Patent ID: 9140816
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. A method for determining at least one characteristic of an anisotropic earth formation, comprising: transmitting dipole acoustic energy into the earth formation at a first location in a wellbore where the acoustic energy propagates as a fast polarized shear wave and a slow polarized shear wave in a plane of the formation orthogonal to a first longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the first location; receiving at the first location composite waveforms comprising components of both a fast polarized shear wave and a slow polarized shear wave from the plane of the formation orthogonal to a first longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the first location; transmitting dipole acoustic energy into the earth formation at a second location in a wellbore where the second location is axially displaced from the first location and a second longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the second location is substantially orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the first location and where the acoustic energy propagates as a fast polarized shear wave and a slow polarized shear wave in a plane of the formation orthogonal to the second longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the second location; receiving at the second location composite waveforms comprising components of both a fast polarized shear wave and a slow polarized shear wave from a plane of the formation orthogonal to the second longitudinal axis of the wellbore at the second location; and combining the received signals at the first location and the second location to determine the least one characteristic of the anisotropic formation.