A method for detecting faults in plates includes the steps of: transmitting an acoustic signal towards the plate from a transmitting transducer, and receiving the acoustical signal from the plate in a receiving transducer. The receiving transducer is mounted at a distance from the transmitting transducer. The method includes the further steps of identifying zones of the plate wherein energy levels of the received signals are attenuated compared to other zones of the plate, and comparing the energy levels of the A.sub.2 and S.sub.3 guided Lamb modes in the received signals in the identified zones.

A method and apparatuses for testing the blowout preventer (BOP) piping system on a drilling rig for leaks. The method and apparatuses can be used in conjunction with a pressure or volumetric method to more accurately test the BOP for integrity and to shorten the total time of testing.

A method and apparatuses for testing the blowout preventer (BOP) piping system on a drilling rig for leaks. The method and apparatuses can be used in conjunction with a pressure or volumetric method to more accurately test the BOP for integrity and to shorten the total time of testing.

Methods and systems for characterizing fractures in a subterranean formation are provided. The method includes introducing an encapsulated explosive unit into a casing located in a wellbore within the subterranean formation and maintaining the encapsulated explosive unit in a stage of the casing. The method also includes detonating the encapsulated explosive unit within the stage to generate a pressure wave that passes through a group of perforations and into the fractures and measuring a reflected pressure wave using a pressure sensor coupled to the bridge plug to produce a pressure measurement. The method further includes converting the pressure measurement into an acoustic signal correlated with the pressure measurement by an acoustic signal generator contained in the bridge plug and transmitting the acoustic signal to apply acoustic pressure on a fiber optic cable coupled to an exterior surface of the casing.

A distributed acoustic system may comprise an interrogator which includes a single photon detector, an umbilical line comprising a first fiber optic cable and a second fiber optic cable attached at one end to the interrogator, and a downhole fiber attached to the umbilical line at the end opposite the interrogator. A method for optimizing a sampling frequency may comprise identifying a length of a fiber optic cable connected to an interrogator, identifying one or more regions on the fiber optic cable in which a backscatter is received, and optimizing a sampling frequency of a distributed acoustic system by identifying a minimum time interval that is between an emission of a light pulse such that at no point in time the backscatter arrives back at the interrogator that corresponds to more than one spatial location along a sensing portion of the fiber optic cable.

A method for determining a location and trajectory for a new wellbore relative to an adjacent wellbore includes: receiving controllable variable data and uncontrollable variable data related to fracturing a formation by a stimulation operation in a first wellbore penetrating the formation; receiving pressure communication event or pressure non-communication event identification data related to identification of a pressure communication event or pressure non-communication event in a second wellbore penetrating the formation in response to the fracturing; extracting features from the controllable and uncontrollable variable data to provide extracted features; detecting a pressure communication event using the extracted features and the pressure communication event or pressure non-communication event identification data using an analytic technique; identifying one or more quantified causes of the detected pressure communication event using an artificial intelligence technique; and determining the location and trajectory of the new wellbore using the one or more quantified causes.

A distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) system for determining an acoustic event may include an interferometer and an acoustic event detection processing device. The interferometer may measure DAS data from sensed signals from a sensing fiber deployed in a wellbore. The acoustic event detection processing device may determine an acoustic event in the wellbore from an out-of-band signal using the DAS data by performing operations. The operations can include determining a first acoustic event and a second acoustic event from the DAS data. The operations can include determining a first set of aliased frequencies from the first acoustic event and a second set of aliased frequencies form the second acoustic event. The operations can include determining, using an intersection of the first set of aliased frequencies and the second set of aliased frequencies, a frequency or amplitude of out-of-band signals that are usable to determine the at least one acoustic event.

A method and system to be used in well inspection. An acoustic signal is transmitted from a well inspection tool into a well structure and one or more return signals is detected using at least one receiver. At least one processor is used to generate variable density log (VDL) data that includes multiple waveforms in a time domain from the one or more return signals. A number of independent components to be used based on variances in the VDL data is determined and the multiple waveforms are decomposed into multiple components associated with one or more local structure variances of the well structure using independent component analysis (ICA) and the number of independent components. Characteristics of the well structure is determined based in part on patterns or features associated with one or more independent components from the multiple components.

A transmitter for inground use controls a depth signal transmit power in relation to a data signal transmit power such that one reception range of the depth signal at least approximately matches another, different reception range of the data signal. A portable device can form a system with the transmitter in which the portable device scans a plurality of frequencies within at least one low frequency depth signal range to measure the electromagnetic noise at each one of the plurality of frequencies and identify at least one of the frequencies as a potential depth frequency for the transmitter. The portable device can include a dual mode filter having a rebar mode and a normal mode filter. The depth signal frequency is dynamically positionable in relation to low frequency noise.

A production monitoring system includes a distributed acoustic sensing subsystem that includes a first optical fiber for a distributed acoustic sensing signal and a distributed temperature sensing subsystem that includes a second optical fiber for a distributed temperature sensing signal. The production monitoring system, also includes a cable positioned in a wellbore penetrating through one or more subterranean formations. The distributed acoustic sensing subsystem is communicatively coupled to the cable through the distributed temperature sensing subsystem. The cable includes one or more optical fibers used to obtain optical fiber measurements pertaining to the distributed acoustic sensing signal and the distributed temperature sensing signal. The optical fibers include a sensing fiber that is common between the distributed acoustic sensing subsystem and the distributed temperature sensing subsystem. The distributed acoustic sensing subsystem, receives at least a portion of the optical fiber measurements from the sensing fiber through the distributed temperature sensing subsystem.