Abstract
Acoustic characterization of lubricating drilling muds is essential for the design of acoustics-based sensors and imaging devices for downhole petroleum or geothermal well environments. This work reports on the measurement of sound speed and the determination of acoustic attenuation in drilling muds with densities ranging from 10 to 15 pounds/gallon. Measurements were made in a two transducer pitch-catch configuration as a function of distance up to 40 cm and as a function of frequency up to 1 MHz. Corrections for diffraction will be discussed. Experimentally determined data are compared with previously reported attenuation values at selected frequencies, specifically 180 kHz and 280 kHz, and found to be in good agreement. The dB/cm attenuation values for the muds studied in this work were found to be three and five orders of magnitude greater than those values for silicone oil and water, respectively, at the same frequencies
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
