Sonic log summary

z The sonic log is affected by the lithology. (For this

very reason it is widely employed as a means of
lithology identification and hence the correlation
from well to well.)
z The sonic log is extremely useful to geophysicists,
because it can be used to determine the interval
velocities of formations, and relate timing of
seismic reflectors (interfaces) to actual rocks
around borehole by means of computed time-
depth conversions.

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 62

Reflection of wave from the

boundary

Depth
(geophone at the
source location)

v1t
v1 II D=
2
III v1 – average wave
v2 velocity in rocks
t – two-way (there and
back) travel time

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 63

1
 Radioactivity logs
z Gamma-Ray log
» Uses scintillation counter to measure natural
radioactivity of rocks (in API units)
» Lithological identification
z Neutron log
» Rock is bombarded by neutrons
» As a result, gamma-rays are emitted in proportion to
hydrocarbon content (HC+neutron → γ-ray)
z Density log (gamma-gamma tool)
» Tool emits gamma-rays and measures gamma-rays
returned from formation. This depends upon density.
Knowing density of dry rock and density of fluid, the
porosity can be recovered (HC+ γ-ray → attenuation
of γ-rays)
Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 64

Natural Gamma Ray Log

z A gamma ray or natural gamma ray log (GR) uses a
scintillation (a flash or twinkling produced in a material by
an ionising particle) counter to measure the natural
radioactivity from potassium, thorium and uranium in the
rocks along the wellbore as the sonde is drawn up.
z Potassium is commonly found in Illitic clays and to a
lesser extent in feldspars, mica, and glauconite. Organic
matter commonly scavenges (collects) uranium and
thorium, and thus oil source rocks are radioactive.
z Of the three most common sedimentary rocks, shale is the
most radioactive.

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 65

2
 Natural radioactivity of rocks

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 66

Natural Gamma Ray Log

continued…
•The gamma ray log is plotted
in track 1 with low radioactivity
to the left and high radioactivity
to the right.
•Shales are ‘hot’ and kick to the
right. Sandstones and limestones
(potential reservoir rocks) kick
to the left.
•Deflection to the left does not
indicate permeability itself, but
a change from shale to
sandstone or carbonate. The
gamma log is an important aid
to lithological identification. Gamma ray log responses

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 67

3
 Natural Gamma Ray Log
continued…

z A natural gamma ray log is relatively inexpensive

and can be run accurately in both an open-hole
and cased-hole.
z A spectral gamma ray log is a type of gamma ray
log that also identifies the source of the radiation
(potassium, thorium, and uranium).
z In most logs, either an SP or gamma ray curve will
be located in track 1. both logs are used to locate
potential reservoir rocks, which have characteristic
kicks to the left.

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 68

The Gamma Ray log + Caliper

log
z The gamma reading is affected by hole diameter, so it is
generally run together with a caliper log - a mechanical device
that records the diameter of the borehole.
z The caliper log shows where the hole may be locally enlarged
by washing out or caving and hence deviating the expected
gamma ray and other log responses.
z The size of the hole depends upon
» the size of the drill bit,
» The strength of the walls,
» And the thickness of the filter cake.
» Soft rocks (such as shale or coal) break off and sluff (cave) into the well,
forming a wide hole.
» Strong rocks (such as limestones, dolomites, and well-cemented
sandstones) have wellbores about the size of the drill bit.
» Salt layers are often dissolved by fresh-water drilling mud form caverns
(serious drilling problem).

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 69

4
 Caliper log contiued…
•The caliper logging tool has
four arms that are expanded to
touch the sides of the wall.
•As the caliper tool is run up
the well, the arms expand and
contract to fit the well, and
electrical signal is generated to
record the wellbore size.
•The caliper log is recorded in
track 1.
•The units are in or cm’s of
diameter with a larger
diameter to the right and
smaller to the left.
Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 70

What else are caliper logs for?

Caliper logs are commonly run for the
following reasons
•It is necessary to know the size of the hole
for future engineering calculations. (If the
well is going to be cased or plugged and
abandoned, the volume of the well must be
computed correctly to order the right
number of sacks of cement!!)
•Used for calibrating other logs (eg, gamma
ray log), called compensated logs for
wellbore size to yield accurate results.
•Also used to locate thick filter cakes that
form smaller diameter wellbores and
identify permeable zones. (Permeable
formations accept more drilling mud filtrate
during drilling, they have a thicker mud Wellbore diameters
cake).
Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 71

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 The gamma-ray log summary

z Though, the gamma log is affected by the hole

diameter, it has the important advantage that it can
be run through casing.
z The gamma log is important for identifying
lithology, calculating the shaliness of the
reservoirs and correlating between adjacent wells.

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 72

The natural gamma-ray

spectrometry logging
z One of the limitations of the standard gamma-ray log is that it
is unable to differentiate among various radioactive minerals
causing the gamma response (cf. sl. 66 kaolinitic shale vs.
sandstone and limestone. Both very ‘low’ radioactive,
however sandstones and limestones are ‘good’ reservoir
rocks.
z This lack of differentiations causes a severe problem when
the log is used to measure clay content of a reservoir in which
either the clay is kaolin (potasium-free and non-radioactive,
1st case) or other radioactive minerals are present, such as
mica, glauconite, zircon, monazite, or uranuim adsorbed on
organic matter, 2nd case. (That is why gamma radiation is
detected in reservoir rocks with HC’s.)

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 73

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 The natural gamma-ray
spectrometry logging continued…
z By analysing the energy wavelength spectrum of detected
gamma radiation, the refined gamma-ray spectrometry tool
measures the presence of three commonly occurring
radioactive decay series, whose parents elements are
thorium, uranium and potassium. The info is used for
detailed mineral identification.
z Gamma-ray spectrometry logging is important in source
rock evaluation. Because it can differentiate radioactive
minerals containing potassium and thorium from organic
matter with absorbed uranuim.

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 74

Cross-plot of thorium and potassium showing how the

different minerals can be identified by the gamma-ray
spectrometry log

ppm -parts per million

Dr Elena Pasternak Slide 75