US 12,436,309 B2
Circular downhole ultrasonic phased array
Jean-baptiste Cozon, Clamart (FR); Orland Guedes, Clamart (FR); Roel Van Os, Clamart (FR); and Stephane Guimont, Clamart (FR)
Assigned to SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/338,562.
Application 18/338,562 is a division of application No. 17/215,120, filed on Mar. 29, 2021, granted, now 11,719,845.
Claims priority of application No. 20315106 (EP), filed on Apr. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0333275 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. G01V 1/52 (2006.01); G01N 29/22 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 1/52 (2013.01) [G01N 29/225 (2013.01); G01N 29/227 (2013.01); G01V 1/523 (2013.01); G01V 2001/526 (2013.01); G01V 2210/121 (2013.01); G01V 2210/1299 (2013.01); G01V 2210/1429 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a downhole acoustic tool comprising:
at least one transducer operable for emitting acoustic excitation signals and/or receiving echo signals to perform downhole measurements, wherein the at least one transducer comprises a plurality of active elements at a plurality of positions;
a backing in contact with an inner surface of the at least one transducer;
an acoustically transparent canister forming an external surface of the downhole acoustic tool; and
an acoustic coupling layer disposed radially between the at least one transducer and the acoustically transparent canister, wherein the acoustic coupling layer extends in a circumferential direction along an outer surface of the at least one transducer overlapping the plurality of positions of the plurality of active elements, and the acoustically transparent canister contacts the outer surface of the at least one transducer and/or the acoustic coupling layer and is configured to exert radial forces on the at least one transducer and/or the acoustic coupling layer when placed in an environment having a pressure at or higher than atmospheric pressure.