Method and apparatus for broadband measurement of dielectric properties

Claim 2

Apparatus for making broadband measurements of materials having dissimilar dielectric properties comprising an enclosed measuring tool having a tool face, said measuring tool further comprising an electromagnetic transmitting antenna, said transmitting antenna further comprising: (a) a coaxial cable connecting means and means to transmit electromagnetic energy therethrough; (b) a stripline adapter capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy from said coaxial cable connecting means to a stripline having a metallic central strip, said center strip having a front end, a flat strip body, a flat strip face, and a distal end, said front end electrically connected to a center conductor of said stripline adapter, said strip face bent at approximately right angles to said strip body and having a height measured from said right angle bend to said distal end that is compatible with a desired frequency coverage; (c) a ground plane which extends from said stripline adapter to said right angle bend, so that said distal end extends away from said ground plane and so that a void exists between said center strip and said ground plane; (d) a dielectric largely filling said void, said dielectric comprised of a material having a very high dielectric constant and a very low energy loss, so that said transmitting antenna is positioned so that said ground plane is fixedly connected to said measuring tool and said strip face is positioned to lie flush with said tool face so that said transmitting antenna can transmit electromagnetic energy into said material; (e) an enclosure surrounding said stripline comprising four metallic walls, said walls positioned in electrical contact with said ground plane and said stripline adapter, so that said strip face is nearly centered in the opening created by said walls and said ground plane; (f) a loss-less, non-conducting material which fills in any remaining open space in said enclosure so that said non-conducting material forms an additional wall that is nearly flat with said strip face; (g) a receiving electromagnetic antenna comprised in essentially the same manner as said transmitting antenna, said receiving antenna positioned in said measuring tool in the same manner as said transmitting antenna, so that said receiving antenna can receive said electromagnetic energy which has traveled through said material; and (h) means for monitoring said received electromagnetic energy for changes as said apparatus is moved across said materials whereby said dielectric properties can be measured.

Claim 3

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said transmitting antenna transmits and said receiving antenna receives electromagnetic energy over a frequency range of 2 KHz to 1 GHz.

Claim 4

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a means for positioning said tool face near said material.

Claim 5

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a strip transmission line is electrically connected to said stripline, so that electromagnetic energy can be transmitted thereto.

Claim 6

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said antennas are positioned on a pad-type device.

Claim 7

Apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of receiving antennas.

Claim 8

Apparatus as recited in claim 6 further comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas.

Claim 9

Apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said materials having dissimilar dielectric properties are hydrocarbons and water.

Claim 10

Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said broadband measurements are taken to determine said dielectric properties as a function of distance from said antenna.

Claim 13

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said transmitting antenna transmits and said receiving antenna receiver electromagnetic energy over a frequency range of 2 KHz to 1 GHz.

Claim 14

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said transmitting antenna can alternately function as a receiving antenna and said receiving antenna can alternately function as a transmitting antenna.

Claim 15

Apparatus as recited in claim 11 further comprising a pad, said pad substantially conforming to the inside of a wellbore and holding said transmitting and receiving antennas.

Claim 16

Apparatus as recited in claim 13 further comprising a plurality of receiving antennas.

Claim 17

Apparatus as recited in claim 14 further comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas.

Claim 18

Apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein some of said antennas are positioned on said tool face and some antennas are positioned on said pad.

Claim 19

Apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein some of said antennas are staggered.

Claim 20

Apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein said antennas are staggered in a spiral fashion.

Claim 21

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said fluids are hydrocarbons and water.

Claim 22

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said ground plane is no greater than 10 mm in length.

Claim 23

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said strip face has a height that is no greater than 5 mm.

Claim 24

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the porosity of said material.

Claim 25

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the water saturation of said material.

Claim 26

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the salinity of said fluid.

Claim 27

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 or 10 wherein a strip transmission line is electrically connected to said stripline, so that electromagnetic energy can be transmitted thereto.

Claim 28

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said nature of said fluid is determined as a function of the distance from said antenna.

Claim 29

Method for making broadband measurements of materials having dissimilar dielectric properties comprising the steps of: forming a measuring tool having a tool face, an electromagnetic transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, said transmitting antenna further comprising: (a) a coaxial cable connecting means and means to transmit electromagnetic energy therethrough; (b) a stripline adapter capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy from said coaxial cable connecting means to a stripline having a metallic central strip, said center strip having a front end, a flat strip body, a flat strip face, and a distal end, said front end electrically connected to a center conductor of said stripline adapter, said strip face bent at approximately right angles to said strip body and having a height measured from said right angle bend to said distal end that is compatible with a desired frequency coverage; (c) a ground plane which extends from said stripline adapter to said right angle bend, so that said distal end extends away from said ground plane and so that a void exists between said center strip and said ground plane; (d) a dielectric largely filling said void, said dielectric comprised of a material having a very high dielectric constant and a very low energy loss, so that said transmitting antenna is positioned so that said ground plane is fixedly connected to said measuring tool and said strip face is positioned to lie flush with said tool face so that said transmitting antenna can transmit electromagnetic energy into said material; (e) an enclosure surrounding said stripline comprising four metallic walls, said walls positioned in electrical contact with said ground plane and said stripline adapter, so that said strip face is nearly centered in the opening created by said walls and said ground plane; (f) a loss-less, non-conducting material which fills in any remaining open space in said enclosure so that said non-conducting material forms an additional wall that is nearly flat with said strip face; (g) said receiving antenna comprised in essentially the same manner as said transmitting antenna, and positioned in said measuring tool in the same manner as said transmitting antenna, so that said receiving antenna receives said electromagnetic energy which has traveled through said material; interconnecting said measuring tool with a means for monitoring said electromagnetic energy for changes as said measuring tool is moved across said materials whereby said dielectric properties can be measured; interconnecting said measuring tool with a source of electromagnetic energy; and moving said measuring tool across said materials.

Claim 30

Method for making broadband measurements of materials having dissimilar dielectric properties comprising the steps of: forming a measuring tool having a tool face, an electromagnetic transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna, said transmitting antenna further comprising: (a) a coaxial cable connecting means and means to transmit electromagnetic energy therethrough; (b) a stripline adapter capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy from said coaxial cable connecting means to a stripline having a metallic central strip, said center strip having a front end, a flat strip body, a flat strip face, and a distal end, said front end electrically connected to a center conductor of said stripline adapter, said strip face bent at approximately right angles to said strip body and having a height measured from said right angle bend to said distal end that is compatible with a desired frequency coverage; (c) a ground plane which extends from said stripline adapter to said right angle bend, so that said distal end extends away from said ground plane and so that a void exists between said center strip and said ground plane; (d) a dielectric largely filling said void, said dielectric comprised of a material having a very high dielectric constant and a very low energy loss, so that said transmitting antenna is positioned so that said ground plane is fixedly connected to said measuring tool and said strip face is positioned to lie flush with said tool face so that said transmitting antenna can transmit electromagnetic energy into said material; (e) an enclosure surrounding said stripline comprising four metallic walls, said walls positioned in electrical contact with said ground plane and said stripline adapter, so that said strip face is nearly centered in the opening created by said walls and said ground plane; (f) a loss-less, non-conducting material which fills in any remaining open space in said enclosure so that said non-conducting material forms an additional wall that is nearly flat with said strip face; (g) said receiving antenna comprised in essentially the same manner as said transmitting antenna, and positioned in said measuring tool in the same manner as said transmitting antenna, so that said receiving antenna receives said electromagnetic energy which has traveled through said material; interconnecting said measuring tool with a means for monitoring said electromagnetic energy for changes as said measuring tool is moved across said materials whereby said dielectric properties can be measured; interconnecting said measuring tool with a source of electromagnetic energy; and moving said measuring tool across said materials.

Claim 31

Method as recited in claim 27 wherein said transmitting antenna transmits and said receiving antenna receives electromagnetic energy over a frequency range of 2 KHz to 1 GHz.

Claim 32

Method as recited in claim 27 further comprising a means for positioning said tool face near said material.

Claim 33

Method as recited in claim 27 wherein a strip transmission line is electrically connected to said stripline, so that electromagnetic energy can be transmitted thereto.

Claim 34

Method as recited in claim 27 wherein said antennas are positioned on a pad-type device.

Claim 35

Apparatus as recited in claim 27 further comprising a plurality of receiving antennas.

Claim 36

Apparatus as recited in claim 32 further comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas.

Claim 37

Apparatus as recited in claim 27 wherein said materials having dissimilar dielectric properties are hydrocarbons and water.

Claim 38

Method as recited in claim 27 wherein said broadband measurements are taken to determine said dielectric properties as a function of distance from said antenna.

Claim 39

Method for making broadband measurements to determine the nature of a fluid in a material, comprising the steps of: forming an apparatus having a tool face, an electromagnetic transmitting antenna, and a receiving antenna, said transmitting antenna further comprising: (a) a coaxial cable connecting means and means to transmit electromagnetic energy therethrough; (b) a stripline adapter capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy from said coaxial cable connecting means to a stripline having a metallic central strip, said center strip having a front end, a flat strip body, a flat strip face, and a distal end, said front end electrically connected to a center conductor of said stripline adapter, said strip face bent at approximately right angles to said strip body and having a height measured from said right angle bend to said distal end that is compatible with a desired frequency coverage; (c) a ground plane which extends from said stripline adapter to said right angle bend, so that said distal end extends away from said ground plane and so that a void exists between said center strip and said ground plane; (d) a dielectric largely filling said void, said dielectric comprised of a material having a very high dielectric constant and a very low energy loss, so that said transmitting antenna is positioned so that said ground plane is fixedly connected to said measuring tool and said strip face is positioned to lie flush with said tool face so that said transmitting antenna can transmit electromagnetic energy into said material; (e) an enclosure surrounding said stripline comprising four metallic walls, said walls positioned in electrical contact with said ground plane and said stripline adapter, so that said strip face is nearly centered in the opening created by said walls and said ground plane; (f) a loss-less, non-conducting material which fills in any remaining open space in said enclosure so that said non-conducting material forms an additional wall that is nearly flat with said strip face; (g) said receiving antenna comprised in essentially the same manner as said transmitting antenna, and positioned in said apparatus in the same manner as said transmitting antenna, so that said receiving antenna receives said electromagnetic energy which has traveled through said material; interconnecting said measuring tool with a means for monitoring said electromagnetic energy for changes as said apparatus is moved across said material whereby said nature of said fluid can be determined; interconnecting said apparatus with a source of electromagnetic energy; and moving said apparatus across said material.

Claim 40

Method for making broadband measurements to determine the nature of a fluid in a material, comprising the steps of: forming an apparatus having a tool face, an electromagnetic transmitting antenna, and a receiving antenna, said transmitting antenna further comprising: (a) a coaxial cable connecting means and means to transmit electromagnetic energy therethrough; (b) a stripline adapter capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy from said coaxial cable connecting means to a stripline having a metallic central strip, said center strip having a front end, a flat strip body, a flat strip face, and a distal end, said front end electrically connected to a center conductor of said stripline adapter, said strip face bent at approximately right angles to said strip body and having a height measured from said right angle bend to said distal end that is compatible with a desired frequency coverage; (c) a ground plane which extends from said stripline adapter to said right angle bend, so that said distal end extends away from said ground plane and so that a void exists between said center strip and said ground plane; (d) a dielectric largely filling said void, said dielectric comprised of a material having a very high dielectric constant and a very low energy loss, so that said transmitting antenna is positioned so that said ground plane is fixedly connected to said measuring tool and said strip face is positioned to lie flush with said tool face so that said transmitting antenna can transmit electromagnetic energy into said material; (e) an enclosure surrounding said stripline comprising four metallic walls, said walls positioned in electrical contact with said ground plane and said stripline adapter, so that said strip face is nearly centered in the opening created by said walls and said ground plane; (f) a loss-less, non-conducting material which fills in any remaining open space in said enclosure so that said non-conducting material forms an additional wall that is nearly flat with said strip face; (g) said receiving antenna comprised in essentially the same manner as said transmitting antenna, and positioned in said apparatus in the same manner as said transmitting antenna, so that said receiving antenna receives said electromagnetic energy which has traveled through said material; interconnecting said measuring tool with a means for monitoring said electromagnetic energy for changes as said apparatus is moved across said material whereby said nature of said fluid can be determined; interconnecting said apparatus with a source of electromagnetic energy; and moving said apparatus across said material.

Claim 41

Method as recited in claim 36 wherein said transmitting antenna transmits and said receiving antenna receiver electromagnetic energy over a frequency range of 2 KHz to 1 GHz.

Claim 42

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said transmitting antenna can alternately function as a receiving antenna and said receiving antenna can alternately function as a transmitting antenna.

Claim 43

Method as recited in claim 37 further comprising a pad, said pad substantially conforming to the inside of a wellbore and holding said transmitting and receiving antennas.

Claim 44

Method as recited in claim 39 further comprising a plurality of receiving antennas.

Claim 45

Method as recited in claim 40 further comprising a plurality of transmitting antennas.

Claim 46

Method as recited in claim 41 wherein some of said antennas are positioned on said tool face and some antennas are positioned on said pad.

Claim 47

Method as recited in claim 40 wherein said antennas are staggered in a spiral fashion.

Claim 48

Method as recited in claim 37 wherein said fluids are hydrocarbons and water.

Claim 49

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said ground plane is no greater than 10 mm in length.

Claim 50

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said strip face has a height that is no greater than 5 mm.

Claim 51

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the porosity of said formation.

Claim 52

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the water saturation of said formation.

Claim 53

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein said electromagnetic energy is monitored to provide an indication of the salinity of said formation.

Claim 54

Method as recited in claim 27 or 36 wherein a strip transmission line is electrically connected to said stripline, so that electromagnetic energy can be transmitted thereto.

Claim 55

Method as recited in claim 36 wherein said nature of said fluid is determined as a function of the distance from said antenna.