Sperry Drilling, a Halliburton business line, is expanding its sonic fleet with the introduction of the XBAT Azimuthal Sonic and Ultrasonic logging-while-drilling service.

 

The XBAT LWD service delivers accurate acoustic measurements in a wide range of formations via sensors and electronics that are much less sensitive to drilling noise and have a wider frequency response. The result is a greater signal-to-noise ratio that enables better measurements even in noisy drilling environments and poor hole conditions.

 

With more than 100 successful runs, the XBAT LWD service has delivered accurate measurements in formations from Brunei to Brazil and has been tested extensively in the challenging environments of the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

The XBAT LWD service uses four discrete transmitters and four azimuthally spaced receiver arrays. Each receiver is sensitive across a broad range of frequencies and is isolated from the collar to eliminate bit and mud circulation noise. Utilizing results from a broad range of frequencies, the XBAT LWD service provides a radial profile, or 3D image of the velocities around the wellbore.

 

In addition, the XBAT LWD service allows up to five different firing modes down hole, allowing greater flexibility in choosing different frequencies in exploration wells where the formations are unknown and wells have a wide range of formation slowness. For added functionality, four ultrasonic calipers determine borehole size and shape delivering a real-time azimuthal borehole image, increasing opportunities to mitigate wellbore quality issues.