IP Library Granted Patent US 11,650,346
Granted Patent B2
US 11,650,346 · App. 16/876,265 · Granted May 16, 2023

Downhole acoustic measurement

Inventors: Chung Chang (Houston, TX); Qingtao Sun (Spring, TX); Andrew Clair Colbert (Spring, TX)
Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
G01V1/50E21B47/005E21B47/095G01V1/46E21B47/12G01V2210/1212G01V2210/1299G01V2210/1429G01V2210/62
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,650,346
App. No.
16/876,265
Granted
May 16, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method comprises positioning a receiver in a borehole and determining an offset acoustic waveform at a target point. The method includes generating a reverse time sequence waveform of the determined offset acoustic waveform and generating, by a transmitter, an acoustic pulse based on the reverse time sequence waveform. The method includes detecting, by the receiver, an acoustic response to the acoustic pulse.

Claims (44)

1. A method comprising:

positioning an acoustic receiver in a borehole

determining an impulse response waveform at a target point within the borehole, wherein determining is one of lab acoustic testing or simulation modeling;

generating a reverse time sequence waveform based on the impulse response waveform;

generating, by an acoustic source, an acoustic pulse based on the reverse time sequence waveform; and

detecting, by the acoustic receiver, an acoustic response to the acoustic pulse.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a plurality of impulse response waveforms at the target point within a borehole, wherein each of the impulse response waveforms corresponds to one of a plurality of acoustic source positions;

generating a reverse time sequence waveform for each of the acoustic source positions based on the impulse response waveforms;

for each of a plurality of acoustic transmitters disposed at positions relative to the target point that correspond to the plurality of acoustic source positions, generating an acoustic pulse based on one of the reverse time sequence waveforms; and

detecting, by an acoustic receiver disposed within the borehole, an acoustic response from the acoustic pulses.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the borehole has a casing and cement positioned between a wall of the borehole and the casing.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising evaluating a condition of the cement based on the acoustic response.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a metallic casing is disposed within the borehole and a cement layer is disposed in an annular space between the metallic casing and an inner wall of the borehole, said method further comprising:

disposing the acoustic source at a transmit location within the borehole;

determining a target point location within the borehole to coincide with the metallic casing or an interface between the metallic casing and the cement layer; and

determining the impulse response waveform based, at least in part, on an offset between the transmit location and the target point location.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising evaluating a condition of cement bonding to the metallic casing based, at least in part, on the acoustic response.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the impulse response waveform is determined from pressure waveform data generated by a waveform simulation program based on acoustic source offset.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

disposing the acoustic source at a transmit location within the borehole;

and

determining, using the pressure waveform data, the impulse response waveform based on a distance between the transmit location and the target point.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said generating a reverse time sequence waveform includes reversing a time sequence of the impulse response waveform.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said generating the acoustic pulse includes converting the reverse time sequence waveform into the acoustic pulse including normalizing the amplitude of the reverse time sequence waveform.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said generating the acoustic pulse includes applying, by a waveform function generator, the normalized amplitude reverse time sequence waveform to generate the acoustic pulse.

12. A system comprising:

a processor;

a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor, the instructions comprising:

instructions to determine an impulse response waveform at a target point within a borehole, wherein the impulse response waveform is determined by one of lab acoustic testing or simulation modeling; and

instructions to generate a reverse time sequence waveform based on the impulse response waveform;

an acoustic transmitter configured to generate an acoustic pulse based on the reverse time sequence waveform; and

an acoustic receiver disposed within the borehole and configured to detect an acoustic response from the acoustic pulse.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein a metallic casing is disposed within the borehole and a cement layer is disposed in an annular space between the metallic casing and an inner wall of the borehole, and wherein the acoustic transmitter is disposed at a transmit location within the borehole, said instructions further including instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

determine a target point location within the borehole to coincide with the metallic casing or an interface between the metallic casing and the cement layer; and

determine the impulse response waveform based, at least in part, on an offset between the transmit location and the target point location.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further include instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to evaluate a condition of cement bonding to the metallic casing based, at least in part, on the acoustic response.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the impulse response waveform is determined from pressure waveform data generated by a waveform simulation program based on location offset from an acoustic transmitter.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the acoustic transmitter is disposed at a transmit location within the borehole, and wherein the instructions comprise:

instructions to determine a target point location within the borehole; and

instructions to determine, using the pressure waveform data, the impulse response waveform based on a distance between the transmit location and the target point location.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions include instructions to generate a reverse time sequence waveform include instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to reverse a time sequence of the impulse response waveform.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to convert the reverse time sequence waveform into the acoustic pulse including normalizing the amplitude of the reverse time sequence waveform.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to generate the acoustic pulse include instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to apply the normalized amplitude reverse time sequence waveform to generate the acoustic pulse.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 18, 2020
From: CHANG, CHUNG; SUN, QINGTAO; COLBERT, ANDREW CLAIR
To: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
Reel/Frame 052683/0587 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62887081 · Aug 15, 2019
Related Publication 20210048548A1 · Feb 18, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,704,063