Acoustic well cleaner

Patent · 21 January 1997

OSTI ID:870789

Sharma, Mukul M ^[1]

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1. Dept. of Petroleum Engr. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX 78712

A method and apparatus are disclosed for cleaning the wellbore and the near wellbore region. A sonde is provided which is adapted to be lowered into a borehole and which includes a plurality of acoustic transducers arranged around the sonde. Electrical power provided by a cable is converted to acoustic energy. The high intensity acoustic energy directed to the borehole wall and into the near wellbore region, redissolves or resuspends the material which is reducing the permeability of the formation and/or restricting flow in the wellbore.

• Assignee: Maki, Jr., Voldi E. (11904 Bell Ave., Austin, TX 78759-2415);Sharma, Mukul M. (Dept. of Petroleum Engr. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX 78712)
• Patent Number(s): US 5595243
• Application Number: 08/544,409
• OSTI ID: 870789
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/166/
acoustic
acoustic energy
acoustic transducer
acoustic transducers
adapted
apparatus
arranged
borehole
borehole wall
cable
cleaner
cleaning
converted
directed
disclosed
electrical
electrical power
energy
energy directed
flow
formation
intensity
lowered
material
method
near
permeability
plurality
power
provided
redissolves
reducing
region
restricting
restricting flow
resuspends
sonde
transducers
transducers arranged
wall
wellbore