The Drill String Radar™ (DSR) is a specialized radar developed for use on a drill string (vertical drill rods, horizontal directional drill rods, or coiled tubing drilling systems).  The primary function of DSR is to propagate low and medium frequency radio waves through the sedimentary rock or coal layer, causing the reflected wave from the boundary to return to the radar.  It uses a sensing device in the bottom assembly to ascertain the geological structure, while generating navigation information in the underlying deposits.  DSR uses electromagnetic waves to detect planar boundaries of sedimentary rock formations surrounding the wellbore to determine the orientation of fractures and bedding plans in layers of coal, sandstone, and limestone. This capability makes DSR a necessary tool for advanced drilling and mapping of hydrocarbon reservoirs. DSR eliminates the need for the cavitation/fracking method of coalbed methane extraction. The DSR system also has applications in void detection to aid in the drill-based mapping of old and abandoned mine workings using look-ahead detection.

Expected Performance Features:

• Real-time measurement-while-drilling (MWD) for guidance and navigation of drill rods
• Geosteering capability to reduce drilling time and cost
• Clutter from near-field or borehole reflections eliminated by suppression algorithms
• Suppression of blacklobes and creation of directional fields through the use of low-frequency, phase-modulated antennas
• Formation height, elevation change, and boundary rock type mapping
• Guidance under paleochannels where gamma sensors typically fail
• Dielectric constant measurements detect changes in geologic structure and oil-water ratios
• Downhole processing of radar measurement data
• Avoidance of inefficient, time-consuming, and costly sidetracks while drilling
• Extendable to look-ahead detections (imaging in front of drill bit)

* Winner of the 2005 R&D 100 Award