Acoustic Logs

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 Acoustic Waves Encountered
in Borehole Environment
• Refracted waves via the formation:
– Compressional (easiest to determine because they’re 1st)
– Shear ( hard to identify )

• Direct waves:
– Sonde ( acoustic isolation between T and R )
– Mud ( move R far enough away so formation beats mud )

• Interface waves, i.e., at borehole/formation interface

– Pseudo-Rayleigh
– Stoneley ( amplitude a function of permeability )

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The outer slotted housing is steel and makes the
tool rigid and borehole safe.

Inside the housing, the transmitters are isolated

from each other with acoustically dampening
material to reduce to eliminate the direct waves
between the transmitters and receivers.

The outer housing has horizontal slots cut

into the steel which allows mud to be in the
slots and between the housing and the
transmitter – receiver mandrel. The slots are
spaced at ½ wavelength, so the reflected
wave will destructively interfere and dampen
out any direct coupling through the steel.
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 Acoustic Log Types

• Borehole compensated • Full wave or

acoustic logs (BHC)
– Compensate for
washouts and tool tilt
• Dipole and multipole acoustic
• Long spaced
acoustic logs
– Solved problems
with large holes and
near-wellbore alteration
array acoustic logs
– Better shear information
logs
– Shear information at
acoustic velocities slower than
that of drilling mud

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 Vertical Resolution and
Depth of Penetration
• Vertical resolution determined by
spacing between receivers T
– For BHC: 2 feet
– For Array tools: 6 inches
• Depth of penetration R
– Dependent upon basic frequency of waveform
– Dependent upon fastest acoustic path
near borehole
– Depth of penetration depends upon the transmitter
to receiver distance, so varies from 2-18 inches
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 Porosity Determination
from Sonic Logs

• Use appropriate petrophysical model

• What is the appropriate

petrophysical model for acoustic logs?

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 Acoustics

• Acoustic velocity of rock depends upon

– Mineral composition
Grain size
– Granular nature of rock matrix Grain sorting
– Cementation Grain shape
– Porosity Grain orientation
– Fluid content
– Stress regime
Earth stresses
Pore pressure
Orientation

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 Gas-Bearing Formations

• Remember that acoustic logs

see very near the borehole

• Gas slows down acoustic velocity

• Gassmann is good method

to predict gas effect

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 Secondary Porosity
• Vugs and/or channels can be missed by acoustic logs
when the model is not changed to accommodate this
rock type.
• When the standard model is used intergranular
or intercrystalline porosity show up and vugs do not.
• Secondary porosity index may be defined as
dn  s
SPI 
dn
• Can be used semi-quantitatively in hard rocks with no
pore filling clay minerals.
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 Shear Travel Time Measurement

• Used to calibrate shear seismic

• Used for calibration of AVO Amplitude
variation
• Used to estimate with offset
mechanical properties of rock
• Requires acquisition and
computer processing of full waveforms

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