Method and apparatus for resistivity imaging in boreholes with an antenna and two spaced apart electrodes

• US 8,203,344 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Gold, Randy, Khokhar, Rashid W., Bespalov, Alexandre N., Tabarovsky, Leonty A., Itskovich, Gregory B.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATIDAR, JAY M
• Application Number:
  US11/521,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/367
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/24 using ac

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer-readable medium for evaluating an earth formation are disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one coil on a logging tool conveyed in a borehole in the earth formation. Passage of a current through the coil induces an electrical current in the earth formation. At least two electrodes associated with the logging tool and in proximity to a wall of the borehole have a potential difference in response to the induced electrical current that is indicative of a property of the earth formation. The at least one coil may be mounted on a mandrel of a downhole assembly. The electrodes may be positioned on a first pad extendable from a mandrel of the downhole assembly.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to evaluate an earth formation, the apparatus comprising:

at least one antenna on a downhole assembly, the at least one antenna including an antenna with a coil having an axis substantially parallel to an axis of the downhole assembly configured to be conveyed in a borehole in the earth formation and induce an electrical current in the earth formation upon activation of the at least one antenna; and

at least two azimuthally spaced apart electrodes in proximity to the formation, a difference in electrical potential between the at least two electrodes responsive to the induced electrical current being indicative of a property of the earth formation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one antenna is mounted on a mandrel of the downhole assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least two electrodes are positioned on a first pad extendable from a mandrel of a downhole assembly to the proximity of the formation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a second pad disposed on an opposite side of the mandrel from the first pad, the second pad having at least two electrodes.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the at least one antenna is disposed on the first pad.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a processor configured to determine from the difference in electrical potential a resistivity property of the earth formation.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one antenna is configured to be conveyed into the borehole using one of (i) a wireline, (ii) a drilling tubular, and (iii) a slickline.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the difference in the electrical potential is in quadrature with a current in the at least one antenna.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one antenna further comprises:

a plurality of additional antennas each having a transverse coil; and

at least two vertically spaced apart electrodes, a difference in electrical potential between the two vertically spaced apart electrodes being indicative of an additional property of the earth formation.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein at least one of the plurality of additional antennas having an additional transverse coil configured to operate at a different frequency from another one of the plurality of additional antennas having a transverse coil.

11. A method of evaluating an earth formation, the method comprising:

(a) passing a current through at least one antenna including an antenna with a coil having an axis substantially parallel to an axis of a downhole assembly conveyed in a borehole in the earth formation to induce and inducing an electrical current in the earth formation; and

(b) measuring a difference in electrical potential between at least two azimuthally spaced apart electrodes in proximity to the formation resulting from the induced electrical current, and

(c) determining from the difference a resistivity property of the earth formation.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising positioning the at least one antenna on a mandrel of a downhole assembly.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising positioning the at least two electrodes on a first pad extendable from a mandrel of a downhole assembly.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising disposing a second pad having at least two electrodes on an opposite side of the mandrel from the first pad.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising positioning the at least one antenna on the first pad.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising conveying the at least one antenna into the borehole using one of (i) a wireline, (ii) a drilling tubular, and (iii) a slickline.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the measured difference in the electrical potential is in quadrature with the current.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

using, for the at least one antenna, a plurality of additional antennas each having a transverse coil;

measuring a difference in electrical potential between at least two vertically spaced apart electrodes; and

determining from the difference in electrical potential between the at least two vertically spaced apart electrodes an additional resistivity property of the earth formation.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising operating at least one of the plurality of coils at a different frequency from another one of the plurality of coils.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium product having stored thereon instructions that when read by a processor cause the processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

determining a property of an earth formation from a difference in electrical potential between at least two azimuthally spaced apart electrodes proximate a wall of a borehole in the earth formation responsive to an electrical current induced in the earth formation upon activation of an antenna including an antenna with a coil having an axis substantially parallel to an axis of a downhole assembly conveyed in the borehole.

21. The medium of claim 20 further comprising at least one of (i) a RAM, (ii) a ROM, (iii) an EPROM, (iv) an EAROM, (v) a flash memory, and (vi) an optical disk.