Determining orientation of vertical fractures with well logging tools
US5402392A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 10, 1993 |
| Grant date | Mar 28, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 10, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01V1/46
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The orientation of vertical fractures in subsurface rock formations is determined. A cross-dipole logging tool collects four-component shear-wave seismic data through a formation interval of interest in a subsurface formation adjacent a well bore. A gyroscope is typically provided to indicate compass orientation of the logging tool. The collected seismic data are then transformed within a time window containing arrivals of the shear waves to a new coordinate system within which the motion of the shear waves becomes linear. In the new coordinate system, the shear wave data are processed to determine the presence and orientation of fractures in the formation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.