Patents by Inventor Christopher V. Kimball

Christopher V. Kimball has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6449560
    Abstract: A method of determining acoustic properties of borehole earth formations, comprising: (a) transmitting acoustic energy from a transmitter location and receiving acoustic energy (a portion of which traveled through the formations) at a plurality of receiver locations in the borehole; (b) deriving data signals from the received acoustic energy; (c) selecting model values of the acoustic properties; (d) producing an intermediate matrix; (e) performing a singular value decomposition on the intermediate matrix to obtain a basis matrix of eigenvectors; (f) deriving a propagator matrix as a function of the model values; (g) producing a reduced propagator matrix from the propagator and basis matrices; (h) producing a test statistic using the data signals and the reduced propagator matrix; and (i) repeating steps (c)-(h) for different combinations of model values, and selecting, as output acoustic property values, the combination of model values resulting in a maximized test statistic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher V. Kimball
  • Patent number: 5999484
    Abstract: A method of analyzing Stoneley waveforms obtained in a well logging operation, includes analyzing the waveforms by means of multiparameter inversion using one or more externally provided parameters to obtain borehole fluid slowness and borehole fluid attenuation. and analyzing the Stoneiey waveforms by multiparameter inversion using the borehole fluid slowness and borehole fluid attenuation and the externally provided parameters so as to determine a parameter, such as mobility, related to permeability of the formation being logged. Complex conjugate back propagation [using a maximum likelihood/least mean squares error estimator or] by applying Prony's method and fitting model-derived dispersion curves can be used to obtain mobility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, Pawel Lewicki
  • Patent number: 5687138
    Abstract: A method of analyzing Stoneley waveforms obtained in a well logging operation, includes analyzing the waveforms by means of multiparameter inversion using one or more externally provided parameters to obtain borehole fluid slowness and borehole fluid attenuation, and analyzing the Stoneley waveforms by multiparameter inversion using the borehole fluid slowness and borehole fluid attenuation and the externally provided parameters so as to determine a parameter, such as mobility, related to permeability of the formation being logged. Complex conjugate back propagation using a maximum likelihood/least mean squares error estimator or by applying Prony's method and fitting model-derived dispersion curves can be used to obtain mobility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, Pawel Lewicki
  • Patent number: 5587966
    Abstract: Methods for determining an optimal frequency band for processing of flexural waves according to bias-corrected STC or QSTC are disclosed. A preliminary estimate of the formation shear slowness S and a determination of the borehole diameter D are first obtained, and the flexural waves are processed in a frequency band having a center frequency f.sub.c which is a function of preliminary estimate of S and the product of that estimate of S and diameter D. Where the preliminary estimate of S indicates a slow formation, f.sub.c is chosen as 0.6/SD. Where the estimate indicates a fast formation, f.sub.c is chosen as 0.2/SD. In other or all formations, a smooth function such as [0.2+((0.8/.pi.) arctan ((S-100)/100))/SD] can be used to choose the center frequency. Alternatively, if errors in the environmental parameters can be estimated statistically, they can be used to select an optimum center frequency. Once f.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, David J. Scheibner
  • Patent number: 5521882
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for determining an indication of a nonlinear property of a formation traversed by a borehole are provided. An acoustic tool is used in a borehole to generate first and second signals of different frequencies. As a result of nonlinearities in the formation, the mixing of the first and second signals results in a third signal having a frequency equal to the difference of the frequencies of the first and second signals. The amplitude of the third signal is measured by a detector, and the indication of nonlinearity of the formation is determined according to a relationship which relates the measured amplitude at the measured frequency to the amplitudes of the first and second signals, the frequency of measurement, the velocity of the measured wave, the distance of the receiver from the source, and a function of the nonlinear and linear parameters of the formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ralph D'Angelo, Christopher V. Kimball, Sergio Kostek, Thomas J. Plona, Kenneth W. Winkler
  • Patent number: 5278805
    Abstract: Methods and related apparatus for conducting shear slowness logging are set forth. The methods broadly comprise: detecting dispersive waves such as flexural or Stoneley waves; Fourier transforming the received signals; backpropagating the Fourier transformed signals according to equations using different dispersion curves; stacking the backpropagated signals; and finding semblances in order to choose the dispersion curve of maximum semblance and thereby identifying the shear slowness of the formation. Formation shear slowness may be plotted over borehole depth. Different embodiments are set forth. In one preferred embodiment (QDSTC), prior to Fourier transforming, the signals are stacked according to a previous estimation of slowness (S.sub.0), and are windowed for maximum energy. The reduced set of data in the window are then extracted for Fourier transformation, and prior to backpropagation, multiplied by S.sub.0 to reset them for backpropagation and stacking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher V. Kimball
  • Patent number: 5226018
    Abstract: A geophysical prospecting method comprises injecting signal energy in the form of at least two pseudo-random pulse sequences of the complementary sequence type into an underground formation. Next, the signal energy is detected after it has been attenuated by passing through the underground formations in the form of response signals. The response signals are correlated with reference signals comprising at least two pseudo-random binary sequences to yield correlations. The correlations are summed so that the resultant signal which corresponds to the subsurface response signal does not have secondary lobes. The method is applicable to seismic prospecting and more particularly to cross-well seismic surveying. It is also applicable to acoustic prospecting for logging measurements. In a preferred embodiment, the pseudo-random sequences comprise a pair of Golay sequences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Chung Chang, Benoit Froelich, Christopher V. Kimball
  • Patent number: 5146432
    Abstract: Methods for characterizing acoustic transducers and using a characterized acoustic transducer for measuring cement impedance of a cased well are disclosed. The method for characterizing the acoustic transducer generally comprises: arranging the acoustic transducer a predetermined distance from a calibration target of known thickness; transmitting a pulse from the acoustic transducer through a known medium and toward the calibration target and measuring a return signal received therefrom; and fitting, via minimization, a return signal calculation generated by a model of the return signal which has a limited number of parameters, to the received return signal to determine a value for at least one of the parameters and thereby characterize the transducer. The preferred parameters for characterization are the transducer radius and stand-off, such that the transducer may be characterized as having an effective stand-off and an effective radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, Sevig Ayter
  • Patent number: 4928269
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of calculating the impedance of a material behind the section of a casing. An acoustic excitation pulse is directed towards a section of the casing, resulting in a return waveform having a reverberation segment and an initial reflection segment. The return waveform is analyzed to choose a resonance frequency indicative of the casing's nominal thickness. The return waveform is bandpass filtered about the chosen frequency. A time window of the reverberation segment is selected, and the energy content in the time window of the filtered reverberation segment is calculated. Both the bandpass filter and time windows are selected based on the chosen resonance frequency, thereby removing variations in the thickness of the casing. The energy content calculation produces a cementation signal indicative of the impedance of the cement behind the section of the casing. The impedance value is indicative of the cement quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, Fred E. Stanke, Curtis J. Randall, Andrew J. Hayman
  • Patent number: 4594691
    Abstract: Disclosed is sonic well logging which gives good results both in open and in cased boreholes. New use is made of the energy content output from a multireceiver tool to find a coherence measure for the received sonic energy and to find the peaks of that coherence measure at each depth level so as to produce a number of new logs of parameters of those peaks. Examples are a slowness/time coherence log for those peaks, as well as new logs related to the arrival times of the coherent energy associated with the peaks and the energy attenuation for those arrival times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher V. Kimball, Thomas L. Marzetta