# US 12,119,536 B2 · Electromagnetic tool using slotted point dipole antennas

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- Number: US 12,119,536 B2
- Document ID: US12119536B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/190,663
- Filed: 2023-03-27
- Published: 2023-07-27
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2019-10-28
- Assignees: Bench Tree Group, LLC
- Applicants: Bench Tree Group, LLC
- Inventors: Jian-Qun Wu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119536B2

## CPC

- H01Q 1/04: Adaptation for subterranean or subaqueous use
- E21B 47/01: Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
- E21B 47/02: Determining slope or direction
- E21B 49/00: Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
- G01V 3/26: operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified either by the surrounding earth formation or by the detecting device (with electromagnetic waves G01V3/30)
- G01V 3/30: operating with electromagnetic waves
- G01V 3/38: Processing data, e.g. for analysis, for interpretation, for correction
- H01Q 9/16: with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole (H01Q9/44 takes precedence)
- H01Q 13/10: Resonant slot antennas
- H01Q 21/205: {providing an omnidirectional coverage (turnstile aerials H01Q21/26)}
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)

## Abstract

Slotted dipole antennas for use in an antenna system on a drill collar segment is presented. Dipoles may be placed in slots on the drill collar segment. A dipole consists of a ferrite rod with electric wires placed above and below the ferrite rod. Wires may be connected such that wire current forms a loop around the ferrite rod. When a group of slots are used for an antenna, wire holes are constructed between slots. Effectively a single wire may be used to go above all ferrite rods in the group and then turn to go below all the ferrite rods. Two wire segments are in a wire hole connecting two adjacent slots. Currents in the two segments are the same in magnitudes and flow in opposite directions. There is no net current in wires in a wire hole.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electromagnetic wave propagation tool comprising:
an antenna system disposed on a drill collar segment, the antenna system including a magnetic dipole antenna comprising slot based magnetic dipoles, the slot based magnetic dipoles comprising:
a plurality of wire holes positioned beneath an outer surface of the drill collar segment;
at least two slots positioned in the outer surface of the drill collar segment, the wire holes connecting a plurality of slots with each other;
a ferrite rod placed in each slot; and,
a continuous antenna wire passing through slots and wire holes via a first route, the continuous antenna wire turning around and repassing through the slots and the wire holes via a second route such that two wire segments in each slot are positioned above and below each ferrite rod.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the magnetic dipole antenna is a transmitter antenna.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the magnetic dipole antenna is a receiver antenna.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the slots and slot based magnetic dipoles are in an axial direction and are substantially uniformly distributed azimuthally about an axis of the drill collar segment, the slot based magnetic dipoles being at one axial location on the drill collar segment and are in phase forming a collective axial antenna.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the slots and slot based magnetic dipoles are in an axial direction and are substantially uniformly distributed azimuthally about an axis of the drill collar segment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein slots and slot based magnetic dipoles are in an axial direction and are disposed into three groups azimuthally distributed about an axis of the drill collar segment.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the slots and slot based magnetic dipoles are parallel in a cross-axial direction and are in phase forming a collective cross-axial antenna, the electromagnetic wave propagation tool further comprising a subsystem for obtaining a tool face angle of the cross-axial axis.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 7, wherein the slot based magnetic dipoles are disposed into two axially distributed groups positioned 180 degrees apart azimuthally about a center axis of the drill collar segment.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the slots and slot based magnetic dipoles are in a cross-axial direction, and the continuous antenna wire is arranged such that two dipole groups of slot based magnetic dipoles are formed, the slot based magnetic dipoles in each group are in phase and the two dipole groups of slot based magnetic dipoles are 180 degrees out of phase.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 1, wherein the slot based magnetic dipoles consist of two groups with a first group consisting of axial slot based dipoles and a second group consisting of cross-axial slot based dipoles in a cross-axial direction and are in phase, forming a collective slant antenna; and wherein the electromagnetic wave propagation tool further comprises a subsystem for obtaining a tool face angle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 10, wherein the first group of axial slot based dipoles are disposed at two axial dipole locations on the drill collar segment and the second group of cross-axial slot based dipoles are disposed on the drill collar segment in between the two axial dipole locations so that a center of collective axial dipole moment coincides with a center of collective cross-axial dipole moment.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic wave propagation tool further comprises a transceiver electronics system configured to divide face space of the electromagnetic wave propagation tool into several bins and collecting and averaging receiver data in each bin.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 12, wherein the transceiver electronics system further comprises subsystems for processing binned data into a data distribution over tool face angle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 12, wherein the transceiver electronics system further comprises subsystems for processing binned data into a parameter indicative of formation azimuthal properties.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 12, wherein the transceiver electronics system further comprises subsystems for transforming binned data into coefficients of a Fourier series of tool face angle.

### Claim 16

An electromagnetic wave propagation tool comprising:
a transceiver electronics system disposed on a drill collar segment, the transceiver electronics system comprising a magnetic dipole based antenna having:
a plurality of slot based magnetic dipoles comprising at least two slots in an outer surface of the drill collar segment and wire holes beneath the outer surface of the drill collar segment, the wire holes connecting adjacent slots;
ferrite rods positioned in the slots;
a first continuous antenna wire routed through a first set of the slots via the wire holes in a first route and turns around to repass through the first set of the slots and wire holes via a second route, wherein two wire segments of the first continuous antenna wire in each slot are positioned above and below each ferrite rod within each slot, the first continuous antenna wire further connecting to and from the transceiver electronic system;
a second continuous antenna wire routed through a second set of the slots via the wire holes in a third route and turns around to repass through the second set of slots and wire holes in a fourth route, wherein two wire segments of the second continuous antenna wire in each slot are positioned above and below each ferrite rod within each slot, the second continuous antenna wire further connecting to and from the transceiver electronic system; and,
wherein the transceiver electronics system further comprises a subsystem that maintains relative amplitude and phase between currents in the first continuous antenna wire and the second continuous antenna wire.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 16, wherein relative amplitude and phase between the first continuous antenna wire and the second continuous antenna wire results in an axial dipole antenna.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 16, wherein relative amplitude and phase between the first continuous antenna wire and the second continuous antenna wire results in a cross-axial dipole antenna.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The electromagnetic wave propagation tool of claim 16, wherein:
the slots and wire holes are in a steerable antenna pattern;
the first continuous antenna wire and the second continuous antenna wire follow steerable antenna routes; and,
the transceiver electronics system further comprises a subsystem for obtaining a tool face.

### Claim 20

A magnetic dipole based antenna for use an antenna system disposed on a drill collar segment, comprising:
a plurality of slot based magnetic dipoles comprising at least two slots in an outer surface of the drill collar segment and wire holes beneath the outer surface of the drill collar segment, the wire holes connecting adjacent slots;
ferrite rods positioned in the slots; and,
a continuous antenna wire passing through slots and wire holes via a first route, the continuous antenna wire turning around and repassing through the slots and the wire holes via a second route such that two wire segments in each slot are positioned above and below each ferrite rod.
