Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

Petrophysics

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Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

One definition of petrophysics is the study of pore space and its characteristics. Although in common usage the term is often used to include other aspects of formation analysis, this is a good starting point since here we will be concerned mostly with determining fluid content and permeability from well log analysis. In its simplest form, the relationship between the saturation of water within the pore spaces to log derived properties of resistivity and porosity is expressed in the classic Archie equation,

For most applications, we set m=n=2 and a=1. Therefore, if we can come up with a value for Rw, the formation connate water resistivity, it is possible to calculate the faction of the pore space which is filled with water. This, of course, implies that the remainder of the pore space is filled with hydrocarbon.

From here things can get complicated rapidly. This relationship was developed for clean formations with interparticle porosity, somewhat analogous to a box of balls. Adding clay to the formation changes several of its characteristics. Not only is the porosity reduced but the electrical properties are changed as well. Clay minerals tend to be intrinsically conductive as well as binding conductive water to their surfaces. In a hydrocarbon bearing formation, the presence of clay will tend to reduce the resistivity and, if not compensated for, will lead to pessimistic calculations of water saturation. In addition, by filling up part of the pore space with clay, the tortuosity through the pore spaces increases thereby reducing permeability. How we compensate for the presence of clay is determined by how the clay is distributed in the formation.

Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

The different modes of clay distribution. Laminated and structural shales are deposited at the same time as the sands. For the case of laminated sands, alternating layers of clean formation rock and shale are present. The characteristics of the clean portion are not changed by the presence of the shale. However, most logging tools cannot resolve individual thin beds: their readings are really the combined effects of multiple beds. Electrical images can be used to determine the precise bedding arrangement and from there it is easy to compute what fraction of the formation is made up of clean sand and what fraction is shale laminations. Unfortunately it is not so straightforward to calculate water saturation in thin-bedded formations. Special techniques, such as the SHARP program, are used to extract the bedding information from the images and then use forward model processing to obtain the true resistivity and porosity of the individual beds.

Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

Shale bed with pyrite Structural shales act as a part of the rock matrix and although the resistivity is changed, the overall permeability of the rock is not drastically reduced. Dispersed clays are authigenic in nature, growing in place as diagenetic processes alter the rock. This type of clay can seriously reduce permeability, as much as 30% clay in sandstones can effectively reduce permeability to near zero while only 5-10% in carbonates can do the same thing.

Three general types of dispersed clay in a sandstone reservoir (from Neasham, 1977)

Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

From a log analysis standpoint, there are three important questions that need to be answered regarding clay: How much is there? Historically, clay volumes have been estimated primarily from gamma ray, SP and neutrondensity. All of these measurements are affected by other things than clay, often making them highly unreliable. Geochemical logs provide a more direct and consistent measurement of clay volumes. Downhole spectroscopy measurements of common rock elements lead to volumetric calculations of clay, carbonate, quartz-feldspar-mica, and evaporite.

How is it distributed? Most logging tools do not have the vertical resolution to determine whether clay is laminated or dispersed. Electrical images then become important in making this distinction.

Fractured vuggy carbonate Shale Filled

Petrophysics______________________________________________________________

What type of clay is it? The type of clay can be determined from geochemical logs combined with litho-density information. Clay typing is important not only for the proper choice of drilling fluids but also in the selection of completion fluids. Carbonates Calculation of water saturation in carbonates can be extremely challenging due to the wide range of possible porosity types. Interparticle porosity is similar to that seen in sandstones, with a cementation factor, m, near 2.0. Fracture or fenestral porosity would drive m values toward 1.0, whereas moldic porosity can push m to 3.0 or higher. Again, most logging tools do not provide sufficient resolution to distinguish these different facies. The rock texture as observed on electrical images can often point you toward more appropriate parameter picks. Blindly applying a formula without a clear appreciation of the facies type can lead to disaster.

Petrophysics______________________________________________________________