Studies on phase and group velocities from acoustic logging

It is still argued whether we measure phase or group velocities using acoustic logging tools. In this paper, three kinds of models are used to investigate this problem by theoretical analyses and numerical simulations. First, we use the plane-wave superposition model containing two plane waves with different velocities and able to change the values of phase velocity and group velocity. The numerical results show that whether phase velocity is higher or lower than group velocity, using the slowness-time coherence （STC） method we can only get phase velocities. Second, according to the results of the dispersion analysis and branch-cut integration, in a rigid boundary borehole model the results of dispersion curves and the waveforms of the first-order mode show that the velocities obtained by the STC method are phase velocities while group velocities obtained by arrival time picking. Finally, dipole logging in a slow formation model is investigated using dispersion analysis and real-axis integration. The results of dispersion curves and full wave trains show similar conclusions as the borehole model with rigid boundary conditions.

Processing of array sonic logging data with nulti-scale STC technique

It is desirable to develop new signal processing techniques for effectively extracting reflected waves under the strong interferences of borehole guided waves. We presented a multi-scale semblance method for the separation and velocity （slowness） analysis of the reflected waves and guided waves in borehole acoustic logging. It was specially designed for the newly developed tools with ultra-long source- receiver spacing for acoustic reflection survey. This new method was a combination of the dual tree com- plex wavelets transform （DT-CWT） and the slowness travel time coherence （STC） method. Applications to the 3D finite difference （FD） modeling simulated data and to the field array sonic waveform signals have demonstrated the ability of this method to appropriately extract the reflected waves under severe interference from the guided waves and to suppress noise in the time-frequency domain.

Optimization Design for the Sandwich Piezoelectric Transmitters in Acoustic Logging

An optimized transducer prototype with a sandwich structure vibrated longitudinally is proposed for a transmitter in acoustic logging, especially in acoustic logging while drilling, 5y taking account of drilling environments with high temperature and pressure, as well as strong collar drilling vibration during the drilling process. Aimed to improve the transmitting performance, numerical and experimental studies for the transducer optimization are conducted. The impact of location and length of the piezoelectric stack on resonance characteristics arid effective electromeehanical coupling coefficient is calculated and analyzed. Admittance and transmitting performance of the proposed transducer are measured in laboratory experiments, and the results are compared with simulated ones. It is shown that the newly proposed transducer has higher transmitting performance with lower resonance frequencies. This work provides theoretical and experimental bases for transducer designing and acoustic wave measurements in acoustic logging, especially in acoustic logging while drilling.

Design of a cross-dipole array acoustic logging tool

When entering an anisotropic formation, a shear wave splits into a fast wave and a slow wave. Based on the principle of four-component cross-dipole acoustic wave measurement, the anisotropy of HTI （Horizontal Transverse Isotropy） formation can be determined. The method of calculating the fast and slow wave data when a shear wave propagates along the borehole axis in anisotropic formation was analyzed, and the implementation of a cross-dipole acoustic logging tool was demonstrated. The tool was composed of transmitter electronics, transmitter mandrel, acoustic isolator, receiver mandrel and main control electronics. Sonde, transmitter circuit, signal receiving and processing circuit, data acquisition system, system control circuit and telemetry interface circuit were presented and analyzed. The test model was used in production wells and standard wells in various areas and the four-component cross-dipole waves were acquired and processed. The waves had good signal-to-noise ratio and clear characteristics, and the fast and slow waveforms, processed slowness curves, anisotropy and fast shear wave azimuth well matched with each other.

Wideband dipole logging based on segmen linear frequency modulation excitation

A wideband dipole signal is required for dipole dispersion correction and nearborehole imaging. To obtain the broadband flexural wave dispersion, we use a nonlinear frequency modulation （NLFM） signal and propose a segment linear frequency modulation （SLFM） signal as the dipole excitation signal to compensate for the excitation intensity. The signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） of the signal over the entire frequency band is increased. The finite-difference method is used to simulate the responses from a Ricker wavelet, a linear frequency modulation （LFM） signal, an NLFM signal, and an SLFM signal in two borehole models of a homogeneously hard formation and a radially stratified formation. The dispersion and radial tomography results at low SNR of the sound source signals are compared. Numerical modeling suggests that the energy of the flexural waves excited by the Ricker wavelet source is concentrated near the Airy phase. In this case, the dispersion is incomplete and information regarding the formation near or far from the borehole cannot be obtained. The LFM signal yields dispersion information near the Airy phase and the high-frequency range but not in the low-frequency range. Moreover, the information regarding the formation far from the borehole is not accurate. The NLFM signal extends the frequency range of the flexural waves by compensating for the excitation intensity and yields information regarding the formation information, but it is not easy to obtain. The SLFM signal yields the same results as the NLFM signal and is easier to implement. Consequently, the dipole detection range expands and the S-wave velocity calculation accuracy improves.

Acoustic logging response law in shales based on petrophysical model

Shale acoustic logging response law is complex due to the multiple minerals and pores,which limits the application of acoustic logging in shale reservoir parameter evaluation,therefore clarifying the shale acoustic logging response law is of great importance.Different petrophysical models are adopted for the equivalence of organic matter,clay,matrix minerals,and fractures,in Wufeng-Longmaxi shale formation in the Jiaoshiba area.Finally,the self-consistent approximation model is used to combine different components,and a shale petrophysical model with a complex pore structure is constructed.The model verification results show it has good predictability for shale.Based on the model,the effect of different mineral compositions and different types of pores are studied.The results show that:1)The effect of clay and organic matter is very complex,and the variation laws of layered clay(organic matter)and dispersed clay(organic matter)on the acoustic wave are consistent.2)Layered clay or organic matter leads to the formation anisotropy increase,which makes the acoustic time difference greater than that of containing dispersed clay(organic matter).3)The fracture is the main control factor of anisotropy,and the anisotropy of gas-bearing fracture is higher than that of water/oil fracture.

An ARM-based debugging system for multipole array acoustic logging tools

This paper presents a debugging system for multi-pole array acoustic logging （MPAL） tools. The debugging system proposed in this study can debug the MPAL tool system, sub-system and local electronics. In the test equipment, we have used principal and subordinate structures, and interconnected the host computer and the front-end machine via Ethernet. The front-end machine is based on the ARM7 （advanced reduced instruction set computing （RISC） machine） technique, the processor of which runs an embedded operating system, namely, uClinux OS. We have analyzed the system telecommunication, human-machine interface circuit, transmitter mandrel interface circuit, receiver mandrel interface circuit, and board-level test interface circuit. The software used in the system consists of the embedded front-computer software and the host application software. We have explained in detail the flow chart of the boot loader in the embedded front-computer software. The host application software is composed of four application subroutines, which match with the functional modules of the system hardware. A net communication program based on the server^client mode is implemented by means of socket programming and multi-thread programming. Test results indicate that the data transmission rate of the system is higher than 1 MB/s, which completely meets the current requirements of the data transmission rate between the tool system and the wireline telemetry device. Application of the debugging system, which includes multiple level test methods, shows that the proposed system can fully meet the test requirements of MPAL at various levels.

Dynamic fluid transport property of hydraulic fractures and its evaluation using acoustic logging

The existing acoustic logging methods for evaluating the hydraulic fracturing effectiveness usually use the fracture density to evaluate the fracture volume, and the results often cannot accurately reflect the actual productivity. This paper studies the dynamic fluid flow through hydraulic fractures and its effect on borehole acoustic waves. Firstly, based on the fractal characteristics of fractures observed in hydraulic fracturing experiments, a permeability model of complex fracture network is established. Combining the dynamic fluid flow response of the model with the Biot-Rosenbaum theory that describes the acoustic wave propagation in permeable formations, the influence of hydraulic fractures on the velocity dispersion of borehole Stoneley-wave is then calculated and analyzed, whereby a novel hydraulic fracture fluid transport property evaluation method is proposed. The results show that the Stoneley-wave velocity dispersion characteristics caused by complex fractures can be equivalent to those of the plane fracture model, provided that the average permeability of the complex fracture model is equal to the permeability of the plane fracture. In addition, for fractures under high-permeability(fracture width 10~100 μm, permeability ~100 μm^(2)) and reduced permeability(1~10 μm, ~10 μm^(2), as in fracture closure) conditions, the Stoneley-wave velocity dispersion characteristics are significantly different. The field application shows that this fluid transport property evaluation method is practical to assess the permeability and the connectivity of hydraulic fractures.

Generalized collar waves in acoustic logging while drilling

Tool waves, also named collar waves, propagating along the drill collars in acoustic logging while drilling （ALWD）, strongly interfere with the needed P- and S-waves of a penetrated formation, which is a key issue in picking up formation P- and S-wave velocities. Previous studies on physical insulation for the collar waves designed on the collar between the source and the receiver sections did not bring to a satisfactory solution. In this paper, we investigate the propagation features of collar waves in different models. It is confirmed that there exists an indirect collar wave in the synthetic full waves due to the coupling between the drill collar and the borehole, even there is a perfect isolator between the source and the receiver. The direct collar waves propagating all along the tool and the indirect ones produced by echoes from the borehole wall are summarized as the generalized collar waves. Further analyses show that the indirect collar waves could be relatively strong in the full wave data. This is why the collar waves cannot be eliminated with satisfactory effect in many cases by designing the physical isolators carved on the tool.

A nonparametric spectrum estimation method for dispersion and attenuation analysis of borehole acoustic measurements

Dispersion and attenuation analysis can be used to determine formation anisotropy induced by fractures,or stresses.In this paper,we propose a nonparametric spectrum estimation method to get phase dispersion characteristics and attenuation coefficient.By designing an appropriate vector filter,phase velocity,attenuation coefficient and amplitude can be inverted from the waveform recorded by the receiver array.Performance analysis of this algorithm is compared with Extended Prony Method(EPM)and Forward and Backward Matrix Pencil(FBMP)method.Based on the analysis results,the proposed method is capable of achieving high resolution and precision as the parametric spectrum estimation methods.At the meantime,it also keeps high stability as the other nonparametric spectrum estimation methods.At last,applications to synthetic waveforms modeled using finite difference method and real data show its efficiency.The real data processing results show that the P-wave attenuation log is more sensitive to oil formation compared to S-wave;and the S-wave attenuation log is more sensitive to shale formation compared to P-wave.

3D trajectory inversion of an adjacent well using scattered P-wave

In oil and gas exploitation,cluster well technology can significantly reduce costs and improve efficiency.An effective adjacent well detection method can greatly reduce the risk of collision between adjacent wells.This study proposes a method to invert the 3D trajectory of an adjacent well using a scattered P-wave obtained by borehole azimuthal acoustic reflection imaging.After obtaining the scattered P-wave from the raw data of the target well using the wave field separation technology,the waveform data in an imaging profile can be obtained by the downhole acoustic directional reception technology.Migration imaging technology is then used to obtain the image of the formation in the imaging profile.Subsequently,by analyzing the images of the formation in the imaging profile of the different azimuths,the well spacing and azimuth of the target well can be determined.Finally,the 3D trajectory of the target well can be obtained by solving the inversion equation.This method was validated by processing the field data from a deviated well in a deep formation.The comparison of the inversion and actual trajectories of the target well demonstrated that the maximum deviation of the inversion trajectory is 0.9 m in the north-south direction,0.78 m in the east-west direction,1.45 m in the well spacing,and 2.48°in the azimuth.The field data inversion result demonstrated that the method can effectively use the azimuth reflection acoustic data to invert the 3D trajectory of an adjacent well,which indicates that the borehole azimuthal acoustic reflection imaging technology has great potential within the context of adjacent well detection.

Application of the equivalent offset migration method in acoustic log reflection imaging

Borehole acoustic reflection logging can provide high resolution images of nearborehole geological structure. However, the conventional seismic migration and imaging methods are not effective because the reflected waves are interfered with the dominant borehole-guided modes and there are only eight receiving channels per shot available for stacking. In this paper, we apply an equivalent offset migration method based on wave scattering theory to process the acoustic reflection imaging log data from both numerical modeling and recorded field data. The result shows that, compared with the routine post-stack depth migration method, the equivalent offset migration method results in higher stack fold and is more effective for near-borehole structural imaging with low SNR acoustic reflection log data.

Numerical simulation of an acoustic field generated by a phased arc array in a fluid-filled borehole

The acoustic tools widely used in borehole well logging and being developed in borehole acoustic reflection imaging do not have the function of azimuthal measurement due to a symmetric source, so they can not be used to evaluate the azimuthal character of borehole formation. In this paper, a 3D finite difference method was used to simulate the acoustic fields in a fluid-filled borehole generated by a traditional monopole source and a phased arc array. Acoustic waveforms were presented for both cases. The analysis of the simulated waveforms showed that different from the monopole source, the acoustic energy generated by the phased arc array transmitter mainly radiated to the borehole in a narrow azimuthal range, which was the key technique to implement azimuthal acoustic well logging. Similar to the monopole source, the waveforms generated by the phased arc array in the fluid-filled borehole also contain compressional （P） waves and shear （S） waves refracted along the borehole, which is the theoretical foundation of phased arc array acoustic well logging.

3DFD Simulation of Asymmetric Wave Field by Side-wall Acoustic Tool in Open and Cased Wells

We developed a parallelized scheme of 3D finite difference （3DFD）with non-oniform staggered grid to simulate the eccentric borehole acoustic field with side-wall acoustic logging tools in open and cased wells. Higher accuracy and lower computation cost were achieved with this scheme for modeling such an asymmetric wave field generated by a high frequency source near or on the borehole wall. We also modeled the cases with and without considering the effects of the tool body. The simulation results demonstrated that the logging tool body would attenuate the direct waves but have only little influence on the interface waves in such a borehole condition. The effects of the tool body on the wave field were significant only when the contrast of the elastic properties between tool body and borehole fluid was large.

Field validation of imaging an adjacent borehole using scattered P-waves

Acoustic waves enter a rock formation from a borehole and are reflected or scattered upon encountering a geologic structure.Consequently,we obtain the structure location represented by the azimuth and distance from the borehole using the acoustic reflection or scattering.Downhole acoustic measurements with the azimuthal resolution are realized using an azimuthal acoustic receiver sonde composed of several arcuate phased array receivers.Eight sensors distributed evenly across the arcuate phased array receiver can record acoustic waves independently;this allows us to adopt the beamforming method.We use a supporting logging tool to conduct the downhole test in two adjacent fluid-filled boreholes,for validating the evaluation of the geologic structure using scattered P-waves.The test results show the multi-azimuth images of the target borehole and the azimuthal variation in scattering amplitudes.Thus,we obtain the precise location of the target borehole.Furthermore,the measured values of the target borehole are consistent with the actual values,indicating that we can accurately evaluate a near-borehole geologic structure with scattered P-waves.

Extraction method of component waves in full waveform acoustic data and its application

In conventional slowness-time coherence(STC)method,slowness and time need to be searched at the same time,which limits the precision and lowers the efficiency.The dichotomy method combined with slowness-time coherence algorithm aims to enhance the efficiency of data processing and to improve the precision.The algorithm changes the searching pattern of conventional slowness-time coherence method to acquire the slowness of component waves in array acoustic logging data.Based on energy ratio of short time window versus long time window and slowness-time coherence method,the algorithm first acquires the arrivals of the component waves using energy ratio of short time window versus long time window method.It then uses the calculated results as the arrivals in conventional slowness-time coherence method,so the slowness-time two-dimensional searching process is simplified to slowness searching process.Based on dichotomy method,the searching pattern is further optimized in replace of the ergodic searching pattern in conventional slowness-time coherence method,which means that as the iteration proceeds,the current searching interval is reduced to half of the former,so the number of searching times is decreased.The dichotomy method combined with slowness-time coherence algorithm is applied to well L in the data processing.Compared with conventional slowness-time coherence method,for compressional wave,the searching efficiency of the algorithm is 4.53 times better,while for Stoneley wave,the searching efficiency is 1.85 times better.Compared with conventional logging data,the average absolute error of the results of the dichotomy method combined with slowness-time coherence algorithm is 1.14μs/ft smaller than that of the conventional method,while the average relative error is 1.2 percent lower.The dichotomy method combined with slowness-time coherence algorithm shows good results in its application,which can enhance the processing efficiency remarkably while getting reliable results at the same time.

Full-wave synthetic acoustic logs in porous media

In order to investigate the permeability of porous media,it is necessary to figure out the property of wave propagation in this medium. The authors calculated the full waveforms and the 2-dimensional spectrum of fluid saturated porous media,analyzed the wave propagation characteristics of different permeable stratums. From the theoretical acoustic pressure waveform received at the well-axis and the 2-D spectrum it is revealed that longitudinal-,transverse-,Stoneley-,pseudo-Rayleigh-,longitudinal mode-and transverse mode waves are different in characters in various permeable strata. Stoneley wave is sensitive to the change of permeability,and its frequency range and amplitude attenuation are influenced by permeability.

Experimental studies of linear phased-array transmitter acoustic logging in cased wells with scaled borehole models

Laboratory cased-hole acoustic logging simulations are developed with the linear phased-array transmitter in scaled cased well models for evaluating the feasibility of extracting formation acoustic parameters through casing.The full waveforms are measured with different cement bonding models.By analyzing the measured wavetrains and the time-slowness correlation graphs,it is showed that when the generation conditions of the refracted compressional wave and the refracted shear wave are reached successively by regulating the direction of acoustic beam radiated from the linear phased-array transmitter,steered angle of the main radiation lobe with both good bonding interfaces.The refracted compressional wave and the refracted shear wave can be stimulated obviously and the casing wave can be suppressed effectively,even when the casing and cement（or the cement and formation） is not bonded.Based on these observations, it is worthwhile to apply the linear phased-array transmitter to determine formation velocities,particularly in poorly bonded cased well.The works establish the experimental and theoretical foundation for new generation cased-hole acoustic logging tool development.

Distinguishing Oil and Water Layers in a Porous Cracked Medium by Interpreting Acoustic Logging Data on the Basis of Hudson Theory

During surveys, water layers may interfere with the detection of oil layers. In order to distinguish between oil and water layers in a porous cracked medium, research on the properties of cracks and oil and water layers and their relation to acoustic logging rules is essential. On the basis of Hudson＇s crack theory, we simulated oil and water layers in crack-porous medium with different crack parameters corresponding to the well-field response. We found that in a cracked medium with high crack angle or low number density of cracks, compressional and shear wave velocities are sensitive to crack characteristics; further, these velocities are more sensitive to crack characteristics when the waves propagate through the water layer than when they propagate through the oil layer. Compressional and shear wave velocities increase with an increase in crack angle： in the water layer, the increase is approximately linear. On comparing the full waveforms observed in the oil and water layers, we find that the amplitudes of most waves are higher in the water layer. Among the considered waves, the Stoneley wave suffers maximum amplitude attenuation in the oil layer. The maximum excitation intensity for oil layer is greater than that for the water layer. These results can guide further cracked media logging field exploration work.

A cased-hole acoustic logging technique using the dual source of opposite polarity

It is usually difficult to measure acoustic velocities through a casing, especially when the casing is poorly bonded with formation. An acoustic logging technique using the dual source of opposite polarity is proposed to enhance the Signal to Noise Ratio of the formation signal and to reduce the casing wave in the data acquisition process. In what follows, a theoret- ical modeling is used to caculate the wavefroms of cased wells. And then, a scaled experiment was conducted in the 1：10 scaled experimental well using the proposed technique in the poorly- bonded condition. The results show that this technique can effectively suppress the casing wave and enhance the formation wave, even in the poorly-bonded condition. By analyzing the measured wavefroms, the amplitude of casing wave is reduced to 12% compared to the conventional one-source technique, and the compressional wave velocity can be easily obtained by using this technique. Both the theoretical modeling and experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique. This study establishes the theoretical and experimental foundation for the cased-hole, dual source of opposite polarity, acoustic logging tool development.