Patent · US Expired

Formation density measurement utilizing pulse neutrons

US5900627A · kind A · utility

45Cited by
13References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 19, 1997
Grant dateMay 4, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 19, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01V5/104
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A device for measuring the density of a formation uses a high-energy pulsed neutron source which induces gamma rays in the formation, and determines a gamma diffusion length of the formation based on the attenuation of gamma rays produced by inelastic scattering of fast neutrons. The borehole tool houses the neutron source along with a near gamma ray detector and a far gamma ray detector. The gamma ray detectors are located at different distances from the fast neutron source and spaced sufficiently from the fast neutron source such that dependence of inelastic gamma counts on fast neutron transport and gamma production of the formation is substantially reduced. Gamma ray events can be sorted and counted in time- and energy-dependent bins. The present invention has several advantages over gamma-gamma logging, including deeper penetration of gamma, and is also superior over systems which measure, e.g., hydrogen-based porosity.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.