486 results about "Geological formation" patented technology

An apparatus (10) and method are disclosed for eliminating a noise signal from at least one source during an acoustic measurement of a subsurface geological formation or borehole. The apparatus (10) includes a longitudinal body for positioning in the borehole and a transmitter (22) supported by the body for transmitting acoustic signals into the formation and borehole. A sensor (23), substantially isolated within the body, is used to detect one or more noise signals and a receiver (24) is carried by the body for receiving acoustic signals traversing the formation and borehole, and for receiving one or more noise signals. A processor (26) is connected to the sensor (23) and receiver (24) for processing the acoustic signals and noise signals coupled from the receiver (24) and the noise signal coupled from the sensor (23) into a preferred formation or borehole signal by determining the noise signal received at the receiver (24) using the noise signal received in the sensor (23) and a propagation factor for the noise signal between the sensor (23) and receiver (24). The determined noise signal is used to identify and eliminate the noise signals from the acoustic signals traversing the formation and borehole.

A method is provided for conducting an electromagnetic induction survey of a geological formation penetrated by a borehole lined with a conductive casing. The method includes positioning a transmitter in the borehole, whereby the transmitter generates a transmitter magnetic moment, and positioning a distant receiver external of the borehole to detect a magnetic field induced by the transmitter, whereby the distant receiver is disposed across part of the formation from the borehole. Furthermore, an auxiliary receiver is positioned in the borehole proximate the transmitter to detect a magnetic field induced by the transmitter and attenuated by the conductive casing. Subsequently, a first casing attenuation factor that is applicable to the magnetic field measured by the auxiliary receiver is determined from a ratio of the measured magnetic field at the auxiliary receiver and the transmitter magnetic moment. A second casing attenuation factor applicable to the measurement of the magnetic field at the distant receiver is determined from a non-linear relationship (e.g., a power law relationship) between the first casing attenuation factor and the second attenuation factor, wherein the second attenuation factor is less than the first attenuation factor. Then, a formation attenuation factor applicable to the measured magnetic field at the distant receiver is determined from a relationship between the magnetic moment of the transmitter, the second casing attenuation factor, and the measured magnetic field at the distant receiver. Finally, the method correlates the determined value of the formation attenuation factor to a resistivity characteristic of the formation between the distant receiver and the transmitter.

A bypass diverter box disposed upstream from conventional solids control equipment of a mud system of a drilling rig contains a drilling mud separation unit having a continuous-loop scalper screen that is driven in a continuous loop to separate, convey and discharge large amounts of gumbo, heavy clays and drill solids at the end of the separation unit. The flow divider box is a box-like housing with a verter plate, upper and lower baffle plates and a grate that allows drilling fluid or drilling mud to be selectively directed to the mud separation unit to be separated prior to passing to the conventional downstream solids control equipment or allows the fluid to bypass the separation unit and flow directly to the conventional solids control equipment. The bypass diverter box baffle plates, diverter plate and grate, and selective utilization of the mud separation unit removes large amounts of gumbo, heavy clays and drill solids from the drilling mud and allows high flow rates to be easily processed by shale shakers and other conventional downstream solids control equipment of the mud system and compliments the drilling operations with respect to changes in the lithology, geological formations, or loss of returns in relation to the gallons pumped or folume of drilling fluid or drilling mud entering the bypass diverter box.

A cutter for a drill bit used for drilling wells in a geological formation includes an ultra hard working surface and a chamfer along an edge of the working surface, wherein the chamfer has a varied geometry along the edge. The average geometry of the chamfer varies with cutting depth. A depression in the shaped working surface is oriented with the varied chamfer and facilitates forming the varied chamfer. A non-planar interface has depressions oriented with depressions in the shaped working surface to provide support to loads on the working surface of the cutter when used.

The present invention generally provides a method and apparatus for injecting a compressible fluid at a controlled flow rate into a geological formation at multiple zones of interest. In one aspect, the invention provides a tubing string with a pocket and a nozzle at each isolated zone. The nozzle permits a predetermined, controlled flow rate to be maintained at higher annulus to tubing pressure ratios. In another aspect, the present invention assures that the fluid is supplied uniformly to a long horizontal wellbore by providing controlled injection at multiple locations that are distributed throughout the length of the wellbore. In another aspect, the invention ensures that saturated steam is injected into a formation in a predetermined proportion of water and vapor by providing a plurality of apertures between a tubing wall and a pocket.

Device for performing deep drillings, especially geothermal, may include a surface base, a borehole in a geological formation, filled with fluid, and a robotic multi-functional underground drilling platform, which contains especially a block (2) for crushing rock (1), a block for continuous formation of casing profile, a block of casing as transfer and transport infrastructure, a block (16) of transport container, a control and communication block (39), an energy block (4), a block of operating transport containers, and a block of removing and loading rock (1) from the place of crushing. The block (2) for rock crushing may be interconnected with block of removing and loading rock (1) from the place of crushing by means of water channels, ensuring removal of the crushed rock 107. The block of removing and loading rock (1) from the place of crushing may be interconnected with block (16) of transport container by means of water channels. The block of casing as transfer and transport infrastructure may be connected to block of continuous forming the casing profile by means of moving formworks.

A sensor arrangement is provided for use in the seismic investigation of geological formations below the seabed. A plurality of sensor nodes (20) are provided and are positioned gfor deployment on the seabed to collect pressure waves and shear waves from the geological formations and to transfer seismic data to a surface receiver. Each sensor node (20) may include a cylindrical structure (22), which is intended to penetrate downwardly into the seabed. At least one, preferably three, geophones (30-32) are positioned in connection with this structure (22). An advantageous method for operating a seismic mapping system with sensor arrangements orderly deployed on the seabed records data concerning system behavior and seismic data. This data may be further processed separately.

A cutter for a drill bit used in a geological formation includes a shaped ultra hard working surface. The cutter with the shaped working surface is mounted on a drill bit to provide desired cutting characteristics. The shaped working surface provides varied cutting characteristics depending upon the shape, and the characteristics can vary depending upon the depth of the cut.

The invention discloses a bedding surface based on a level set and a method for generating a geologic body, which is applied to a system for geologic modeling, simulation and analysis. The method is characterized by comprising the steps: a sectional model is built, and a three-dimensional computational grid is formed on the basis of the sectional model; a scalar field used for calculating the flowing speed of a computational interface is formed in each bedding surface according to bedding surface discrete points; an initial level set is built according to the bedding surface discrete points; numerical solutions to the partial differential equation about the flowing of the interface are carried out in the three-dimensional grid, which causes the level set to update so as to lead to the evolution of the moveable interface, finally drawing near to a target bedding surface; a final strata surface is obtained by tracing a zero contour surface; the level set corresponding to each bedding surface is utilized to realize the description of the boundary and interior of the geologic body. The invention can realize the automatic reconstruction of bedding surfaces and geologic bodies of a plurality of faults at complicated geologic states, such as overthrust faults, mushroom bodies, salt domes, lenticular bodies, and the like, and effectively improve the generating efficiency and precision of complicated geologic structure models.

The present invention relates generally to waste treatment methodologies and technologies for treatment and disposal of organic wastes. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is described a system and methodology for treating organic waste by wet oxidation processes or wet air oxidation processes (carried out on the surface or subsurface) followed by introduction of the treated waste mixture into a disposal well and injection of the mixture into a suitable geological formation. Ideally, the mixture is filtered prior to injection into the formation. The method and apparatus of the present invention provide increased waste treatment throughput as compared to conventional use of wet oxidation or wet air oxidation followed by surface biotreatment.

A geothermal power system for production of power, and in particular electrical energy, utilizing naturally occurring geothermal energy sources and a method for identifying and converting manmade and natural geological formations into a substantial source of energy and at the same time providing remediation of environmental and safety hazards. Utilizing surface air that is substantially cooler than the geothermal temperature of the subterranean cavern an induced air flow will be produced. This naturally induced air flow will be harnessed and provide the energy to the system power plants for production of electrical energy. The system includes a hydro-electric power system, a geothermal well, underground farms, heat recovery systems, a source of renewable biomass material, and air and water remediation systems.