Patent ID: 7957905
Filing Date: 2011-06-07
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. A method for estimating interval travel time of an Earth formation using an acoustic well logging instrument having a plurality of spaced apart acoustic transmitters and acoustic receivers, the method comprising: measuring travel time between a transmitter and a receiver for substantially all possible combinations of each of the plurality of transmitters and each of the plurality of receivers by determining a time interval between a time of actuating each of the transmitters and a time of arrival of acoustic energy for each of the transmitters at each of the receivers, the time of arrival determined when acoustic amplitude at each receiver exceeds a selected threshold, wherein each of the possible combinations includes a common depth interval of the Earth formations; processing the travel times in a processor to determine at least one statistical measure of the center of the measured travel times; and using the statistical measure to determine the interval travel time in the common depth interval.