Acoustic imaging tools and methods use refracted wave amplitudes to generate borehole images, thereby providing a method and tool that is highly sensitive to borehole discontinuities.

A variety of methods and systems are disclosed, including, a method for improving resistivity imaging, comprising: disposing a downhole tool into a borehole, wherein the downhole tool comprises a pad and a button array disposed on the pad; taking a measurement with the button array at a location in the borehole; selecting a projection angle; obtaining a corrected measurement from the projection angle and the measurement; and constructing an image using the corrected measurement. A system for improving resistivity imaging, comprising: a downhole tool, wherein the downhole tool comprises: an arm, and a pad; a conveyance; and an information handling system, wherein the information handling system is configured to take a measurement with the button array at a location in the borehole; select a projection angle; obtain a corrected measurement from the projection angle and the measurement; and construct an image using the corrected measurement.

Provided is a method for inspecting at least a portion of a downhole conveyance device. The method, in one embodiment, includes providing a downhole conveyance device, and providing an ultrasonic defect inspection system adjacent the downhole conveyance device. The method, in this embodiment, further includes detecting defects in the downhole conveyance device using the ultrasonic defect inspection system, wherein the detecting includes transmitting ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic defect inspection system toward the downhole conveyance device, and obtaining defect data by sensing disruptions in the reflected ultrasonic waves caused by defects in the downhole conveyance device.

A method and system for inspecting casings in a wellbore to determine a mechanical or sealing quality of casing connections. Casing connections may become mechanically weak or start to leak after some period of use in harsh conditions. A radial array of ultrasound transducers images the casing in-situ to create an ultrasound image, which is analyzed to detect the casing connector then analyzed a sealing band of the connector. Machine learning and image processing methods may be used to analyze the images.

Various embodiments include apparatus and methods to operate a tool downhole in a well, where the tool has an optical computation element to determine different properties of downhole structures. Such an optical computation element can be structured to provide optical analysis of fluid and material composition of the downhole environment associated with a drilling operation. The data measurements from the optical computation element can be used in a geosteering operation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

A downhole investigation tool for a borehole is disclosed. The downhole investigation tool includes a number of ultrasonic probes configured to generate an ultrasonic image of a forward portion of the borehole ahead of the downhole investigation tool and a rear/side portion of the borehole behind or beside the downhole investigation tool, at least one magneto-vision probe configured to generate a magneto-vision image of the forward portion and the rear/side portion of the borehole, and a mechanical attachment configured to attach the downhole investigation tool to a wireline or a steel pipe in the borehole.

A wellbore is plugged with a downhole completion assembly configured to permit logging and/or imaging in the wellbore past the completion assembly. The completion assembly includes an annular receptacle with an upper end that is open and a lower end that is closed. The receptacle is mounted inside of a plug that blocks flow around the receptacle while flow through the receptacle is prevented by the closed lower end. The lower end projects deeper into the wellbore past the plug. A space is formed inside the receptacle by its closed lower end and sidewalls, which is accessible by an imaging/logging tool deployed from above and inserted through the open upper end. Imaging or logging from within the receptacle increases how much of the formation around the wellbore that can be imaged/logged. Examples of imaging/logging include nuclear, electro-magnetic, acoustic and for sensing characteristics such as resistivity, density, and porosity.

A system for looking ahead of a drill bit includes a plane wave generator (PWG) tool deployed downhole inside a wellbore for formation evaluation and generation of reflection data, a power source providing electric power to the PWG tool for the formation evaluation and the generation of the reflection data, a surface control system receiving the reflection data from the PWG tool and generating image data of a subsurface rock formation based on the received reflection data, and a wireline that electrically couples the PWG tool to the power source and communicatively couples the PWG tool to the surface control system. The PWG tool includes a beam forming network (BFN) architecture and a plurality of antenna elements mounted to a base of the PWG tool to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals.

A tomographic imaging apparatus utilizes Compton backscattering to evaluate cement behind the casing. The imaging apparatus includes a slant-hole or pin-hole collimator coupled to a series of detectors in order to count the number of photons that backscatter off from the cement. The number of backscattered photons is proportional to the density of the cement behind the casing. Using the photon count, an image processing unit of the imaging apparatus generates a 2D or 3D tomographic image of the borehole.

An example system may be used to automate one or more processes relating to drill cutting handling, cleaning, and packing to produce consistently high-quality cleaned samples. In some implementations, an example system may employ cleaning processes including centrifugal and ultrasonic processes to clean a sample automatically without the aid of a human operator thereby increasing efficiency and quality of the produced samples for better subsequent sample analysis. A system may include an unloading module, a cleaning module, and packing module, all of which may be operated in combination with a robotic arm.