Method and apparatus for measurement of the thermal behavior of porous media
US4855912A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 8, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 8, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 8, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01V3/24
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for investigating earth formations surrounding a borehole operates by selectively heating a region of the formations, and measuring the thermal response to obtain useful information concerning the characteristic length scales of the pores in the heated region. The thermal response is obtained indirectly by measuring the electrical conductivity response. The invention can be utilized to obtain, inter alia, indications of porosity, permeability, and the distribution of pore geometries. In accordance with an embodiment of the method of the invention, the following steps are performed: heating a region of the formations with a series of pulses of microwave electromagnetic energy; measuring the conductivity characteristic of the region which result from the heating pulses; and determining a property of the region of the formations from the measured conductivity characteristic. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the conductivity characteristic is converted to conductivity as a function of frequency, and the desired property is determined from the conductivity as a function of frequency. The disclosed technique can also be used for studying the microgeome…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.