CIRCUMFERENTIAL ACOUSTIC LOGGING IN CANADA

J. MCDOUGALL

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PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO. 87-38-67 THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION CIRCUMFERENTIAL ACOUSTIC LOGGING IN CANADA By J. McDougall W.H. Fertl PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 38th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM HELD IN CALGARY, JUNE 7 - 10, 1987. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN CIM JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.
ABSTRACT A circumferential acoustic logging instrument that operates at a radial mode resonance of 120 kHz utilizes opposing pairs of acoustic trans- mitters and receivers mounted on pad assemblies which are pressed against the borehole wall. An important feature of the instrument is a baffle system which effectively minimizes the propaga- tion and reception of the direct fluid wave. The incorporation of the baffle allows both types of boundary waves, the Rayleigh and the guided fluid wave, to be more easily recognized. At present, the primary application of
the Circumferential Acoustilogg is in the locating of natural fracture systems. When run with an orientation section, the instrument Is also capable of determining fracture direction. Canadian field examples are presented which demonstrate the capabilities and effectiveness of circumferential acoustic logs. References and illustrations at end of paper. 1101 INTRODUCTION The Circumferential Acoustilog
(CALog), which incorporates the basic concepts of generating and detecting circumferentialiy propagated acoustic boundary waves, has already been proven successful in locating vertical or near-vertical fractures in various lithologies in North America, on-and offshore Europe, and Canada. The special instrument design using a multi- layered baffle system enhances the recorded Rayleigh and guided fluid waves by eliminating any direct fluid component. Figure I demon- strates the usefulness and effectiveness of the baffle system in (a) a
water tank, (b) an alumi- num fracture, and (c) a carbonate test well. Significant enhancement of the Rayleigh and guided fluid waves is clearly shown. Incorporation of an orientation section into the logging tool string has further expanded the usefainess of the Circumferential Acoustilog by providing the capability for determining major directional trends of subsurface fracture systems. Basicailv, this is accomplished by measuring the azimuth, relative bearing, and deviation, with both azimuth and relative bearing being referenced to receiver R2. Generally speaking, the
fracture direction can