPC title

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title