Advanced Tools and

Logging of Highly
Deviated Holes

Array Induction Imager Tool

(AIT)
The Array Induction Tool (AIT) is a new
innovation in induction logging. It is
designed to accurately measure open
hole formation conductivity as a function
of both depth and distance from the
borehole. It thus addresses many of the
short comings of earlier tools, such as
poor vertical resolution, fixed depth of
investigation and the inability to resolve
complicated invasion profiles.

Features of the Tool

AIT tool uses eight inductioncoil arrays operating at multiple
frequencies.
Software
focusing
of
the
received signals generates a
family of resistivity logs with
different
depths
of
investigation.
Multichannel signal processing
provides robust and stable tool
responses with enhanced radial
and vertical resolution and
correction for environmental
effects.

A single transmitter operates at three different

frequencies. These frequencies and arrays are used to
provide a total of 28 induction array measurements
with a sampling rate of 3 inch depth intervals.
These measurements are in turn combined and
processed to produce a set of five logs whose depths
of investigation are 10, 20, 30, 60 and 90 inches from
the centre of borehole.
The vertical resolution is 1 ft, for the primary
curves. However, if needed 2 ft and 4 ft resolution
curves which took similar to convectional curves may
also be produced from the same data with reduced
sensitivity to the borehole.

 Although the focussing is a welcome

technology for the purpose of resolution, it
has limitations under certain circumstances
and may lead to erroneous interpretations if
not recognised.
Thus high Rt/Rxo ratios or very high
resistivity formations are badly affected.
However, a quality flag is trigged if such
criteria are exceeded. Also the sensitivity to
borehole variations and invasion increases
with very high vertical resolution.

Azimuth Resistivity Imager (ARI) Tool

The tool records azimuthal resistivity
variations around the borehole and
produces an image of these variations.
The azimuthal electrodes are located
centrally in electrode A2 of the
conventional dual latero log tool. They
do not interfere with the DLL
measurements.

The deep azimuthal measurements

operate at the same frequency as the
deep laterolog and the currents from
the 12 azimuthal electrodes insulated
from each other while flow to surface.

 The top and bottom sections of A2

and other electrodes aid in focusing
the currents from the azimuthal
electrodes.
Also adjacent azimuthal electrodes
passively aid in focusing.
Twelve azimuthal resistivities are
computed and from their sum a
high
resolution
resistivity
measurement LLHR is derived.
This is equivalent to replace the
twelve segments with a single
cylindrical
electrode
of
same
height.

Azimuthal Resistivity Imager

Array Resistivity Imager Tool:

The tool reads deep as a conventional LLd if Rxo<Rt.
The tool can replace DLL for interpretation especially
where its vertical resolution is an advantage.
Individually selected azimuthal resistivities can be
used in the same manner where the logged interval
is azimuthally anisotropic or includes highly dipping
thin beds.
Limitations:
The measurements are sensitive to borehole size and
shape and eccentering of the tool.
Tool centralization is essential for best use.

Advantages:
Combinability with other tools
Useful in combination with Array Induction Tool to obtain
both azimuthal and radial resistivity profiles.
Applications:
Formation water saturation.
Fracture Identification
Formation heterogeneity
Formation dip measurements
Resistivity in dipping formations
Detection and identification of nearby beds (top and
bottom) in horizontal wells.

FORMATION IMAGERY
The main tools used in formation
imagery are:
Electrical Imaging Tool (Conductivity
Contrast)
Acoustic Scanning Images
Borehole Televiewer

Electrical Imaging Tool

(Conductivity Contrast)
TYPICAL ELECTRODE ARRANGEMENT:
The tool Comprises of four or six pads.
Each pad has two sets of electrodes one
for the conventional dip survey and the
other for imaging.

The log provides formation details that

were earlier available only from full cores.

Bedding deposited under a variety of flow

regimes such as trough and tabular
cross beds, ripples, very thin beds
and graded beds.

Bedding subjected to pre-depositional

distortions such as faulting, folding and
slumping.

BUTTON RESISTIVITY IMAGING

Measurement principle: current
from the upper transmitter flows
down the collar and out into the
formation
leaving
the
collar
perpendicular to its surface and
returning to the collar above the
transmitter.
Low impedance circuits measure
the currents at each electrode and
the axial current flowing down the
collar is measured at the ring
electrode.
The resistivity measurements are
repeated using current from the
lower transmitter.

IMAGING TOOL AND THE LOG

PRESENTATION

Electrical Imaging
The tool has six independent, articulating arms,
each outfitted with 25 small electrodes on an
electrically charged pad.
Independent arm linkages and pad articulation
facilitate maintaining optimum pad contact with a
minimum of pad pressure, even in rugose,
washed-out, or non-circular bore holes.
During logging, the six pads extend to make
contact with the borehole wall at the desired
downhole intervals. An electrical current flows
from the pads into the surrounding rock then
upward in the well bore to return at the top of the
tool.
Electrical micro-resistivity contrast in the rock
layers generates the signal measured by the tool,
which is then sampled 120 times per foot.
Imaging software converts the raw resistivity
signals into a cohesive, color-coded image of the
borehole wall.

Ultrasonic Scanning Imagery:

Features a high-resolution transducer which functions
both as a transmitter and a receiver that provides
acoustic images of the borehole.
Critical borehole stability and breakout information
can be derived from the accurate borehole cross
section(casing internal geometry measured by the
tool in cased holes).
The transducer subassembly is available in a variety
of sizes for logging the complete range of normal
openhole sizes.
The subassembly is also selected to optimize the
distance traveled by the ultrasonic sound pulse in the
borehole fluid by reducing attenuation in heavy fluids
and maintaining a good signal-to-noise ratio.
For open hole applications, the tool is logged with the
transducer operating at either 250 or 500 kHz. The
higher frequency has better image resolution, but the
lower frequency provides a more robust measurement
in highly dispersive muds

Borehole Image by Acoustic

Scanning

360 Borehole Televiewer

0

Optical Televiewer (OPTV) is a

state-of-the-art
advanced
borehole imaging system for
capturing high resolution,
well lit and oriented 3600
images of the borehole walls
using
a
unique
miniature
patented
3600
panoramic
lens. The walls are scanned
continuously while the unit

Borehole Optical Televiewer

OPTV probe provides a continuous, detailed and
orientated 360 image of the borehole walls using a
unique optical imaging system.
This can be rapidly interpreted, using data from the
internal orientation module, to obtain a complete
feature analysis that includes dip, strike, frequency
and fracture aperture.
One popular visual data display option is the
projection of features onto an imaginary core that
can be rotated and viewed from any orientation.
In fact, an OPTV survey can often replace expensive
coring with its associated problems of incomplete
core recovery and offers much greater flexibility and
convenience for data interpretation than a
conventional borehole television survey.

BOREHOLE IMAGES:
Electrical Image
Ultrasonic Image
Optical Televiewer

Applications of
Formation Imagery
High vertical resolution pay zone volumetric (both fluids
and minerals)
Pay zone detection (in extreme thin bed "low contrast"
pay zones)
Structural and stratigraphic dips
Sedimentary features and textures
Net-to-gross sand counts
Identification of faults and unconformities
Evaluation of sedimentary sequences and flow units
Lithologic unit thickness
Secondary porosity evaluation
Sequence stratigraphy analysis
Borehole stresses analysis

Array Sonic Tool

The array sonic uses a monopole or
axisymmetric source. The dipole
sonic uses a somewhat similar array
of receivers, but has a dipole or nonaxisymmetric source in addition to a
monopole source. The newest dipole
sonic has crossed dipole pairs set at
90o degrees to each other and
records shear data on two orthogonal
axes.

 Earlier tools, commonly called fullwave, array, or long spaced sonic

logs, could give us all three
measurements in fast formations but
shear was not possible in slow
formations. Shear could be estimated
by a transform of compressional or
Stoneley slowness, and this is still
done today in many real situations
where the dipole log is unavailable.
Waveforms were recorded in digital
form but were seldom preserved, so
reprocessing is not usually possible.
Array Sonic Tool consists of multiple
receivers,
multiple
monopole
transmitters on a mandrel.

 Newer sonic logging systems, called full wave sonic

or array sonic logs, provide access to more acoustic
information than traditional tools. In the late
1970's, sonic waveforms were recorded digitally
and processed to acquire compressional, shear,
and Stoneley wave travel time. Note that these
were still monopole sources, so shear could not be
obtained in slow formations. An array processor
is required in the logging truck computer in
order to extract this information as the hole is
logged. These measurements provide valuable
information on rock types, gas zones, porosity,
formation elastic properties, stress field around the
borehole, permeability, and acoustic impedance.

MEASUREMENTS WHILE
DRILLING (MWD) AND
LOGGING WHILE DRILLING
Measurement While (LWD)
Drilling (MWD) is a term used to
describe drilling related measurements made at the
surface or made downhole and transmitted to the
surface while drilling a well. The terms MWD and LWD
are sometimes used interchangeably, but we like to
think of LWD as the process of obtaining
information about the rocks (porosity, resistivity,
etc) and MWD as obtaining information about the
progress of the drilling operation (rate of
penetration, weight on bit, wellbore trajectory,
etc). MWD today often refers to geosteering
measurements made to help decide on changes to the
wellbore path.

Transmission By Pressure Pulses:

Positive pulse: A needle valve in the
transmitter axis in an orifice controls the
mudflow through
the drill collars. A
reduction of mud flow through collars will
result in a positive pressure pulse in the
stand pipe at surface.
Negative Pulse: A differential pressure
exists between the inside and outside of
the drill collar while the mud flows through
the nozzles of the bit. This differential
pressure can be modified by means of a
regulating valve excited by signals of
measurement.
Negative
pulses
are
recorded in the stand pipe.
Siren mode: A rotary valve called
modulator creates a continuous pressure
wave in the mud column. By changing the
phase of the signals and measuring the
corresponding changes at the surface can
be recorded.

A typical MWD Tool

POWER PULSE MWD:
Weight on bit
RPM (Rotations Per Minute)
Rate of penetration
Deviation
Azimuth
Gamma ray
Provides
mud
pulse
telemetry to transfer data
to surface (12 bits/sec) real
time.

Logging While Drilling

(LWD)

Primary formation evaluation is an essential part of

petrophysical modeling
while assessing the reservoir
potential.
Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) technology provides operators
with real time formation evaluation data during the drilling
of a well with sensors that are included in the BHA.
Information is sent to the surface in real time and the tool
simultaneously acquires and stores the data in memory for
later download and presentation of high resolution logs.
The use of LWD technology becomes of particular
importance when traditional wireline measurements cannot
be easily attained.
A technique of conveying well logging tools into the
borehole as a section of the bottom hole assembly (BHA).

 LWD tools work in conjunction with MWD system

Partial or complete measurement results are
transmitted to the surface as pressure pulses in the
circulating mud using a mud pulser or other improved
techniques
"Real Time Data during drilling is recorded. Complete
measurement results can be downloaded from LWD
tools after they are pulled out of hole, which is called
"Memory Data".
LWD technology was developed originally as an
enhancement to the earlier MWD technology to
completely or partially replace data acquisition by
wireline logging.
With technology improvement, LWD is now widely used
for drilling highly deviated and horizontal wells(Geosteering) and real time formation evaluation

A Typical LWD
Assembly

 LWD measurements are made shortly after the hole is cut,

and before the adverse effects of continued drilling or coring
operations take place.
Fluid invasion effects are reduced relative to wireline logging
because of the shorter elapsed time between drilling and
taking measurements.
LWD data are recorded into down hole memory and retrieved
when the tools reach the surface.
MWD data are transmitted through the drilling fluid within
the drill pipe by means of a modulated pressure wave (mud
pulsing) at ~3 bits/s and monitored in real time.
The term LWD is often used more generically to cover both
LWD and MWD type measurements.

LOGS WHICH COMMONLY ARE

RECORDED:
Resistivity measurement either by short normal or by
induction method.
Resistivity at bit( a measurement similar to a laterolog)
Borehole wall resistivity image.
Compensated
density
and
photoelectric
(Pe)
measurement.
Density and Pe imagery of the borehole wall
Compensated neutron measurement
Sonic measurement both shear and compressional
slowness
Measurement of borehole diameter.

LWD AZIMUTHAL DENSITY NEUTRON

TOOL

The Azimuthal Density Neutron tool (LWD-ADN) is the

latest generation density/neutron LWD tool offered by
Schlumberger Drilling & Measurements.
Similar to its predecessor, the
Compensated Density Neutron
tool (CDN), it is combinable with
other LWD tools.
Unlike the CDN, however, the
ADN can be configured to provide
real-time
apparent
neutron
porosity, formation bulk density
and photoelectric factor data to
characterize formation porosity
and lithology while drilling.
These nuclear measurements are
borehole
compensated
for
improved accuracy, standoff, and

LWD SONIC TOOL

Operates on the same principle as that of a wireline
tool.
A monopole transmitter and a two feet array of four
receivers are embedded within a drill collar just above
the bit to collect compressional transit times just
seconds after the rock has been cut.
Real time and recorded mode are available.
As the drilling operation progresses the transmitter is
actuated and acoustic waves are propagated through
the mud and formation to the four receivers and four
wave forms are recorded by the receiver array and
stored in downhole memory.
The compressional travel time is extracted from the
wave forms by using a processing algorithm and
transmitted up-hole in real time via MWD mud pulse
telemetry.
As with all LWD tools formation data are collected
before borehole invasion occurs.

LWD-RESISTIVITY AT THE BIT (RAB) TOOL

Five resistivity measurements:
Bit-ring-three button electrodes(shallowmedium-deep).
Works well in water base muds,
The
transmitter
generates
1500Hz
alternating current which passes down the
collar and through the bit and formation and
returns to the collar above the transmitter.
The resistivity at the bit is derived from the
axial current which is measured by a ring
monitor toroid and the induced voltage
which is a function of the transmitter
current.

The resistivity measurement has a

resolution of 2ft which is usually adequate
for geostopping (stopping drilling at casing
or coring depths)

 Ring electrode measurement: depth of

investigation 9 Button electrode measurements: Depth
of invasion 1,3, and 5 inches into the
formation.

These measurements are

radial
acquiring azimuthal resistivity profiles as
the bit rotates.

A rotational speed of 30 rpm is required

for full profile recording, with each button
recording 56 measurements per rotation.
The data are stored in the downhole
memory or data from one electrode can
be transmitted to surface along with bit
and ring resistivities and gamma ray log.