| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080236935 | DETERMINATION OF DOWNHOLE PRESSURE WHILE PUMPING - Tubewaves are used to transmit an indication of the depth at which a condition is detected in a well. In particular, the depth is calculated based on the difference in arrival time at the surface of a first tubewave which propagates directly upward in the borehole and a second tubewave which initially travels downward and is then reflected upward. The tubewaves may be generated by a canister designed to implode at a certain pressure. After being introduced into the flowline at an above ground inlet, the canister is carried downhole by gravity and the fluid being pumped. When the canister reaches a depth at which its pressure tolerance is exceeded, it implodes and generates the tubewaves. An analyzer at the surface detects the tubewaves with a hydrophone array and generates a pressure versus depth profile of the well, i.e., one data point for each implosion. Canisters may be acoustically tagged by controlling volume and orifice size in order to generate tubewaves having particular frequency and amplitude characteristics. Canisters may also be configured to produce multiple implosions, e.g., one implosion at each of a selection of different pressures. Canisters may also be equipped with triggering and arming mechanisms, and may generate tubewaves in response to conditions other than a particular pressure. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080239872 | Wireless Logging of Fluid Filled Boreholes - A predetermined condition in a fluid-filled wellbore system can be detected by generating at least one sound in the wellbore system in response to the condition, such that a detectable change is created in some characteristic of the emitted sound, and detecting the at least one sound and the change, the detection being indicative that the predetermined condition has occurred. Equipment for facilitating detection of the condition can include a trigger operable in response to the condition; a generator operable to emit sound in the borehole and to create a detectable change in some characteristic of the emitted sound in response to the trigger; and at least one sensor operable to monitor the sound and detect the change, the detection being indicative that the predetermined condition has occurred. It is also possible to estimate a value of a property of a fluid-filled wellbore system. This can be accomplished by recording data including at least one of pressure and rate of flow at one or more locations in the wellbore system, and then estimating the value of the property by employing a model for predicting at least one of pressure and rate of flow dependent upon parameters detailing at least one of wellbore system geometry, viscoacoustic properties of the fluid and entrained solids contained in the wellbore system, locations of boundaries and entrained solids, and characteristics and locations of disturbances to pressure and flow in the wellbore system, in order to determine a best prediction of some attribute of the recorded data. | 10-02-2008 |
| 20080270028 | PIXEL BASED INVERSION METHOD FOR SURFACE ELECTROMAGNETIC MEASUREMENT - A method of determining the nature of a submarine or subterranean reservoir having an electromagnetic characteristic is described. The method comprises analyzing data associated with the application of a time varying electromagnetic field from above the reservoir using a data analysis methodology that does not utilize an estimate of the reservoir's geometry in determining one or more characteristics of the reservoir. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080314582 | TARGETED MEASUREMENTS FOR FORMATION EVALUATION AND RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION - A downhole-reconfigurable tool string is utilized to obtain targeted measurements for formation evaluation and reservoir characterization. Tool string hardware and corresponding analysis software are dynamically adjusted to meet specific reservoir description needs identified during or before the logging run with the downhole-reconfigurable tool string. A technique for utilizing the downhole-reconfigurable tool string includes four different steps. The first step includes detecting first order features and identifying second order features. The second step includes enhancing measurements relative to the second order features by reconfiguring tool hardware to extract at least the desired information of the reservoir in terms of its static and dynamic properties, and software focusing to enhance the sensitivity to a particular reservoir attribute. The third step is performing an inversion to reconstruct the reservoir property as accurately as possible. The fourth step is using these properties and the planned production/injection data to recommend suitable monitoring schema. | 12-25-2008 |
| 20090150076 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC LOGGING OF A FORMATION - A method and apparatus are disclosed for synthesizing desired antenna responses from a combination of measured antenna responses, as well as antenna arrays particularly suited to provide the measurements. Those arrays may include cross dipole and double cross dipole antennas. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090271117 | System and Method for Deep Formation Evaluation - A technique facilitates formation evaluation by deploying tools in a subterranean environment. A logging tool is deployed in a wellbore to obtain formation related measurements. Additionally, one or more mobile robots also are positioned in the subterranean environment at unique positions that facilitate accumulation of data related to the formation. The data obtained from the logging tool and the one or more mobile robots is processed in a manner that enables deep formation evaluation. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20100078165 | DETERMINING FORMATION WETTABILITY FROM DIELECTRIC MEASUREMENTS - Formation wettability is quantifiably estimated from measurements of dielectric constant and conductivity. In particular, wettability state of formation rock in a subterranean environment is estimated from multi-frequency measurements of rock dielectric constant and conductivity. A dielectric dispersion model is used to invert the measurements and estimate the saturation exponent. The resulting saturation exponent is used to quantify wettability, e.g., by calculating a wettability index. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100126717 | INSTRUMENTED FORMATION TESTER FOR INJECTING AND MONITORING OF FLUIDS - An example instrumented formation tester for injecting fluids and monitoring of fluids described herein includes a downhole tool which can be deployed in a wellbore via a wireline or a drill string. The downhole tool may facilitate the injection of fluids into an underground formation, and the monitoring of the directions in which the injected fluids flow in the formation in an open hole environment. In particular, the downhole tool may be configured for removing the mud cake from a portion of the wellbore wall for facilitating a fluid communication with the formation to be tested. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100171501 | PROVIDING A TOW CABLE HAVING PLURAL ELECTROMAGNETIC RECEIVERS AND ONE OR MORE ELECTROMAGNETIC SOURCES - To perform marine electromagnetic (EM) surveying of a subterranean structure, a marine cable system is provided including a tow cable, a plurality of electromagnetic (EM) sources coupled to the tow cable, and a plurality of EM receivers coupled to the tow cable. The system is configured for deployment in a body of water to perform marine EM surveying of a subterranean structure. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100185427 | AUTOMATED FIELD DEVELOPMENT PLANNING - A system for automatically optimizing a Field Development Plan (FDP) for an oil or gas field uses a fast analytic reservoir simulator to dynamically model oil or gas production from the entire reservoir over time in an accurate and rapid manner. An objective function defining a Figure of Merit (FoM) for candidate FDPs is maximized, using an optimization algorithm, to determine an optimized FDP in light of physical, engineering, operational, legal and engineering constraints. The objective function for the Figure of Merit, e.g., net present value (NPV) or total production for a given period of time, relies on a production forecast from the fast analytic reservoir simulator for the entire FDP. The position, orientation and dimensions of analytical model elements for the subsurface oil or gas field, as well as the physical properties associated with these elements, correlate to connected flow volume data from a Shared Earth Model (SEM). Uncertainty in the SEM is considered via stochastic sampling. In the presence of uncertainty, the optimum Field Development Plan (FoM) is selected by maximizing an objective function defining a risk-based Figure of Merit for the entire FDP. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100198519 | DEEP-READING ELECTROMAGNETIC DATA ACQUISITION METHOD - A method of measuring a parameter characteristic of a rock formation is provided, the method including the steps of obtaining crosswell electromagnetic signals between two wells and using an inversion of said signals to investigate or delineate the presence of a resistivity anomaly, such as brine in a low resistivity background, wherein the resistivity anomaly is assumed to be distributed as one or more bodies characterized by a limited number of geometrical parameters and the inversion is used to determine said geometrical parameters. The method can also be applied to determine the trajectory of an in-fill well to be drilled. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20110061863 | FLUID MONITORING AND FLOW CHARACTERIZATION - A wireline logging tool and method for fluid monitoring and flow characterization in individual zones of controlled salinity is disclosed. The tool and method advantageously facilitate zone-specific testing. Sets of packers are used to create hydraulically distinct zones proximate to the tool. Coiled tubing and isolation valves are used to selectively introduce and remove an electrically conductive fluid such as brine to and from a selected zone. Individual sensors are disposed near each zone to make zone-specific measurements while fluid properties are changed, e.g. while salinity is changed to cause salinity fronts in the formation. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110106514 | FORMATION MODELING WHILE DRILLING FOR ENHANCED HIGH ANGLE FOR HORIZONTAL WELL PLACEMENT - Methods for three-dimensionally characterizing a reservoir while drilling a high angle or horizontal wellbore through the reservoir are disclosed. An initial reservoir model for the reservoir is selected and a section is extracted for a planned trajectory of the wellbore. A secondary model is generated by performing secondary modeling for at least part of the planned trajectory. An area of interest is identified within the secondary model where statistical uncertainty is high. Possible causes of the statistical uncertainty are identified for the area of interest within the secondary model that are not present or accounted for in the initial reservoir model. A set of parameters for the area of interest are defined at that are based on the possible causes of statistical uncertainty. The area of interest is logged with at least one logging while drilling LWD tool. Sensitivities of the LWD tool response to the subset of parameters are evaluated by performing at least one tertiary model for a range of the subset of parameters. The most sensitive parameters from the subset of parameters and corresponding measurements are identified. One or more real-time LWD measurements to be used for proactive well placement along the planned trajectory are identified and are based on the most sensitive parameters. The initial reservoir model is updated while drilling with information from the tertiary model. The model update is based on physics-based modeling or on inversion and on running multiple models and selection of a best candidate model based on correlations between the tool measurements and modeled results for each geologic model. | 05-05-2011 |
