Patents by Inventor Lawrence Chou

Lawrence Chou 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: 7925483
    Abstract: A method for displaying a formation model while drilling a wellbore in the formation includes operating a well logging instrument at a measurement point in the formation along a wellbore while the wellbore is being drilled. Measurement data regarding the formation are obtained from the well logging instrument. An actual orientation of a geological structure is determined from the measurement data. A trajectory of the wellbore is displayed in three dimensions as it is being drilled through the formation. While drilling the wellbore, the geological structure is displayed along the trajectory of the wellbore according to the determined actual orientation of the geological structure. The actual orientation reflects an azimuth angle of planes corresponding to the geological structure. The trajectory of the wellbore is changed in response to displaying the determined actual orientation of the geological structure relative to the trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Peiwen Xia, Jan W. Smits, Lawrence Chou, Qiming Li, Dzevat Omeragic, James F. Bristow, Paul A. Wand, Jean-Michel Denichou
  • Publication number: 20100122847
    Abstract: A method for displaying a formation model while drilling a wellbore in the formation includes operating a well logging instrument at a measurement point in the formation along a wellbore while the wellbore is being drilled. Measurement data regarding the formation are obtained from the well logging instrument. An actual orientation of a geological structure is determined from the measurement data. A trajectory of the wellbore is displayed in three dimensions as it is being drilled through the formation. While drilling the wellbore, the geological structure is displayed along the trajectory of the wellbore according to the determined actual orientation of the geological structure. The actual orientation reflects an azimuth angle of planes corresponding to the geological structure. The trajectory of the wellbore is changed in response to displaying the determined actual orientation of the geological structure relative to the trajectory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Publication date: May 20, 2010
    Inventors: PEIWEN XIA, Jan W. Smits, Lawrence Chou, Qiming Li, Dzevat Omeragic, James F. Bristow, Paul A. Wand, Jean-Michel Denichou
  • Patent number: 7630872
    Abstract: A method for displaying a formation model includes displaying a trajectory representing a three-dimensional structure of the wellbore; and displaying objects representing a bed boundary along the trajectory, wherein the objects are displayed at distances from the trajectory according to measurement data, wherein the objects are displayed in orientations reflecting azimuth angles of planes corresponding to the bed boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Peiwen Xia, Jan W. Smits, Lawrence Chou, Qiming Li, Dzevat Omeragic, James F. Bristow, Paul A. Wand, Jean-Michel Denichou
  • Publication number: 20090014922
    Abstract: A method for forming EVA comprises the steps of: injection-molding; mold-exchanging; thermosetting molding; product-taking out and mold-returning. An EVA-forming mold structure comprises a first mold assembly and a second mold assembly. The molds, at the same side of the first mold assembly and the second mold assembly, can be exchanged with each other. By such arrangements, after the two material members each with different material characteristics are, respectively, formed in two mold assemblies by injection molding, a thermosetting molding of the two material members will be performed in another mold assembly, thus forming an EVA product with two material characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2007
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventor: Lawrence Chou
  • Patent number: 7382135
    Abstract: A novel on-the-fly data processing technique is useful for extracting signals from the azimuthal variation of the directional measurements acquired by a logging tool within a borehole. The relevant boundary, anisotropy and fracture signals are extracted from the formation response through fitting of the azimuthal variation of the measured voltages to some sinusoidal functions. The orientation of the bedding is also obtained as a result. The extracted directional signals are useful for obtaining boundary distances and making geosteering decisions. Two techniques involving inversion and cross-plotting may be employed, depending on the nature of the boundary. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is part of a system to facilitate flexible definition of inversion objectives, for improving the inversion results, and for visualization of the formation model as well as inversion measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Qiming Li, Lawrence Chou, Dzevat Omeragic, Libo Yang, Alain Dumont, Lingyun Hu
  • Patent number: 7202670
    Abstract: A method is described for characterizing a subsurface formation with a logging instrument disposed in a borehole penetrating the formation. The logging instrument is equipped with at least a transmitter system and a receiver system. The method entails positioning the logging instrument within the borehole so that the transmitter system and receiver system are disposed in the vicinity of a formation boundary of interest and measuring the azimuthal orientation of the logging instrument. Electromagnetic energy is transmitted into the formation using the transmitter system and signals associated with the transmitted electromagnetic energy are measured using the receiver system. The method further entails determining the relative azimuth of the formation boundary, composing a symmetrized directional measurement using the measured signals and the determined relative boundary azimuth, and determining the relative dip of the formation boundary using the composed directional measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Dzevat Omeragic, Qiming Li, Lawrence Chou, Libo Yang, Chengbing Liu, Jan Smits
  • Publication number: 20060074561
    Abstract: A method for displaying a formation model includes displaying a trajectory representing a three-dimensional structure of the wellbore; and displaying objects representing a bed boundary along the trajectory, wherein the objects are displayed at distances from the trajectory according to measurement data, wherein the objects are displayed in orientations reflecting azimuth angles of planes corresponding to the bed boundary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Applicant: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: PEIWEN XIA, JAN SMITS, LAWRENCE CHOU, QIMING LI, DZEVAT OMERAGIC, JAMES BRISTOW, PAUL WAND, JEAN MICHEL DENICHOU
  • Publication number: 20050140373
    Abstract: A novel on-the-fly data processing technique is useful for extracting signals from the azimuthal variation of the directional measurements acquired by a logging tool within a borehole. The relevant boundary, anisotropy and fracture signals are extracted from the formation response through fitting of the azimuthal variation of the measured voltages to some sinusoidal functions. The orientation of the bedding is also obtained as a result. The extracted directional signals are useful for obtaining boundary distances and making geosteering decisions. Two techniques involving inversion and cross-plotting may be employed, depending on the nature of the boundary. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is part of a system to facilitate flexible definition of inversion objectives, for improving the inversion results, and for visualization of the formation model as well as inversion measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Applicant: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Qiming Li, Lawrence Chou, Dzevat Omeragic, Libo Yang, Alain Dumont, Lingyun Hu
  • Publication number: 20050083063
    Abstract: A method employs an apparatus for generating a directional signal associated with the electromagnetic energy response of a subsurface formation. The method is useful to derive both the strike angle of formation boundary and the relative dip. The true dip and azimuth can be computed from the relative dip information coupled with borehole orientation. Other applications of the method are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Applicant: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dzevat Omeragic, Qiming Li, Lawrence Chou, Libo Yang, Chengbing Liu, Jan Smits