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Wireline Logging

Sonic Tools

Overview
Formation: Reservoir quality Fluid: Oil, Gas or Water? Borehole: Environmental factors

Formation Properties

Radioactivity Porosity Grain density Pore Size Stratigraphy Bedding, Dip Sonic Velocity Seismic Velocity

Fluid Properties

Salinity (Resistivity) Density Saturation Pressure Temperature Viscosity Mobility Bubble Point

Borehole Properties
Depth Caliper Spontaneous Potential Temperature Cable Tension Deviation, Azimuth

Sonic Units
Sonic tools measure formation slowness or delta

time (dt). Slowness is measured in us/ft uS/ft = 1000000 / ft/s Slowness of steel: 57 us/ft (5400 m/s) Slowness of water: Approx 220 us/ft Different waves have different speeds. Shear wave is approx twice as slow as compressional wave.

Sonic Measurement
The compressional slowness is normally

measured using a monopole (omnidirectional) source around 15kHz. The slowness is computed by taking the difference in transit (arrival) times between two different receivers. In this way mud velocity and borehole size are eliminated from the equation. Washouts and other borehole effects are reduced by averaging two measurements from different transmitters.

Simple Tool Design

Borehole Compensation

Sonic Waveforms
Different types of sonic waveforms are of interest for

different applications. Compressional slowness gives a useful porosity indication. Compressional slowness is also used to calibrate surface seismic velocities. Shear slowness (together with compressional) is used to calculate rock properties. Shear slowness is also used in certain types of seismic processing. Stoneley waves are often used to look for fractures.

Waveform Detection
First (compressional) arrival is easily
detected using simple circuits. Shear and Stoneley waves must be detected using coherence processing on an array of waveforms. The coherence matches similar events at different parts of each waveform using a velocity filter.

Coherence Processing

Array Waveform Tools

Limitations of Monopole Sources


The monopole source is omni directional. Frequency is between 12kHz and 20Khz The compressional wave in the mud will be

faster than the formation shear wave for slow formations. This large arrival will mask the shear we want to measure. Mud does not directly support shear waves we only detect them due to mode conversion.

Dipole Source Theory


We use a pair of dipole sources perpendicular to the

borehole wall. The pressure wave they produce creates a flexural wave along the borehole. At low frequencies this wave has a speed close to the shear speed. Because the source is directional and perpendicular to the tool axis, mud arrival is small. Mud arrival also reduced by subtracting signal from pairs of receivers.

Dipole Sources

Shear vs Flexural Speed


Wellbore Formation Compressional wave Head wave Shear wave

Flexural wave Directional source

Compressional wave

Shear wave

Flexural wave

Sonic Test 1
1. What is the normal unit of sonic slowness? 2. What is expected slowness of steel such as
casing? 3. What is approximate ratio of shear to compressional slowness? 4. Which one is slower? 5. What type of source is generally used to measure compressional slowness?

Sonic Test 2
6. How are mud velocity and borehole size effects
eliminated from our measurements of compressional slowness? 7. How do we compensate for washouts and borehole geometry? 8. Name two applications of compressional slowness. 9. Name two applications of shear slowness. 10.Name one other waveform type with practical applications.

Sonic Test 3
11. Explain how shear slowness is computed from
an array of sonic waveforms. 12. Monopole sources are (HIGH/LOW) frequency? 13. Dipole sources are (HIGH/LOW) frequency? 14. We have difficulty measuring shear slowness with a monopole source in (FAST/SLOW) formations? 15. Explain why this is so.

Sonic Test 4
16. A Dipole source is omni-directional (TRUE/FALSE)? 17. The type of wave it generates in the formation is
18. 19. 20.
(STONELEY /FLEXURAL /SHEAR /COMPRESSIONAL) ? Mud can carry (true) shear waves (TRUE /FALSE)? What is difference in receiver arrangement for dipole vs monopole sources? Name two factors that reduce or eliminate mud arrivals for Dipole modes.

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