Directional resistivity measurement for well placement and formation evaluation

1. A method to determine a formation property of a subsurface formation, comprising:

providing a downhole logging tool having two or more antennas, wherein at least one of the two or more antennas is a multi-axial antenna comprising:

a first transverse antenna component arranged as a first pair of diametrically opposed saddle coils having a transversely-sensitive element that is sensitive in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the downhole logging tool, wherein the first transverse antenna component has a dipole moment that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and

an axial antenna component arranged as a coil wound around a body of the downhole logging tool and having an axially-sensitive element that is sensitive in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the axial antenna component has a dipole moment that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;

obtaining azimuthally-sensitive measurements using the antennas of the downhole logging tool;

fitting the measurement to a Fourier series having Fourier coefficients that include channel gains;

determining a DC component, a first harmonic component, and a second harmonic component from the Fourier series;

determining a measurement type using at least one of the DC component, the measurement type comprising at least one of symmetrized cross-component measurements, anti-symmetrized cross component measurements, resistivity harmonic measurements and resistivity anisotropy; and

determining the formation property of the subsurface information using the determined measurement type, wherein the DC component is directly proportional to (XX+YY)/2, and wherein X is representative of a transverse axis and Y is representative of an axis perpendicular to the transverse axis.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first transverse antenna component and the axial antenna component are co-located.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the downhole tool further comprises a substantially electromagnetically transparent slotted conductive shield or a substantially electromagnetically transparent non-conductive shield.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining azimuthally-sensitive measurements comprises transmitting and receiving an electromagnetic signal transmitted at a frequency, or transmitting and receiving a plurality of electromagnetic signals, each of the electromagnetic signals being transmitted at different frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the azimuthally-sensitive measurements are obtained while the downhole logging tool is rotating or sliding.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transversely-sensitive element of a particular antenna is wired in series with the axially-sensitive element of the particular antenna and a double throw, double switch relay to produce a combined coil, and further comprising switching the direction of the combined coil magnetic moment azimuthally by 180 degrees.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing borehole compensation on the measurements.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the determined formation property for at least one of well placement, formation evaluation, or look-ahead, look-around operations.

9. A method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axial antenna is a triaxial antenna additionally comprising:

a second transverse antenna component arranged as a second pair of diametrically opposed saddle coils having a transversely sensitive element that is sensitive in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the downhole logging tool, wherein the second transverse antenna component of the triaxial antenna has a dipole moment that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and also substantially perpendicular to the dipole moment of the first transverse antenna component.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the saddle coils of the first transverse antenna component are azimuthally offset from the saddle coils of the second transverse antenna component.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the axial component, the first transverse antenna component, and the second transverse antenna component of the triaxial antenna are co-located.

12. A system to determine a formation property of a subsurface formation, comprising:

a downhole logging tool having two or more antennas, wherein at least one of the two or more antennas is a multi-axial antenna comprising:

a first transverse antenna component arranged as a first pair of diametrically opposed saddle coils having a transversely-sensitive element that is sensitive in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the downhole logging tool, wherein the first transverse antenna component has a dipole moment that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and

an axial antenna component arranged as a coil wound around a body of the downhole logging tool and having an axially-sensitive element that is sensitive in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the axial antenna component has a dipole moment that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis; and

a processor for

obtaining azimuthally-sensitive measurements using the antennas of the downhole logging tool;

fitting the measurements to a Fourier series having Fourier coefficients that include channel gains;

determining a DC component, a first harmonic component, and a second harmonic component from the Fourier series;

determining a measurement type using at least one of the DC component, the measurement type comprising at least one f symmetrized cross-component measurements, anti-symmetrized cross component measurements, resistivity harmonic measurements and resistivity anisotropy; and

determining the formation property of the subsurface information using the determine measurement type, wherein the DC component is directly proportional to (XX+YY)/2, and wherein X is representative of a transverse axis and Y is representative of an axis perpendicular to the transverse axis.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the downhole logging tool is disposed on a wireline, a drill string, or a wired drill pipe.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first transverse antenna component and the axial antenna component are co-located.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the downhole tool further comprises a substantially electromagnetically transparent slotted conductive shield or a substantially electromagnetically transparent non-conductive shield.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the multi-axial antenna is a triaxial antenna additionally comprising:

a second transverse antenna component arranged as a second pair of diametrically opposed saddle coils having a transversely sensitive element that is sensitive in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the downhole logging tool, wherein the second transverse antenna component of the triaxial antenna has a dipole moment that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and also substantially perpendicular to the dipole moment of the first transverse antenna component.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the saddle coils of the first transverse antenna component are azimuthally offset from the saddle coils of the second transverse antenna component.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the axial antenna component, the first transverse antenna component, and the second transverse antenna component of the triaxial antenna are co-located.