An apparatus (and method) for automated measurements on drill cuttings comprising a sample catcher to collect a portion of the drill cuttings directly from a shaker, an at least one pneumatic actuator to move the collected portion from the sample catcher into a measurement sensitivity area created by a measurement module. The measurement module has a hermetically sealed enclosure and placed near the sample catcher. The sensitivity area is formed outside the enclosure and surrounded by the measurement module. The measurement module and the pneumatic actuator are controlled by an external unit placed away from the shaker. The measurement module can be a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement module or other measurement module that performs high-throughput bulk sensitive measurements.

Presented herein are systems, methods, and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices for informing a particle event processor of a particle detector of events arising within a sensor period. The systems, methods, and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices involve the generation of a sensor data set detected by a particle event sensor and representing the events arising within the particle detector during the sensor period. The systems, methods, and nonvolatile computer-readable storage devices also involve the compression of the sensor data set with a waveform compression technique to generate a compressed sensor data set, and the transmission of the compressed sensor data set to the particle event processor.

A method of creating a well image log of a cased well is provided. A passive cased well image logging tool assembly including a logging tool body, a plurality of gamma ray radiation sensor assemblies and a spatial positioning device is moved through at least a portion of the wellbore. Corrected gamma ray radiation data is vertically sampled. Based on the sampled data, a well image log is prepared. A passive cased well image logging tool assembly for use in a cased well is also provided.

A method of determining a presence of stratigraphic traps includes obtaining a Gamma ray (GR) log dataset. The GR log dataset includes values for a plurality of wells in an area of interest. The method includes determining a geological time period corresponding to a depth in the GR log dataset; determining a spectrum of Earth's orbital parameters corresponding to the geological time period; determining peak frequencies of the spectrum of Earth's orbital parameters; and determining a quantity of orbital cycles per well in the area of interest. The spectrum of Earth's orbital parameters includes parameters for eccentricity, obliquity, and precession. The orbital cycles may be reflected as sedimentary patterns in a geologic record. The method includes determining a presence of stratigraphic traps, based, at least in part, on differences in quantities of orbital cycles between one or more wells in the area of interest.

A system may include a pulsed neutron generator designed to emit neutrons into a borehole of a geological formation using a pulsing scheme. The system may also include a gamma-ray detector designed to take measurements of capture gamma-rays during a time period during the pulsing scheme. The system may also include data processing circuitry designed to calculate one or more sigma values based at least in part on the measurements of the capture gamma-rays taken during the time period during the pulsing scheme. The data processing circuitry may also calculate a factor of yields to weights value based at least in part on the one or more sigma values and convert a plurality of relative yields of corresponding elements in the geological formation to a plurality of elemental relative weights based at least in part on the factor of yields to weights.

Methods and systems are described for using pulsed neutron ?-ray spectroscopy to measure formation water salinity from within a borehole. Through generating a cross-plot of database values of ratios of spectroscopically determined yields of hydrogen (H) and chlorine (Cl) from two detectors, deriving apparent salinities therefrom, formation and borehole water salinities can be determined.

An x-ray-based borehole fluid evaluation tool for evaluating the characteristics of a fluid located external to said tool in a borehole using x-ray backscatter imaging is disclosed, the tool including at least an x-ray source; a radiation shield to define the output form of the produced x-rays into the borehole fluid outside of the tool housing; at least one collimated imaging detector to record x-ray backscatter images; sonde-dependent electronics; and a plurality of tool logic electronics and power supply units. A method of using an x-ray-based borehole fluid evaluation tool to evaluate the characteristics of a fluid through x-ray backscatter imaging is also disclosed, the method including at least producing x-rays in a shaped output; measuring the intensity of backscatter x-rays returning from the fluid to each pixel of one or more array imaging detectors; and converting intensity data from said pixels into characteristics of the wellbore fluids.

Apparatus for wellbore logging and method of use are provided for measurement of the annular materials interposed between the logging tool and formation and the apparent formation bulk density in open-hole, cased-hole or other conduit. The logging tool can be centralized in the borehole. Non-collimated gamma radiation is emitted into the surrounding media and the amount of radiation which returns to the tool is measured by multiple omni-directional detectors spaced a pre-set distances from the source to provide multiple radial depths of investigation. The annular thickness and density of materials interposed between the logging tool and the formation may be determined from the detector responses and be used to derive the apparent formation bulk density.

A method implemented using one or more computer processors for estimating the density of a material in an annular space includes receiving detector data representative of scattered photons resulting from interaction of a material in an annular space with radiation from a radiation source and detected by a plurality of radiation detectors. The technique further includes performing a set of Monte Carlo simulations. The method further includes performing a principal component analysis on the set of Monte Carlo simulations to generate a principal component analysis model of the detector data. The method also includes estimating the density of the material at one or more locations within the annular space based upon the principal component analysis model and the detector data.

A system, method, and apparatus for wellbore inspection comprise an electron accelerator to generate X-rays, a rotating collimator assembly configured to produce a cone of X-rays, and at least one detector assembly configured to collect backscattered X-rays. A position assembly can be provided to move the electron accelerator, rotating collimator assembly, and detector through a wellbore. A computer system is configured to receive data from the detector and generate an image of the wellbore.