Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Method for estimating permeability of fractured rock formations from induced slow fluid pressure waves
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Application No.: US16207737Application Date: 2018-12-03
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Publication No.: US11098565B2Publication Date: 2021-08-24
- Inventor: Markus Hilpert , Peter Anderson Geiser , Bruce D. Marsh
- Applicant: The Johns Hopkins University
- Applicant Address: US MD Baltimore
- Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University
- Current Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University
- Current Assignee Address: US MD Baltimore
- Agency: Harrity & Harrity, LLP
- Main IPC: E21B43/26
- IPC: E21B43/26 ; G01V1/30 ; E21B49/00

Abstract:
An embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes a method for estimating the permeability of fractured rock formations from the analysis of a slow fluid pressure wave, which is generated by pressurization of a borehole. Wave propagation in the rock is recorded with TFI™. Poroelastic theory is used to estimate the permeability from the measured wave speed. The present invention offers the opportunity of measuring the reservoir-scale permeability of fractured rock, because the method relies on imaging a wave, which propagates through a large rock volume, on the order of kilometers in size. Traditional methods yield permeability for much smaller rock volumes: well logging tools only measure permeability in the vicinity of a borehole. Pressure transient testing accesses larger rock volumes; however, these volumes are much smaller than for the proposed method, particularly in low-permeability rock formations.
Public/Granted literature
- US20190178070A1 METHOD FOR ESTIMATING PERMEABILITY OF FRACTURED ROCK FORMATIONS FROM INDUCED SLOW FLUID PRESSURE WAVES Public/Granted day:2019-06-13
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