Patent ID: 9334723
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: E21B,G01V

Claim Text:
1. A method for steering a drill bit within a pay zone in a lateral well, the method comprising: receiving acoustic signature data from an acoustic signal analyzing apparatus, wherein the acoustic signature data comprises an amplitude spectrum and one or more acoustic characteristics evaluated from an acoustic signal provided by a sensor attached to one of a drive shaft and a packing box of a drill rig, and generated in real-time as a result of rotational contact of the drill bit with encountered rock in the lateral well during drilling; comparing the received real-time acoustic signature data to predetermined acoustic signatures determined for a plurality of rock samples; identifying a lithology type of the rock being encountered by the drill bit based on the comparison; and steering the drill bit in a predefined direction, in real-time, based on the identified lithology type of the rock, for maintaining the drill bit within the pay zone of the lateral well.