MWD/LWD NMR imaging with long echo trains

• US 8,324,895 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Rottengatter, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Vargas, Dixomara
• Application Number:
  US12/689,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 324300-322
• US Class Current: 324/303
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/32 operating with electron or nuclear magnetic resonance

Abstract

An apparatus for estimating a property of an earth formation having: a plurality of receiver antennas to receive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals from a plurality of angular segments in a region of investigation in response to an interaction between a static magnetic field and pulses of electromagnetic energy; and a processor configured to: receive the NMR signals from each receiver antenna, the NMR signals having first NMR signals received from each angular segment by only one receiver antenna and second NMR signals received from a same angular segment by at least two receiver antennas; associate the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals with the angular segment from which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were obtained; deconvolve the second NMR signals to produce deconvolved NMR signals; and estimate the property from the first NMR signals, the deconvolved NMR signals, and the associated angular segments.

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating a property of an earth formation penetrated by a borehole, the apparatus comprising:

a logging tool;

a source of a static magnetic field, the source being disposed at the logging tool and configured to polarize a region of investigation;

a transmitter antenna disposed at the logging tool and configured to transmit a train of pulses of electromagnetic energy into the region of investigation;

a plurality of receiver antennas disposed at the logging tool and configured to receive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals from a plurality of angular segments in the region of investigation in response to an interaction between the static magnetic field and the pulses of electromagnetic energy; and

a processor configured to;

receive the NMR signals from each receiver antenna, the NMR signals comprising first NMR signals received from an angular segment by one receiver antenna and second NMR signals received from the angular segment by at least two receiver antennas;

associate the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals with the angular segment from which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were obtained;

deconvolve the second NMR signals to produce deconvolved NMR signals; and

estimate the property from the first NMR signals, the deconvolved NMR signals, and the associated angular segments.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform relaxation time constant measurements on the first NMR signals and the deconvolved NMR signals to estimate the property.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to deconvolve the second NMR signals based upon at least one criteria selected from a group comprising amplitude, frequency, time of acquisition, angular position of the logging tool at the time of acquisition, decay rate, and relaxation time constant.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to deconvolve the second NMR signals in a domain selected from a group comprising a frequency domain and a time domain.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to associate a distance from the borehole to the angular segment from which the NMR signals were received and to include the distance in the property.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to associate the NMR signals with a depth in the borehole at which the NMR signals were received and to include the depth in the property.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display the property as an image with a 360-degree representation about the borehole.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the image is at least one selection from a group comprising a bound fluid, porosity of the earth formation, a boundary between two layers of the earth formation, a longitudinal relaxation time constant T₁, and a transverse relaxation time constant T₂.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein orientations of the transmitter antenna and the plurality of receiver antennas are configured to decouple the transmitter antenna from the plurality of receiver antennas.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least two receiver antennas are adjacent to each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logging tool is configured to be conveyed by at least one of a drill string, a wireline, a slickline, and coiled tubing.

12. A method for estimating a property of an earth formation penetrated by a borehole, the method comprising:

conveying a logging tool through the borehole;

generating a static magnetic field in a region of investigation in the earth formation with the logging tool, the static magnetic field being configured to polarize the region of investigation;

transmitting electromagnetic energy into the region of investigation with the logging tool;

receiving nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals with a plurality of receiver antennas disposed at the logging tool from angular segments in the region of investigation in response to an interaction between the static magnetic field and the transmitted electromagnetic energy, the NMR signals comprising first NMR signals received from an angular segment by one receiver antenna and second NMR signals received from the angular segment by at least two receiver antennas;

associating the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals with the angular segment from which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were received;

deconvolving the second NMR signals to produce deconvolved NMR signals; and

estimating the property from the first NMR signals, the deconvolved NMR signals, and the associated angular segments.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

associating a distance from the borehole to the region of investigation from which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were received; and

including the distance in the property.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

associating the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals with a depth in the borehole at which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were received; and

including the depth in the property.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying the property as an image with a 360-degree representation about the borehole.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-executable instructions for estimating a property of an earth formation penetrated by a borehole by implementing a method comprising:

receiving nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals with a plurality of receiver antennas from a region of investigation in the earth formation comprising a plurality of angular segments, the NMR signals comprising first NMR signals received from an angular segment by one receiver antenna and second NMR signals received from the angular segment by two receiver antennas;

associating the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals with the angular segment from which the first NMR signals and the second NMR signals were received;

deconvolving the second NMR signals to produce deconvolved NMR signals; and

estimating the property from the first NMR signals, the deconvolved NMR signals, and the associated angular segments.