US3691518A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Methods and apparatus for acoustic travel time and cement bond logging
Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corp
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Filing: 1970-04-07
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Granted: 1972-09-12
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Expires: 1990-04-07
Abstract
Abstract An illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes an acoustic well logging sonde having four articulated arm members disposed at quadrant intervals about a central tubular body member and having an acoustic transmitting transducer disposed on the lower portion of the body member. A total of six acoustic transducers are carried by the four quadrant spaced arms of the tool. A switching arrangement is provided for selecting groups of four of the six articulated transducers for making either cement bond log measurements or acoustic travel time measurements.
Inventors
- 👤 Nick A Schuster
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 09:52
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01V; G01V1/00; G01V1/40; G01V1/44; G01V1/46
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
Apparatus for acoustically logging earth formations and cement conditions in a well bore, comprising: a body member sized for passage through a well bore; at least one acoustic transmitting transducer mounted on the body member; at least one movable arm carried by said body member; pad means carried by at least one movable arm for engaging the wall of the well bore and including at least one acoustic receiving transducer; means for extending and retracting each arm relative to the body member, said means being operative to move each pad means into engagement with the well bore wall when the corresponding arm is extended; and means For repetitively firing said transmitting transducer to transmit acoustic energy impulses into the media surrounding the well bore.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
Apparatus for acoustically logging earth formations and cement conditions in a well bore, comprising: a body member sized for passage through a well bore; at least one acoustic transmitting transducer mounted on the body member; at least one movable arm carried by said body member; pad means carried by at least one movable arm for engaging the wall of the well bore and including at least one acoustic receiving transducer; means for extending and retracting each arm relative to the body member, said means being operative to move each pad means into engagement with the well bore wall when the corresponding arm is extended; and means For repetitively firing said transmitting transducer to transmit acoustic energy impulses into the media surrounding the well bore.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein four such movable arms are carried by the body member, transducer-including pad means is carried by each movable arm, and the arms are spaced at quadrant intervals about the circumference of said body member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and further including means for detecting the arrival of transmitted acoustic energy at each of said acoustic receiving transducers and for generating signals representative of the elapsed time between said transmitter firing and said arrival.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further including means for measuring the amplitude of early arrival acoustic energy at each of said receiving transducers and generating signals representative thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 4 further including means for recording said representative signals from each of said receiving transducers independently as a function of depth of the tool in a well bore.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of acoustically logging earth formations and cement conditions in a well bore employing a well tool having a body member of substantially smaller horizontal cross-sectional size than the well bore, comprising: positioning the body member within the well bore such that it stands off from the well bore wall; positioning at least one acoustic receiving transducer, retractably supported outward of the body member, closely adjacent the wall of the well bore; transmitting pulses of acoustic energy into the media surrounding the well bore by repetitively firing an acoustic transmitting transducer mounted on the body member; generating by at least the one receiving transducer electrical signals in response to acoustic energy received thereat from the surrounding media; and recording representations of the generated electrical signals as a function of the depth of the well tool in the well bore.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of acoustically logging earth formations and cement conditions in a well bore employing a well tool having a body member of substantially smaller horizontal cross-sectional size than the well bore, comprising: positioning the body member within the well bore such that it stands off from the well bore wall; positioning at least one acoustic receiving transducer, retractably supported outward of the body member, closely adjacent the wall of the well bore; transmitting pulses of acoustic energy into the media surrounding the well bore by repetitively firing an acoustic transmitting transducer mounted on the body member; generating by at least the one receiving transducer electrical signals in response to acoustic energy received thereat from the surrounding media; and recording representations of the generated electrical signals as a function of the depth of the well tool in the well bore.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 6 wherein four acoustic receiving transducers spaced at quadrant intervals about the well tool circumference are positioned closely adjacent the well bore wall, and electrical signals are independently generated by each receiving transducer in response to acoustic impulses arriving thereat through the adjacent quadrant portion of the media surrounding the well bore.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the representations recorded are representative of the amplitudes of the early arrivals of acoustic energy at each receiving transducer, thereby to provide indications of cement conditions in a cased well bore.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 6 wherein two pairs of longitudinally spaced acoustic receiving transducers, one pair being disposed diametrically opposite the other relative to the body member, are positioned closely adjacent the wall of the well bore; and electrical signals are independently generated by each receiving transducer that are representative of the elapsed time between the firing of the transmitting transducer and the arrival at each receiving transducer of acoustic energy.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 9 wherein the independently generated signals are combined arithmetically to produce a representation indicative of the average travel time of acoustic energy between the longitudinally spaced receivers of the receiver pairs; and the average travel time representation is recorded as a function of the depth of the well tool in the well bore.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one pad means includes at least two longitudinally spaced receiving transducers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: a plurality of said movable arms are mounted on the body member in spaced relation about the circumference thereof, and transducer - including pad means is carried by each movable arm.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein: at least two of said movable arms are located on diametrically opposite sides of said body member; and the pad means carried by eAch of said diametrically opposed arms includes at least two longitudinally spaced acoustic receiving transducers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 3 further including means for recording representations of said electrical signals from each receiving transducer independently as a function of the depth of the tool in the well bore.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of claim 6 wherein a plurality of acoustic receiving transducers, each retractably supported outward of the body member, are positioned closely adjacent the well bore wall in spaced relation about the circumference of the well tool; each receiving transducer is independently energized to generate electrical signals in response to acoustic energy impulses arriving thereat through the adjacent portion of the media surrounding the well bore; and representations of the independently generated signals are recorded as a function of the depth of the well tool in the well bore.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
83 words
The method of claim 6 wherein: at least one pair of longitudinally spaced acoustic receiving transducers are positioned closely adjacent a portion of the well bore wall; and each of the pair of receiving transducers is independently energized to generate electrical signals in response to the arrival thereat of acoustic energy through the media surrounding the well bore, the respective signals being representative of the elapsed time between firing of the transmitting transducer and the arrival of acoustic energy at each receiving transducer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the representations recorded are representative of the travel time of acoustic energy between the longitudinally spaced receiving transducers of at least the one pair of transducers.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-09-12 | 1976-03-13 | 1976-09-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-09-12 | 1980-03-13 | 1980-09-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-09-12 | 1984-03-13 | 1984-09-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |