US 2016/0109603 A1 · METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING ELASTIC ANISOTROPY FOR TRANSVERSELY ISOTROPIC UNCONVENTIONAL SHALE

Abstract

A method for estimating elastic properties of a subsurface material having a bedding plane includes disposing a single sample of the subsurface material in a core holder, the core holder having (i) a first acoustic transducer set having a first acoustic source and a first acoustic receiver and (ii) a second acoustic transducer set having a second acoustic source and a second acoustic receiver. The method also includes performing at least five acoustic wave velocity measurements on the single sample that include compressional acoustic wave velocities and shear wave acoustic velocities with a certain direction of shear acoustic wave polarization using the first set of acoustic transducers and the second set of acoustic transducers, estimating, with a controller, the elastic properties using the at least five acoustic wave velocity measurements, and providing an output signal having the elastic properties to an output signal receiving device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for estimating elastic properties of a subsurface material having a bedding plane, the method comprising:

disposing a single sample of the subsurface material in a core holder, the core holder comprising (i) a first acoustic transducer set having a first acoustic source and a first acoustic receiver and (ii) a second acoustic transducer set having a second acoustic source and a second acoustic receiver;
performing at least five acoustic wave velocity measurements on the single sample that include compressional acoustic wave velocities and shear wave acoustic velocities with a certain direction of shear acoustic wave polarization using the first set of acoustic transducers and the second set of acoustic transducers;
estimating, with a controller, the elastic properties using the at least five acoustic wave velocity measurements;
and
providing an output signal comprising the elastic properties to an output signal receiving device.

2 more elements

An apparatus for estimating elastic properties of a subsurface material having a bedding plane, the apparatus comprising:

a core holder configured to hold a single sample of the subsurface material;
a first acoustic transducer set coupled to the core holder and having a first acoustic source and a first acoustic receiver;
a second acoustic transducer set coupled to the core holder and having a second acoustic source and a second acoustic receiver;
and
a controller coupled to the first acoustic transducer set and the second acoustic transducer set, the controller being configured to (i) control operation of the first acoustic transducer set and the second acoustic transducer set in order to measure at least five acoustic wave velocities that include compressional acoustic wave velocities and shear wave acoustic velocities with a certain direction of shear acoustic wave polarization and (2) estimate the elastic properties using the at least five acoustic wave velocities that include compressional acoustic wave velocities and shear wave acoustic velocities with a certain direction of shear acoustic wave polarization.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for characterizing elastic anisotropy for transversely isotropic unconventional shale

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for characterizing elastic anisotropy for transversely isotropic unconventional shale

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20