Radiating and accompanying electromagnetic fields during

acousto-electromagnetic logging

Hengshan Hu & Wei Guan

Department of Astronautics and Mechanics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China

Kexie Wang
Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, China

ABSTRACT: Due to electrokinetic effect in porous formation, an electromagnetic field as well as an acoustic
field can be excited by an acoustic monopole source in a borehole. These fields are simulated and analyzed in this
paper. The coupling between the acoustic field and the electromagnetic field in the porous formation is assumed
to obey Prides equations [Phys.Rev.B50:1567815696 (1994)]. A magnetic field as well as an electric field
accompanies the acoustic head wave, which travels with approximately the fast compressional wave velocity. It
is shown that the head wave is not a pure fast compressional wave but a combination of different body waves.
It is mainly the slow compressional wave constituent in the acoustic head wave that causes fluid filtration and
radial electric field. Similarly, the fast and slow compressional wave constituents in the shear wave group cause
electric field. Besides, there is an electric signal which arrives ahead of the acoustic head wave. This signal is
shown to be the critically refracted radiating electromagnetic wave on the borehole wall by comparison between
results from real axis integral and electromagnetic branch-cut integral.

1 INTRODUCTION derived from first principles the governing equations

In sedimentary rocks, the pore fluid usually contains
conducting ions. While there are no net charges in the
bulk porous medium, there is an electric double layer
at the matrix-fluid interface (Pride & Morgan 1991),
consisting of a Stern layer and a diffuse layer. For
sandstones, there are immovable anions in the Stern
layer, which are balanced by a diffuse layer of movable
cations in the fluid belt near the pore wall. When an
acoustic wave propagates in a fluid saturated porous
medium, the ions in the diffuse layer move relative
to the solid matrix, which causing convection electric
current and streaming potential. Reversely an electric
field can cause pore fluid flow. As these phenomena
are associated with electrical and mechanical prop-
erties of the pore fluid and rock frame, they may be
potentially useful in hydrocarbon exploration.
Many efforts have been put into the understand-
ing of the mechanism of this kind of electrokinetic
effect. Zhu et al. (1994) observed acoustically induced
electrical field in rock samples. Zhu et al. (1999) mea-
sured acoustoelectric signals in small model wells
in laboratory. The center frequency of their trans-
ducer is higher than 50 kHz, although they call
their observed phenomenon seismoelectric conver-
sion. Using volume-averaging method, Pride (1994)
for acoustic and electromagnetic coupling in porous
media. He assumed that the diffuse layer is thin when
compared to the pore size, and that the ions in the Stern
layer do not contribute to conduction.
In this paper we simulate the acoustic and electro-
magnetic fields excited by an acoustic monopole in
the water-filled borehole. Coupling in the porous for-
mation between the acoustic and the electromagnetic
fields is assumed to obey Prides equations. As detailed
derivation for field expressions had been given in our
previous studies (Hu & Wang 1999, Hu et al. 2000),
we focus our attention on the analysis of the simulated
waveforms, in order to see the propagation mechanism
of the acoustically induced waves.
2 SOME ASPECTS IN FORMULATION
Prides equations combine the Biot equations for
dynamic poroelasticity (Biot 1962) and the Maxwell
equations for electromagnetics. For harmonic fields
with a time dependence of exp (it), coupling
between mechanical motion and electromagnetic field
is expressed as follows (Pride 1994),

593
Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK

where u is the solid frame displacement, w is the
volume average relative filtration displacement, E
is the electric field, f and are respectively den-
sity and viscosity of the pore fluid, and , and L
are respectively the dynamic permeability, conduc-
tivity, and electrokinetic coupling coefficient of the
formation.
Consider an axisymmetric medium system consist-
ing of the borehole fluid and the formation. A point
pressure source located on the axis excites axisym-
metric P-SV waves in the formation. The filtration
displacement w and corresponding streaming current
are therefore axisymmetric. And the electromagnetic
field is of TM (transverse magnetic) type. As a result,
the axisymmetric acoustic field is associated with an
axisymmetric electric field. We adopt the cylindrical
coordinate system (r, z, ). Let the origin be located at
the acoustic source, and z be the coordinate along axis
of the borehole (in the text below, the word axial is
used to mean in the direction of the borehole axis).
According Pride & Haartsen (1996), there are four
different body waves in an infinite homogeneous fluid-
saturated porous medium. Two of them are irrotational
waves. The other two are nondivergent waves. So the
field in the formation can be written as follows.
where P1 , P2 , S and EM are respectively fast
and slow compressional, shear and electromagnetic
wave potentials. Each of them is a solution of the
Helmholtz equation with corresponding wavenumber.
The expressions for the coefficients P1 , P1 , S ,
EM and P1 , P2 , S , EM were given in Pride &
Haartsen (1996), and can be found in Hu et al.(2000).
The combination factors AP1 , AP2 , AS and AEM can
be determined by boundary conditions at the borehole
wall (Hu et al. 2000).
The electromagnetic wave and the acoustic wave
traveling in the borehole liquid are not coupled with
each other. The existence of an electromagnetic wave
in the borehole is due to the continuity requirements
for Ez , the tangential component of the electric field,
and for H , the circumferential magnetic field on the
borehole wall.
Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
3 FIELDS IN THE BOREHOLE
3.1 Full waveforms of the borehole fields
We assume that the borehole fluid has a density of
1000 kg/m3 , a bulk modulus of 2.25 GPa, a salinity of
585 g/m3 , a viscosity of 0.001 Pa s and a relative per-
mittivity of 80.The pore liquid parameters are the same
as those in the borehole. The formation has a poros-
ity of 0.2, a permeability of 1012 m2 and a tortuosity
of 3.0. The solid grain has a density of 2650 kg/m3 , a
bulk modulus of 35.70 GPa and a relative permittiv-
ity of 4.0. The formation frame has a bulk modulus
of 14.39 GPa and a shear modulus of 13.99 GPa. The
borehole radius is 0.1 m. A quality factor of 100 is
assumed for the borehole fluid compressional wave.
In our calculation the acoustic source is assumed to
be of a pressure type as described by Tsang & Rader
(1979), with the pressure amplitude being 1.0 kPa at
1.0 mm away from the source center. To model the time
variation of the acoustic monopole source, we use a
cosine pulse function with a center frequency f0 and
pulse width Tc ,
Two pulses are used in the examples below. In Fig-
ures 14, 8, f0 is 6 kHz, and Tc is 0.5 ms. In Figure 57,
f0 is 2.5 kHz, and Tc is 1 ms.
We calculated the fields on the borehole axis.
Because of symmetry, Er and H disappear on the
borehole axis. Figure 1 shows the waveforms of the
acoustic pressure p and electric field Ez at four differ-
ent positions with the nearest one located at 3.0 meters
A B C D
3.0 m
3.5 m
4.0 m
4.5 m
A B C D
1
0 2 3 4
t: ms
Figure 1. Waveforms of pressure p (the dotted curve) and
electric field Ez (the solid curve) on the z axis. Receivers
are respectively at 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 meters away from the
source.
594
away from the source. All waveforms of p are normal- acoustic pressure. Although we have got some exper-
ized to the largest amplitude of p at z = 3.0 meters, imental data for transducers, detailed notes on the
while the waveforms of Ez are normalized to the largest gains of signals are not provided for evaluation of
amplitude of Ez at z = 3.0 meters. pressure. If a logging transducer in water excites an
The full waveform of the pressure consists of three acoustic pressure higher than 1.0 kPa at 1.0 mm away
wave groups. B-B is the P1 wave group. C-C is the from it, the converted electric field will be stronger
shear group, which includes the shear wave and the than 180 nV/m. Such a signal is strong enough to be
early part of the pseudo-Rayleigh wave. D-D includes recorded with modern electronics.
the Stoneley wave and the Airy phase of the pseudo-
Rayleigh wave. For each acoustic pressure wave group,
there is an accompanying electric wave group. Such 3.2 The electromagnetic head wave
an electric field appears at a specific place when an
The wave group A-A that appears earliest in the full
acoustic wave travels through there.
waveform of the electric field seems to be a noise
The wave group A-A is different. It arrives before
from calculation error. But it is not. We calculated the
the acoustic head wave. That is the radiating elec-
electromagnetic head wave separately by branch-cut
tromagnetic wave, as will be confirmed in the next
integration method, which includes an integral around
section. It arrives four receiving positions almost at
the banks of the cut line leading out from the electro-
the same time because it travels much faster than the
magnetic wavenumber kEM , and a Fourier transform
fastest acoustic wave group B-B. Wave group A-A is
from the frequency domain to the time domain. A com-
weaker than later wave groups so that it is easy to
parison between the waveform obtained by branch-cut
be overlooked, or seen as a noise from calculation
integral (the solid line) and the early arrivals in the
error. The amplitude of A-A wave is smaller than that
full waveform obtained by real axis integral (the dot-
in our earlier articles (Hu et al. 2000, Hu & Wang
ted line) is shown in Figure 3. The later arrivals in the
2000). This is because we have corrected an error in
full waveform are clipped to the frame of the figure.
our FORTRAN-90 program.
The slight difference between the solid line and the
The waveform of the acoustic pressure received at
dotted line comes mainly from fast Fourier transform.
3.0 meters away from the acoustic source is shown
From past experience we know that a branch-cut inte-
in dotted line in Figure 2. The electric field at the
gral represents a critically refracted wave. The wave
same position is drawn in solid line in the same fig-
in the present case is the critically refracted forma-
ure. Herein nV is an abbreviation for 109 volt.
tion electromagnetic wave, traveling in the formation
The maximum amplitude of the Stoneley wave pres-
along the borehole wall and radiating to the borehole.
sure is 0.56 Pa, while the maximum amplitude of
Because the formation electromagnetic wave veloc-
the accompanying electric field is 186 nV/m. That
ity VEM is at least four orders higher than the acoustic
means a conversion ratio of 332 nV/m per Pa. Both
velocity in the borehole fluid VBA , the critical incidence
the amplitude of the acoustic pressure and the conver-
angle is approximately 90 degrees. The electromag-
sion ratio are important for acoustoelectric logging.
netic wave velocity in the borehole fluid VBE is also
Unfortunately most papers on acoustical logging do
orders higher than VBA . So the total travel time of the
not provide information about the absolute value of
15

200
10
0.6
150
0.4 5
100
Ez : nV/m

50 0.2 0
Ez : nV/m

p : Pa

0 0.0
-5
-50 -0.2
-10
-100
-0.4
-150 -15
-0.6 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
-200
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 t : ms
t : ms
Figure 3. The head wave in the electric field obtained
Figure 2. Waveforms of the pressure p (dotted curve) and by branch-cut integral (solid line) and the full waveform
the electric field Ez (solid curve) at 3.0 m from the source. obtained by real axis integral (dotted line).

595
Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
electromagnetic wave in the formation and in the fluid 5 1.5
is ignorable. Thus the arrival time of A-A wave is 4
approximately the time when the acoustic wave (inci- 1.0
3
dent perpendicularly) reaches the borehole wall. We
expect that A-A wave will delay 0.0667 ms when the 2
0.5

Ez , Er : 10-7V/m
borehole radius is increased by 0.1 m and if VBA is

H : 10-9A/m
1
1500 m/s. We have simulated the acoustoelectric log- 0 0.0
ging responses in boreholes with different radii, and
-1
found the expectation turned out to be true. -0.5
-2
A
B
-3 C
-1.0
3.3 The electromagnetic field off the borehole axis
-4
D
In the borehole, the electric field at a point away from
the borehole axis has both an axial component Ez and 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
a radial component Er . And there is a magnetic field t : ms
H , which is in the circumferential direction. Figure 4
shows the electric and magnetic fields in the fluid side Figure 4. The electromagnetic field in the fluid side of the
bore-hole wall at z = 3.0 m. Ez , Er and H are respectively
of the borehole wall at z = 3.0 m. Near the wall Ez is
drawn in solid, dashed, and dotted lines.
larger than it is on the axis. Er (dashed line) is smaller
than Ez (solid line). The two components of the elec-
10
tric field are out of step. The magnetic field H (dotted
2
line) and the axial component of the electric field Ez electromagnetic
are in step, because these two tangential quantities are 5 head wave
1
required to be continuous across the wall. As in Fig-
ure 1, the wave groups A, B, C and D in Figure 4 are 0
H : nA/m

0
respectively the radiating electromagnetic wave and

p : Pa
the converted waves from acoustic P1 wave group, S -1
wave group and Stoneley wave group. We are at first -5
P1 wave group
puzzled about the magnetic field accompanying the P1 -2
wave group, as it seems contradictory to Pride theory, -10
which states that no magnetic field can be induced by -3
a compressional wave. We will discover what is behind
the seemingly contradiction in the next section.
0 1 2 3 4
t : ms

3.4 The electromagnetic field in a special slow Figure 5. The acoustic pressure and the magnetic field near
formation the borehole wall at z = 3.0 m. H and p are respectively drawn
in solid and dotted lines. The formation is a slow formation
To clarify the above problem, we calculated the elec-
which satisfies the dynamic compatibility condition.
tric field and the magnetic field in a special slow
formation. The shear wave speed in a slow formation
Figure 5 shows the calculated acoustic pressure and the
is lower than the acoustic speed in the borehole fluid.
magnetic field. The center frequency of the acoustic
For such a formation, the full waveform of pressure is
source is 2.5 kHz, the pulse width is 1.0 ms. Out of our
simpler because the shear wave group is so weak that
expectation, there is a magnetic field that accompanies
it can be ignored. The parameters of the formation are
the fast P wave. Figure 6 shows the early arrivals of
as follows. The formation has a porosity of 0.34, a per-
waveforms of Ez , Er and H at z = 3.0 m. Waveforms
meability of 1012 m2 and a tortuosity of 3.0. The solid
after 2.5 millimeters are clipped. Apart from a mag-
grain and pore fluid parameters are the same as those
netic field, there is an electric field accompanying the
in the above examples. The formation frame has a bulk
dynamically compatible fast P wave. This is also out
modulus of 3.11 GPa and a shear modulus of 2.45 GPa.
of our expectation.
The formation satisfies the dynamic compatibility
condition, or Equation 8.29 in Biot (1962). When a for-
mation satisfies that equation, the fast P wave does not
cause any fluid motion relative to the solid frame. As 4 FIELDS IN THE FORMATION
coupling between acoustic and electromagnetic field
is due to electrokinetic effect associated with filtration 4.1 Fluid filtration in the formation
capability, neither electric field nor magnetic field will Because of continuity on the wall, Ez and H in Fig-
accompany a dynamically compatible fast P wave. ures 56 are also the axial electric field and the

596
Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
 100 0.6
80
0.4
60
40
0.2
Ez , Er : nV/m
20
H : nA/m
0 0.0
-20
-0.2
-40
-60
-0.4
-80
-100 -0.6
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
t : ms
Figure 6. The electromagnetic field in the borehole near
the borehole wall at z = 3.0 m. Ez , Er and H are respec-
tively drawn in solid, dashed and dotted lines. The formation
parameters are the same as used for Figure 5.
circumferential magnetic field in the formation. Why
a magnetic field accompanies the fast P wave group?
Why an electric field accompanies a dynamically
compatible fast P wave?To answer these questions, let
us examine the filtration field and temporarily ignore
the acousto-electromagnetic coupling.
Equation 4 can be written as follows if the last term
is ignored,
Each of the three constituent terms is a body wave.
Let us discuss the second term in that equation. It is
the irrotational filtration caused by the slow P wave.
This slow P wave term contains a coefficient AP2 (see
Equation 4) that is dependent on the boundary con-
ditions. And the expression for AP2 contains poles
and branch-points. These singularities correspond to
guided waves and critically refracted waves. Thus the
P2 constituent of the filtration displacement consists of
wave groups of different velocities. For example, there
is a head wave with about P1 wave velocity, which can
be obtained by P1-branch cut integral. And there are
also a shear wave group and a Stoneley wave group.
The first and third filtration terms in Equation 7 have
similar characteristics.
Figure 7 shows the head wave of the radial filtra-
tion. Although its velocity is approximately equal to
that of the fast P wave, it is not a pure fast P wave.
Instead it is combined of three body waves in cater for
the boundary conditions. Contribution of each body
wave is calculated out, and is shown in Figure 7. The
dotted curve which represents the contribution of the
P2 wave almost coincides with the solid curve which
represents the sum of contributions from the P1, P2
and S waves. The dashed curve representing the con-
tribution of the P1 wave is zero-valued. This is because
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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
0.3
0.2
0.1
Wr : 10-12 m
0.0
Wr
-0.1
P1
Wr
-0.2
P2
Wr
The dot line
S
-0.3 Wr almost coincides
with the solid line
-0.4
1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
t : ms
Figure 7. The makeup of the radial displacement. The
formation parameters are the same as used for Figure 5.
the formation satisfies the dynamical compatibility
requirement, and permits no filtration. The shear wave
causes a small amplitude filtration, whose phase is
about /2 behind.
Now it is clear that filtration in a dynamically com-
patible formation can be brought about by the fast P
wave group. It is because the later is in essence not
a pure P1 wave, but a combination of three different
body waves. Other wave groups are also combined of
different body waves. The slow wave also contributes
to the axial component of the filtration displacement,
but is not as important as in the case of radial compo-
nent. More detailed discussions on the composition
of the acoustic wave groups can be found in Hu
(2003).
4.2 Electromagnetic field in the formation
Now let us examine the electromagnetic field in the
formation. We use the same fast formation parameters
as used in Figures 14. All waveforms below are drawn
for the formation fields on the borehole wall.
In last section we have pointed out that the earli-
est arrival or the head wave in the full waveform of
borehole electric field comes from a radiating electro-
magnetic wave in the formation. Now we calculate the
electromagnetic head wave in the formation by EM -
branch cut integral. As is seen in Figure 8, Ez , Er and
H are all in phase, and the magnitudes of Ez and Er
are almost equal.
As a last example, let us examine the makeup of the
radial electric field in the formation. The full wave-
form of Er is drawn in solid curve in Figure 9. We do not
see a radiating electromagnetic head wave because it
is too weak when compared to the strong later arrivals.
 2.0 12 5 CONCLUSIONS
Ez
10
1.5 Er 8
The full waveforms of the electric and magnetic fields
H
in a borehole during acoustoelectric logging consist
1.0 6
of two parts. The earliest arrival is a radiating electro-
Ez, Er : 10-9 V/m

H : 10-12 A/m
0.5 magnetic wave, whose velocity is orders higher than
2
the fast P wave velocity of the formation, and arrives all
0.0 0 receivers at about the time for the perpendicularly inci-
-2 dent acoustic wave to reach the borehole wall. The later
-0.5
-4 arrivals are wave groups that accompany the acoustic
-1.0 -6 wave groups. Each of these acoustic wave groups is
-8 a combination of three pure body waves. For exam-
-1.5
-10 ple, the fast P wave group is in essence combined of
a fast P wave, a slow P wave and a shear wave. Thus
0.0 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5 the fast P wave group differs from a pure fast P body
t : ms
wave in inducing electromagnetic field. Both an elec-
tric field and a magnetic field can accompany the fast
Figure 8. The radiating electromagnetic wave in the forma-
tion calculated out by EM -branch cut integral. All formation P wave group, even in a formation that is dynami-
parameters are the same as used for Figure 1. cally compatible for a fast P body wave. The slow
P wave contributes to all accompanying electromag-
netic wave groups. Specially, all accompanying wave
10
groups of the radial electric field are mainly caused by
the slow P wave.
8
6
4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Er : V/m

2
0 Foundation of China Grant No.10272038.
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
t : ms
Figure 9. The full waveforms of Er and its the slow P
wave constituent ErP2 . The later is drawn in dotted line. All
formation parameters are the same as used for Figure 1.
ErP2 , the radial electric field contributed by the slow
P wave potential, is drawn in dotted curve. There is
only slight difference between the two curves, both in
amplitude and in phase. It is clear that the wave groups
of the full waveform of the radial electric field with
acoustic velocities are mainly caused by the slow P
wave. The shear and fast P wave potentials also con-
tribute to accompanying wave groups of Er , but with
less importance.
The slow P wave also causes magnetic field and
axial electric field, but its role is not as prominent as
in causing radial electric field. By the way, our calcula-
tions show that the EM wave potential is important for
Ez , especially for its shear wave group. So the last term
in Equation 5 can not be ignored even for calculation
of accompanying electromagnetic wave groups.
The research is supported by National Natural Science
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