Antenna cutout in a downhole tubular

• US 8,174,265 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Bittar, Michael S., Beste, Randal Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Aurora, Reena
• Application Number:
  US11/997,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20090015260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 324/333, 324/334, 324/335, 324/336, 324/337, 324/338, 324/339, 324/340, 324/341, 324/342, 324/343, 702/7
• US Class Current: 324/338
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/01 Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/30 operating with electromagnetic waves

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus (200) includes a tubular to operate downhole. The tubular has a longitudinal axis and has a cutout (210N) that has a direction that is other than 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the tubular. The apparatus also includes an antenna (202A) positioned in the cutout of the tubular. The antenna is to perform at least one of a transmission or reception of an electromagnetic signal that has a path that is to traverse a subsurface formation.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a tubular to operate downhole, the tubular having a longitudinal axis and a circumferential cutout extending around a cutout axis that lies at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tubular that is other than 90 degrees, the cutout thus extending at a diagonal relative to the longitudinal axis, wherein a width of the cutout is in a range of approximately one to four inches;

an antenna positioned in the diagonally extending cutout, the antenna to perform at least one of a transmission or reception of an electromagnetic signal that has a path that is to traverse a subsurface formation; and

a diagonally extending non-magnetic sleeve positioned within the diagonally extending cutout to cover the antenna therein, the sleeve having a plurality of openings, and further having outer sides conforming to wall surfaces of the cutout.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutout axis is at an approximately 45 degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the width of the cutout is approximately two inches.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more openings is approximately perpendicular to the cutout axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a width of the one or more openings is less than one inch, and wherein the width of the openings is defined in approximately inverse proportion to the width of the cutout.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the width of the one or more openings is approximately equal to three-fourths divided by the width of the cutout.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more openings are filled with a nonmetallic material.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tubular is a drill string, and wherein the cutout is within a drill collar of the drill string.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tubular is a drill string, and wherein the cutout is within a stabilizer of the drill string.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a tubular for downhole operations, the tubular having a longitudinal axis and comprising;

a transmitter antenna to emit an electromagnetic wave into a subsurface formation;

a first receiver antenna positioned in a first circumferential cutout in the tubular extending around a first cutout axis that lies at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tubular that is other than 90 degrees, the first circumferential cutout thus extending at a diagonal relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular, wherein a width of the first circumferential cutout is in a range of approximately one to six inches, wherein a diagonally extending non-magnetic first sleeve is positioned within the first circumferential cutout to cover the first receiver antenna, the first sleeve having a plurality of first openings and first outer sides conforming to first wall surfaces of the first circumferential cutout, the first receiver antenna to receive an induced electromagnetic wave produced from the electromagnetic wave that is emitted into the subsurface formation; and

a second receiver antenna positioned in a second circumferential cutout in the tubular extending around a second cutout axis that lies at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tubular that is other than 90 degrees, the second circumferential cutout thus extending at a diagonal relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular, wherein a width of the second circumferential cutout is in a range of approximately one to four inches, and wherein a diagonally extending non-magnetic second sleeve is positioned within the second circumferential cutout to cover the second receiver antenna, the second sleeve having a plurality of second openings and second outer sides conforming to second wall surfaces of the second circumferential cutout, the second receiver antenna to receive an induced electromagnetic wave produced from the electromagnetic wave that is emitted into the subsurface formation.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein an average distance from the second receiver antenna to the transmitter antenna is in a range of 12 to 112 inches.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein an average distance from the first receiver antenna to the transmitter antenna is in a range of 6 to 106 inches.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first cutout axis and the second cutout axis are at an approximately 45 degree angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the width of the first cutout and the width of the second cutout are approximately two inches.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a width of the one or more second openings is approximately 0.375 inches and a width of at least one of the respective cutouts is approximately two inches.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a width of the openings in the sleeves is defined in approximately inverse proportion to a width of the cutout that includes a respective one of the sleeves.

17. A method comprising:

transmitting a transmit electromagnetic wave into a subsurface formation using a transmitter antenna disposed circumferentially around a tool for downhole operations; and

receiving a first induced electromagnetic wave, which is a result of the transmitted electromagnetic wave, with a first receiver antenna disposed circumferentially around the tool in a first circumferential cutout in the tool, wherein an axis of the first receiver antenna and a cutout axis of the first circumferential cutout are at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the tool, wherein the first circumferential cutout extends at a diagonal relative to the longitudinal axis and a width of the first circumferential cutout is in a range of approximately one to four inches, and wherein the tool includes a diagonally extending non-magnetic sleeve disposed within the first circumferential cutout to cover the first receiver antenna, the metallic sleeve having one or more openings and outer sides conforming to wall surfaces of the first circumferential cutout.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a second induced electromagnetic wave, which is a result of the transmitted electromagnetic wave, with a second receiver antenna disposed circumferentially around the tool in a second circumferential cutout in the tool, wherein an axis of the second receiver antenna and an axis of the second circumferential cutout are at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the tool, wherein a width of the second circumferential cutout is in a range of one to four inches.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining a resistivity of a section of the subsurface formation based on the first induced electromagnetic wave and the second induced electromagnetic wave.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first receiver antenna is approximately centered in the first circumferential cutout and wherein the second receiver antenna is approximately centered in the second circumferential cutout.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the wall surfaces of the first cutout have approximately uniform width.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein a width of the openings is defined in approximately inverse proportion to a width of the first circumferential cutout.