A Tool for Derivation of Real Time Lithological Information from Drill Bit Sound

Abstract

Real time lithological information at the drill bit is required for some important drilling operations, such as geo-steering and casing shoe positioning. This paper presents a novel tool "Petro-phone" for recording and processing drill bit sounds, which are generated by the drill bit cutting the rock, in order to provide real time lithological information for the rock at the drill bit. A prototype and a preliminary professional version of Petro-phone have been developed and field trialed. Petro-phone is a surface tool with its acoustic sensors attached to the top drive of a drill rig at some strategical locations for maximally picking up drill bit sounds. The drill bit sounds generated at the drill bit transmit along drill string and drive shaft to reach to the acoustic sensors. Since all the parts along the drill bit sound transmission pathway are made of steel, the drill bit sounds transmit efficiently from the source (drill bit) to the sensors. Preliminary results from two field trials show that drill bit sound patterns correlate with lithologies. The results also indicate that a parameter "Apparent Power" of drill bit sounds negatively correlates with gamma log. Due to its true real time nature, Petro-phone potentially has some real time applications, such as geo-steering, casing shoes positioning. Recorded drill bit sound can also potentially be used to derive lithological information, such as lithology type.