Method and apparatus for downhole measurement tools

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9529113-B2
Application number	US-201013814406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2010
Priority date	Aug 31, 2010
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Various embodiments include apparatus and methods of operation with respect to well logging. Apparatus and methods include a tool having an arrangement of transmitters and receivers that are operated at different positions downhole and a processing unit to process collected signals such that the arrangement of transmitters and receivers provides measurements that mimic operation of a different arrangement of transmitters and receivers. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of measuring properties downhole utilizing operation of a processor, the method comprising:
activating, at different positions downhole, a first transmitter in an arrangement of transmitters and receivers along a longitudinal axis;
collecting a signal at a receiver in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the first transmitter;
collecting a signal at a second transmitter in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the first transmitter, when the second transmitter is located at the same position at which the receiver collects the signal in response to activating the first transmitter; and
processing the collected signals to provide measurements that mimic operation of a different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprising:
activating, at different positions downhole, the second transmitter in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers;
collecting a signal at the receiver or another receiver in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the second transmitter;
collecting a signal at the first transmitter in response to activating the second transmitter, when the first transmitter is located at the same position at which the or the other receiver collects the signal in response to activating the second transmitter; and
processing the collected signals from activating the second transmitter with the collected signals from activating the first transmitter to provide the measurements that mimic operation of the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the collected signals includes processing together the signals collected at the same position both by one of the transmitters and by the respective receiver, each in response to activating the other transmitter at corresponding different downhole positions of the arrangement of transmitters and receivers, to provide measurements that mimic measurements obtainable at a single downhole position by operation of the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collected signals are processed to mimic measurements from a triaxial tool having the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of transmitters and receivers includes the first transmitter and the second transmitter separated by two receivers and arranged along the longitudinal axis of a tool with the first transmitter, the second transmitter, and the two receivers tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool, the first transmitter and the second transmitter being oriented such that they lie in directions perpendicular to each other.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first transmitter and the second transmitter are arranged equidistant on either side of a reference location which is at the midpoint between the two receivers.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method includes shifting the tool relative to the reference location between the two receivers such that the first transmitter or the second transmitter is shifted to a position of one of the two receivers relative to the reference location before the shift.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes selectively activating the transmitters and selectively collecting signals at the receivers and at one or more of the transmitters at different angles of rotation of the arrangement of transmitters and receivers about the longitudinal axis, the signals at different angles being collected in a number of different bins corresponding to partitions of a complete rotation about the axis.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes identifying anisotropic downhole formations from the processed collected signals.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes computing a voltage matrix from the collected signals such that the arrangement of transmitters and receivers operates as a triaxial tool.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes determining one or more of horizontal resistivity, vertical resistivity, or dip angle using the voltage matrix.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes operating the arrangement of transmitters and receivers as part of a logging-while-drilling tool.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when performed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising operations to:
activate, at different positions downhole, a first transmitter in an arrangement of transmitters and receivers along a longitudinal axis;
collect a signal at a receiver in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the first transmitter;
collect a signal at a second transmitter in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the first transmitter, when the second transmitter is located at the same position at which the receiver collects the signal in response to activating the first transmitter; and
process the collected signals to provide measurements that mimic operation of a different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations comprise operations to:
activate, at different positions downhole, the second transmitter in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers;
collect a signal at the receiver or another receiver in the arrangement of transmitters and receivers in response to activating the second transmitter;
collect a signal at the first transmitter in response to activating the second transmitter, when the first transmitter is located at the same position at which the or the other receiver collects the signal in response to activating the second transmitter; and
process the collected signals from activating the second transmitter with the collected signals from activating the first transmitter to provide the measurements that mimic operation of the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations to process the collected signals include processing together the signals collected at the same position both by one of the transmitters and by the respective receiver, each in response to activating the other transmitter at corresponding different downhole positions of the arrangement of transmitters and receivers, to provide measurements that mimic measurements obtainable at a single downhole position by operation of the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the collected signals are processed to mimic measurements from a triaxial tool having the different arrangement of transmitters and receivers.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the arrangement of transmitters and receivers includes the first transmitter and the second transmitter separated by two receivers and arranged along the longitudinal axis of a tool with the first transmitter, the second transmitter, and the two receivers tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tool, the first transmitter and the second transmitter being oriented such that they lie in directions perpendicular to each other.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium o

Assignees

• Bittar Michael S
• Li Shanjun
• Tang Yumei
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bittar Michael S
• Li Shanjun
• Tang Yumei

Classifications

• G01V1/001

  Acoustic presence detection · CPC title

• G01V3/30

  operating with electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• G01V1/40

  specially adapted for well-logging · CPC title

• G01V3/12

  operating with electromagnetic waves {(operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005)} · CPC title

• G01V3/28 Primary

  using induction coils · CPC title