Basic and Advanced Borehole Geophysics Short Course: Agenda

9:30 Introduction Part 1 - Basic Geophysical Logs 9:45 Gamma Ray, Spontaneous Potential, Resistivity 10:30 Interpretation Exercise 10:45 Break 11:00 Neutron Porosity, Litho Density, Sonic 12:00 Interpretation Exercise 12:15 Lunch Break 1:15 Fluid and Flow Logging 2:15 Interpretation Exercise Part 2 - Advanced Geophysical Logs 2:30 Dipole Shear Sonic, Magnetic Resonance 3:30 Interpretation Exercise 3:45 Break 4:00 Neutron Induced Gamma Spectroscopy, Imaging 5:00 Exercise 5:15 Session Wrap-up 5:30 Adjourn

Natural Gamma Ray, Spontaneous Potential, Resistivity

Gamma-ray
Natural Gamma-ray Natural Gamma-ray Spectroscopy

Spontaneous Potential Resistivity

Induction Resistivity Electrode Resistivity

Natural Gamma-Ray Logs: Types

Gamma-Ray Log: Measures total natural radioactivity Natural Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy: Measures number and energy of gammarays as natural radioactivity (40K, 232Th, 238U)

Gamma-Ray Log: Summary

Measure: count rate of total natural radioactivity Units: API units Open/Cased: open and cased holes Aquifer zone: saturated & unsaturated Depth of investigation: ~10+ inches Vertical Resolution: 12 Application:
Identify shales and clays however, other rocks are also radioactive (i.e. carbonates, feldspar-rich and volcanically-derrived sands) Correlate between wells Depth correlation between logging runs

Comments: the gamma ray log was the first nuclear well log and was introduced in the late 1930s.

Gamma-Ray Logs: Physical Principles

Gamma-rays: bursts of highenergy electromagnetic waves that are emitted spontaneously by some radioactive elements.
Gamma-ray emitted from atomic nucleus

Gamma-ray Log: Preferred Response

Natural Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy Log: Summary

Measure: count rate and energy of gamma-rays as natural radioactivity (40K, 232Th, 238U) Units: K% and Th&U ppm Open/Cased: open and cased holes Aquifer zone: unsaturated & saturated Depth of investigation: 10 - 24 inches Vertical Resolution:12 Application:
Clay-type delineation Well-to-well correlate Definition of facies and depositional environment Igneous rock recognition Estimated uranium and potassium potentials Cation exchange capacity studies

Comments: Natural gamma ray spectroscopy logs were introduced in the early 1970s, although they had been studied from the 1950s. Newer technology has greater depth of investigation and higher precision detectors.

Natural Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy: Physical Principles

Age of earth 4 109
years Look for isotopes with t1/2 109 years
2.62

40K 232Th

1.3 109 a 1.4 1010 a 4.4 109 a

1.76

238U

Natural Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy: Physical Principles

Sandstones
Th : clay content , heavy minerals K : micas & feldspars

Carbonates
U : phosphates, organic, stylolites Th : clay content (mudgrain) K: clay content, Kevaporites,algal lst

Shales
U suggests source rock/volcanic Th : amount of detrital material, shaliness K : clay type & mica

Limitations of Old Technologies

Strongly affected by K and Barite muds
Environmental corrections cannot handle both at the same time

Very statistical at low values

100% relative error common in sands Cannot clay type in sands (zones of interest)

2 different detector designs in field

Difficult to distinguish which was used Very different ECs for the 2 different detectors

Advantages of New Technology

Better statistics:
2 detectors and improved crystals

Better spectral stripping 254 channels Design minimizes barite effect Improved potassium correction Much better spectral gamma ray Still difficult to clay-type in sands without additional information

Total Gamma-ray Count vs. Spectral Energies

Spontaneous Potential: Details

Measure: the natural difference in electrical potential Open/Cased: open Saturated/unsaturated: saturated Depth of investigation: 10s of feet Vertical Resolution:10s of feet Applications: Identification of permeable beds, clay layers, vertical changes in groundwater TDS Comments: The SP was first recognized by the Schlumberger brothers and Leonardon in 1931.

Spontaneous Potential Logs: Defined

Measures natural difference in electrical potential, in millivolts, between an electrode in the borehole and a fixed reference electrode on the surface. The most useful component of this potential difference is the electrochemical potential since it can cause a significant deflection opposite permeable beds. The magnitude of the deflection depends mainly on the salinity contrast between drilling mud and formation water, and the clay content of the permeable bed.

Spontaneous Potential: Difficulties in Interpretation

There are other possible sources of electrical potential not related to the electrochemical effect (i.e. the electrokinetic potential and bimetallism). The SP can measure only the potential drop in the borehole, and not the full electrochemical potential and can be rounded at the boundaries between shales and permeable beds.

Spontaneous Potential: Example

Factors affecting SP value: 1. Aquifer thickness & true resistivity 2. Flushed zone resistivity and invasion diameter 3. Mud & mud filterate resistivity 4. Resistivity of adjacent shale

Resistivity Logs: Types

Induction Resistivity
Dual induction Array induction

Electrode Resistivity
Normal Lateral Guard Laterolog Micro Resistivity Resistivity Imaging Steel-cased-hole Resistivity

Resistivity Defined
The ability of a material to resist electrical conduction. It is the inverse of conductivity and is measured in ohm-m. Generally fresh water and quartz are resistive Generally clays and water with TDS are conductive

Array Induction Resistivity: Summary

Measure: Formation conductivity (1/R) Open/Cased: open, PVC-cased Hole Condition: saturated & unsaturated Depth of investigation: 10, 20, 30, 60 & 90 Vertical Resolution: 1-5 Comments: Schlumberger-Doll introduced the first induction-logging technique in 1949. Newer technology corrects for edge effects and is highly focused.

Laterolog Resistivity: Summary

Measure: Formation resistivity Open/Cased: open Saturated/unsaturated: saturated Depth of investigation:
Depends on manufacturer and vintage Commonly 16 (short normal), and 64 (long normal) 8 High resolution

Vertical Resolution: 8 20 Comments:

Introduced in 1949 as normal log and guard log. Newer laterologs corrects for edge effects, is highly focused, and can delineate thin beds. Unfocused, normal and lateral tools are particularly susceptible to borehole effect and can have vertical resolutions of ~10 FEET.

Total Shale Equation

n 1 n Sw Vsh Sw = + Rt aRw (1 Vsh ) Rsh

Rt Rw

Sw Vsh Rsh a m n

resistivity of uninvaded formation resistivity of water porosity water saturation volume of shale resistivity of shale constant (around 1) constant (cementation factor [around 2]) constant (saturation exponent [around 2])

Induction and Normal Resistivity: Applications

Aquifer delineation Correlation between wells Determination of true formation resistivity Determination of Sw Hydrocarbon identification and imaging Invasion profiling Thin-bed analysis Porosity in clay-free units

Induction or Laterolog?
1000 Possible Possible large large errors errors all induction all AIT logs logs Possible Possible large large errors errors on on shallow shallow induction AIT logs logs

Rt (ohmm)

100

Preferred induction operating Range

induction and/or laterolog

10

laterolog

0.001

0.01

0.1

10

100

1000

10000

Rt/Rm
(Low Rm or High Rt)

Ideal Operating Environment

Logging Tool Invaded Zone Uninvaded Zone Borehole
Rt

Induction: Rm > Rxo > Rt Laterolog: Rt > Rxo > Rm

onse p s e R olog Later

Rxo Rm

Rm

Rxo

onse p s e tion R Induc

Rt

Resistivity Difficulty Resolving Thin Beds

Anderson, 2001

Old Log Shoulder Effects

High contrast with conductive shoulders difficult

High Quality Log Response

Laterolog tool of choice at very high resistivities

Invasion Profiling

Micro Resistivity: Summary

Measure: Flushed zone resistivity Open/Cased: open Saturated/unsaturated: saturated Depth of investigation: depends on manufacturer and vintage 1-3 Vertical Resolution: 2-3 Application:
Groundwater salinity Thin bed detection

Comments:
Several designs: microlog, microlaterolog, proximity log, microspherical log and microcylindrical log. Latest technology minimizes the effect of mudcake and rugose hole, while reading as short a distance as possible into the formation, and remains unaffected by the undisturbed zone. Combined with a laterolog or induction log to correct the latter for the effects of invasion, compute TDS, and for saturation determination.

Applying the Processed and Interpreted Data

Optimizing well design Improving conceptual model development Characterizing contaminated site complexity Characterizing fractured media Constraining surface geophysics

Basic and Advanced Borehole Geophysics Short Course: Agenda

9:30 Introduction Part 1 - Basic Geophysical Logs 9:45 Gamma Ray, Spontaneous Potential, Resistivity 10:30 Interpretation Exercise 10:45 Break 11:00 Neutron Porosity, Litho Density, Sonic 12:00 Interpretation Exercise 12:15 Lunch Break 1:15 Fluid and Flow Logging 2:15 Interpretation Exercise Part 2 - Advanced Geophysical Logs 2:30 Dipole Shear Sonic, Magnetic Resonance 3:30 Interpretation Exercise 3:45 Break 4:00 Neutron Induced Gamma Spectroscopy, Imaging 5:00 Exercise 5:15 Session Wrap-up 5:30 Adjourn