CHALLENGE

Identify producible heavy oil in a laminated

reservoir, where formation evaluation is
biased by resistivity reduced by conductive
clay content, high-viscosity oil prevents
direct oil identification on nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) logs, and rugose borehole
compromises measurement by conventional
dielectric tools.
SOLUTION
Run the Dielectric Scanner* multifrequency
dielectric dispersion tool to obtain high-
resolution measurements for accurately
determining water volume and formation
water salinity insensitive to clay content,
oil viscosity, and poor hole conditions.
RESULTS
Identified an additional 150 ft of pay, as
confirmed by sidewall samples and subse-
quent tests.
Dielectric Scanner Dispersion Measurements
Reveal Additional 150 ft of Pay
Low-resistivity formation hides oil
The production potential of a reservoir in the
Orinoco belt of Venezuela could not be fully
determined with conventional logs. Thinly
bedded shale and sand layers decreased
resistivity measurements, masking pay zones
and resulting in pessimistic interpretations
of hydrocarbon volume. In this heavy oil
reservoir, NMR logs measured a reduced oil
signal, which in turn adversely affected fluid
saturation determinations.
Dielectric dispersion differentiates
moveable hydrocarbons from water
The new Dielectric Scanner dielectric dispersion tool measures high-resolution permittivity
and conductivity at four frequencies to provide dielectric dispersion at a 1-in [2.54-cm] vertical
resolution. Because there is a large difference in the permittivity of water from that of rock matrix
or hydrocarbons, the resulting determination of water-filled porosity is independent of salinity.
The conductivity measurements provide reconstructed resistivity and water saturation for the
invaded zone.
The Dielectric Scanner tool also provides textural information for determining the cementation
exponent m for carbonates and cation exchange capacity (CEC) for siliciclastics instead of
relying on potentially incorrect estimations from conventional log analysis or waiting for core
analysis. The articulated pad of the Dielectric Scanner tool greatly improves contact with the
formation in rugose boreholes, a condition that previous mandrel-type electromagnetic propaga-
tion tools were sensitive to.
Accurate saturations identify an additional 150 ft of pay
As shown by the caliper log in Track 1, the borehole was highly rugose, but the pad of the
Dielectric Scanner tool maintained good contact with the formation, and the measurements
were not compromised. The high resistivity in Track 5 in the oil-bearing interval from approxi-
mately X,430 to X,500 ft had been observed in other wells in the area. However, resistivity values
below this interval are uniformly low. The NMR log in Track 7 has a strong oil signature in the
upper interval, but the apparent porosity is reduced with increasing depth.
The Dielectric Scanner log dispelled uncertainty about the reservoir quality of the lower interval,
revealing moveable oil over a 150-ft section, from X,560 to X,650 ft and again from X,690 to X,720 ft
(Track 6). Sidewall samples confirmed the Dielectric Scanner measurements, recovering oil at
X,447 and X,574 ft, oil and some water near the oil/water contact at X,701.5 ft, and water at X,818 ft.
Previously masked by low resistivity, identified producible heavy oil
confirmed by sidewall samples
CASE STUDY
Wireline
The heart of Dielectric Scanner service is the fully
articulated array pad of multispacing antennas.
X,450
X,500
X,550
X,600
X,700
X,750
X,800
X,850
X,650
Dielectric
Scanner
Mudcake
Thickness
Caliper
in 8 18
SP
mV 100 0
0 10
Epsilon Matrix
from Lithology
Resistivity
Standoff
in 1 0
Density
Standoff
in 1 0
Depth, ft
in 1 0
8-in Invaded Zone Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
Array Laterolog Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
Invaded Zone Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
Dielectric Scanner Shallow Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
Dielectric Scanner Deep Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
HRLA* True Resistivity
2,000 2 . 0 ohm.m
Residual Oil
Moved Oil
Water
Dielectric Scanner
Shallow Water-Filled Porosity
0 5 . 0
Dielectric Scanner
Deep Water-Filled Porosity
0 5 . 0
Total Porosity
0 5 . 0 ft
3
/ft
3
Residual Oil
Moved Oil
Dielectric
Scanner
Deep Water
Saturation
ft
3
/ft
3
0 1
0 1
Dielectric
Scanner
Shallow Water
Saturation
ft
3
/ft
3
ft
3
/ft
3
ft
3
/ft
3
T
2
Distribution
0 0.015 ft
3
/ft
3
T
1
Cutoff
ms 0.5 5,000
Clay
Volume
ft
3
/ft
3
0 2
Sample at X,574 ft:
Oil
Sample at X,701 ft:
Oil and water
www.slb.com/ds
*Mark of Schlumberger
Copyright 2010 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 10-FE-0066
CASE STUDY: Finding heavy oil in low-resistivity reservoir, Venezuela
Although the resistivity in Track 5 and NMR in Track 7 cannot readily distinguish between oil and formation freshwater below the oil-bearing interval
from X,430 to X,500 ft, Dielectric Scanner measurements of fluid volumes (Track 6) and the resulting saturations (Track 2) clearly reveal significant
moveable heavy oil down to X,720 ft, as confirmed by sidewall core analysis and subsequent tests.