Abstract: Methods and apparatus facilitating measurement of anisotropy are disclosed. According to some aspects, anisotropy can be determined while drilling. Monopole/quadrupole interactions, as well as monitoring dipole excitations and other methods, may be used to find the principal shear directions of a formation while drilling or during wireline or other operations.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 7, 2006
Date of Patent:
November 24, 2009
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Jahir Pabon, Chaur-Jian Hsu, Bikash K. Sinha
Abstract: Elastodynamic waves are generated by a tool having a hammer rotatably connected with a housing by a first hinge and an actuator arm rotatably connected with the hammer by a second hinge. An axial force applied to the actuator arm by a drive shaft and spring is translated and amplified to a radial impact force by rotation of the hammer around the first hinge. The tool may also include a stabilizer arm connected to the actuator arm by a third hinge, and connected to the housing by a fourth hinge. The housing may be an acoustic wireline tool cylinder having an opening that permits the hammer mass to extend outside the housing when rotated in a first direction. The housing may also include a second opening that permits the hammer mass to extend outside the housing when rotated in a second direction, and a third opening that permits the hammer mass to extend outside the housing when rotated between the first and second openings.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 13, 2006
Date of Patent:
November 17, 2009
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Chung Chang, Richard Timothy Coates, Jean G. Saint Germain
Abstract: A zero-emissions power plant receives natural gas from wells at elevated pressure and temperature. Gas is expanded through one or more turbo-expanders, preferably reformed, and sent to a fuel cell where electricity, heat, carbon-dioxide, and water are generated. The carbon-dioxide is compressed by at least one compressor and piped downhole for sequestration. The turbo-expanders have shafts which preferably share the shafts of the compressors. Thus, energy given up by the natural gas in the turbo-expanders is used to run compressors which compress carbon dioxide for downhole sequestration. In one embodiment, the natural gas is applied to heat exchangers in order to generate a stream of liquid natural gas. The remainder of the gas is expanded through the turbo-expanders and processed in the reformer prior to being sent to the fuel cell. A shifter may be used between the reformer and fuel cell. A solid oxide fuel cell is preferred.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 27, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 27, 2009
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Terizhandur S. Ramakrishnan, Sandeep Verma, Wenlin Zhang, Philippe Lacour-Gayet, Muthusamy Vembusubramanian
Abstract: Logging-while-drilling apparatus and methodologies for measuring streaming potential in an earth formation are provided. The apparatus and methodologies can be utilized to find information relevant to the drilling operations. In particular, since the streaming potential measurement relates directly to fluid flow, the streaming potential measurements can be used to track flow of fluids in the formation. In turn, this information may be used to find information relevant to the drilling operations, such as under-balanced drilling conditions, abnormal formation pressures, open fractures, the permeability of the formation, and formation pressure.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 9, 2005
Date of Patent:
September 8, 2009
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Min-Yi Chen, Brian Clark, Anthony Collins, Jeffrey Tarvin
Abstract: Methods and apparatus facilitating radial profiling of acoustic slowness of a formation traversed by a borehole are disclosed. According to some aspects of the invention, a radial slowness profile is imaged, including an image of altered region slowness.
Abstract: Methods and apparatus facilitating radial profiling of shear slowness are disclosed. According to some aspects of the invention, acoustic tool bias is accounted for in the calculation of radial profiles. According so some aspects, acoustic tool bias is accounted for by replacing acoustic tool structure with a resonance-impedance model. The resonance-impedance modeling according to principles of the present invention is applicable to vertical, deviated, and horizontal boreholes.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 10, 2005
Date of Patent:
May 5, 2009
Assignee:
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Inventors:
Bikash K. Sinha, Toru Ikegami, David Linton Johnson, Jahir Pabon