# US 2012/0186335 A1 · Imaging subsurface formations while wellbore drilling using beam steering for improved image resolution > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2012/0186335 A1 - Document ID: US20120186335A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/011,965 - Filed: 2011-01-24 - Published: 2012-07-26 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-24 - Assignees: Intelligent Sciences, Ltd. - Inventors: Nicholas G. Pace; Jacques Y. Guigné - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120186335A1 ## CPC - E21B 47/0025: {generating an image of the borehole wall using down-hole measurements, e.g. acoustic or electric} - E21B 47/002: by visual inspection - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A system for imaging rock formations while drilling a wellbore includes a drill collar and a plurality of acoustic emitting transducers mounted in the drill collar at angularly spaced apart locations and oriented to emit acoustic energy at least one of laterally away from the drill collar and longitudinally away from the drill collar. A plurality of arrays of acoustic transducers arranged is longitudinally along the drill collar and angularly spaced apart from each other. Each transducer in the plurality of arrays is oriented normal to a longitudinal axis of the collar. Angular spacing between adjacent arrays is selected to provide lateral beam steered receiving response having a selected main lobe width and side lobe response for a plurality of rock formation acoustic velocities. A controller selectively actuates the emitting acoustic transducers at selected times. The controller beam steers response of the plurality of arrays of transducers to detect reflected acoustic energy from the emitting acoustic transducers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for imaging rock formations while drilling a wellbore, comprising: a drill collar configured to be coupled within a drill string; a plurality of acoustic emitting transducers mounted in the drill collar at angularly spaced apart locations and oriented to emit acoustic energy at least one of laterally away from the drill collar and longitudinally away from the drill collar; a plurality of arrays of receiving acoustic transducers arranged longitudinally along the drill collar and angularly spaced apart from each other, each transducer in the plurality of arrays oriented in a direction normal to a longitudinal axis of the drill collar, an angular spacing between adjacent arrays selected to provide lateral beam steered receiving response having a selected main lobe width and side lobe response for a plurality of rock formation acoustic velocities; and a controller for selectively actuating the emitting acoustic transducers at selected times, the controller configured to beam steer response of the plurality of arrays of transducers laterally to detect reflected acoustic energy from the emitting acoustic transducers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of acoustic emitting transducers mounted in the drill collar at angularly spaced apart locations and oriented to emit acoustic energy in the other of the at least lateral and longitudinal direction with respect to the drill collar, wherein the controller is configured to selectively actuate the other of the emitting transducers and to beam steer response of the arrays of acoustic transducers to detect reflected acoustic energy reflected from the other of the emitting transducers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to beam steer the response of the plurality of arrays to detect reflected acoustic energy from the longitudinal emitting transducers in a plurality of circular zones of different selected diameter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to select the beam steered response to detect reflected acoustic energy at a selected lateral distance from the drill collar. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein the lateral emitting transducers and the longitudinal emitting transducers have different center frequencies of acoustic energy output. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5 wherein the center frequency of the longitudinal transducers is about 15 KHz. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5 wherein the center frequency of the lateral transducers is about 25 KHz. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of arrays are arranged in groups thereof, the groups angularly spaced apart such that phase response centers thereof are selected to provide the selected main lobe width and side lobe response for a plurality of rock formation acoustic velocities. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein each transducer in the plurality of arrays is mounted to the drill collar by a nodal mount. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising sensors for determining rotational orientation of the drill collar, and wherein the controller is configured to associate determined rotational orientation with acoustic signals detected by the arrays of transducers. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to combined the orientation associated detected acoustic signals into an image of the rock formations laterally from the drill collar. ### Claim 12 A method for imaging formations surrounding a wellbore, comprising: emitting acoustic energy at least one of laterally around the circumference of the wellbore and longitudinally into the wellbore; detecting reflected acoustic energy from the acoustic emitted energy along selected longitudinal lengths with respect to the wellbore at angularly spaced apart locations, an angular spacing between adjacent longitudinal lengths selected to enable detecting the reflected acoustic energy related to a plurality of acoustic velocities of the formations, the detecting performed by beam steering the detected acoustic energy to have highest sensitivity within a selected angle and side lobe response from the selected angle being reduced by at least a predetermined amount; and generating an image from the detected acoustic energy. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising: measuring a rotational orientation of the longitudinal lengths; associating the detected acoustic energy with the measured rotational orientation; and generating an image from the detected acoustic energy associated with the measured rotational orientation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising rotating the longitudinal lengths around the interior of the wellbore, and generating an image corresponding to an entire circumference of the wellbore. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising adjusting a focusing distance of the beam steering to detect reflected acoustic energy from a selected distances into the formations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising: emitting acoustic energy into the wellbore in the other of the at least one of longitudinally and laterally into the wellbore; detecting reflected acoustic energy from the other of the at least one of longitudinally and laterally emitted acoustic energy along the longitudinal lengths; and beam steering a response of the detected longitudinal energy to generate an image of the formations at a selected distance from the wellbore. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising changing an angular response of the beam steering to generate images at selected angular displacements from a longitudinal axis of the wellbore. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising rotating the longitudinal lengths around the interior of the wellbore, and generating an image in circular patterns at the selected angular displacements, thereby generating an image in circular patterns having selected diameter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 wherein the emitting energy, detecting energy and generating an image is performed during drilling of the wellbore.