Chapter 3C: Acoustic Logging

Petroleum applications of acoustic-wave-propagation theory and physics include both surface- and borehole-geophysical methods. These data-acquisition methods cover a broad range of scales from millimeters to hundreds of meters ( Fig. 3C.1 ). Acoustic logging is a subset of borehole-geophysical acoustic techniques. This chapter provides an overview of borehole acoustic-logging theory, modern tool design, data processing methods, and data applications. Table 3C.1 lists other common surface- and borehole-geophysical methods. The chapter on the Fundamentals of Geophysics, in this volume, and the chapter on Reservoir Geophysics, in the Emerging and Peripheral Technologies volume of this Handbook , also discuss these methods.

A virtual explosion in the volume of acoustic research conducted over the past 20 years has resulted in significant advances in the fundamental understanding of downhole acoustic measurements. These advances, in turn, have greatly influenced practical logging technology by allowing logging-tool designs to be optimized for specific applications. ¹