Archie, Hingle, and Pickett:

Determining fluid saturation for fun and

profit…

Dan Krygowski

Denver Colorado USA

Where Dan hopes to go today
„ Answer the question, “So, why do we care
about fluid saturation, anyway?”
„ A review of Archie’s equation. Hawking…

„ A look at some graphical solutions to Archie’s

equation (Hingle and Pickett plots) which
quickly provide saturation answers, and also
predict some Archie parameters that we’d
otherwise have to estimate.
„ A few closing remarks (and a run for the
door).

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Formation fluid saturation
„ Formation fluid saturation is an important
quantity:
… It is necessary to determine the volume of fluids
(water and hydrocarbons) present;
… It may give us some indication as to what will be
produced.
But
We often have to estimate several parameters that are
needed to make the saturation calculation.

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A reminder of history
„ 1927
… Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger run the first log in
Pechelbron field in France. “Electric coring” is born.
„ 1942
… Gus Archie presents a paper at the AIME meeting in
Dallas quantifying the relationship between fluid
saturation and formation resistivity.

So it took 15 years to go from a qualitative

response to a quantitative, but empirical,
relationship.

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Archie’s equation
„ Defining the terms:

formation water resistivity

tortuosity factor

water saturation 1 saturation exponent

⎡ a ∗ Rw ⎤n
Sw = ⎢ m ⎥ cementation exponent
⎢⎣ Rt ∗ φ ⎥⎦
formation resistivity porosity

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Archie’s equation
„ Defining thesources:
Traditional terms:

formation
samples,
water
SPresistivity
logs
tortuosity
corefactor

water saturation 1 saturation

core
exponent
⎡ a ∗ Rw ⎤n
Sw = ⎢ m ⎥ cementation
coreexponent
⎢⎣ Rt ∗ φ ⎥⎦
formation
electric
resistivity
logs, sonic,
porosity
density, neutron,
induction logs, laterologs nuclear magnetic resonance,
resistivity logs

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Another history lesson: pC
No, not preCambrian, preComputer:
When big, burly guys (usually engineers) stood
over you while you looked at the log data, and
said, “Hey, do I run pipe or call for cement?
You’re costing me money here…”
So, we needed techniques to get quantitative
answers quickly.
If they helped in other ways, so much the
better…
A “pattern recognition” approach.
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So it’s not just equations…
„ …two examples for illustration:
1. Last Chance High Country #1
A constructed well to illustrate the techniques.
2. Bill Barrett Last Dance 43C-3-792
Mamm Creek, Piceance Basin, Colorado
(a small section of the Mesaverde)
A well to bring us back to reality.

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Last Chance High Country #1

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Barrett Last Dance 43C-3-792
Mamm Creek, Piceance Basin, Colorado

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Enter Tom Hingle [1959, SEG 29th
Annual Meeting]

„ A graphical solution to Archie’s equation so

that plotting resistivity against porosity will
produce arrangements of the data (which are
recognizable as patterns):
y = m*x +b (b=0)
1 1
⎛ 1 ⎞ m ⎛ Sw n ⎞m
⎜ ⎟ =⎜ ⎟ ∗φ
⎜R ⎟ ⎜ a ∗R ⎟
⎝ t ⎠ ⎝ w ⎠

Y-axis A family of lines from X-axis

which information can be
discerned.

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 Conductivity Resistivity, Rt

Hingle plot The y-axis on this plot is

constructed using m=2.0
The y-axis is built from
1
⎛ 1 ⎞ m but scaled in
⎜ ⎟ Water-bearing line
⎜ R ⎟ resistivity or
⎝ t ⎠
conductivity so the
points can be plotted The water-bearing line is placed by
directly on the graph. the location of the data points.
The y-axis becomes
(very) non-linear.
Lines of decreasing
The x-axis is scaled so that water saturation
porosity increases from Zero porosity
left to right. Porosity, (= RHOmatrix
bulk density, or sonic or DTmatrix)
(data)
traveltime can be
plotted.

porosity
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So, with the Hingle plot…
„ One can determine water saturation directly
from the plot, without
… knowing Rw, or
… having to calculate porosity.

„ In addition, the plot will predict matrix values

of sonic or density, so porosity can be more
confidently calculated.
„ But, one has to assume values for a, m, n,
„ And special paper must be used, which
depends on the assumed value of m.

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 Hingle Plot; m = 2.0

Looking at our Sw = 1.0

1.0

ideal data 1.5

0.50
2.0

2.5

3
Rt

0.25

10
15
20

50
100
500
2000
2.8 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.0
Bulk Density
Baker Atlas, 1985
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Looking at 0.25
Hingle plot
0

real data Sw = 1

(1/Rt)^(1/m)

Vshale
0 1
2.8 2.65 2.2
Bulk Density

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Enter Dick Pickett [1966, SPE (JPT)
1973, SPWLA]

„ A graphical solution to Archie’s equation so

that plotting resistivity against porosity (both
on logarithmic scales) will produce linear
arrangements of the data:
y= m*x +b
1
log(φ ) = − log(Rt ) − n log(Sw ) + log(a ⋅ Rw ) (graph paper format)
m

Y-intercept

Y-axis X-axis A family of lines from

which information can
be discerned.

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Pickett plot
„ Both scales are The intercept of the water-
logarithmic. bearing line at Phi = 1 is a*Rw.

„ To save calculations Water-bearing line.

Slope = -1/cementation exponent
DT-DTma or
RHOma-RHOB could
be used on the y-
axis instead of
(data)
porosity.
Porosity
The water-bearing line is
placed by the location of
the data points.

No “special” graph Lines of decreasing

paper is needed. water saturation

The plot can be Resistivity

done in Excel.

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So, with the Pickett plot…
„ One can determine water saturation directly
from the plot, without
… knowing Rw, or
… knowing m.

„ In addition, the plot will predict Rw and m.

„ But, one has to assume matrix values if sonic
or density is used for porosity.
„ And the plot can be done on readily available
graph paper, or more easily in MS Excel.

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Looking at our ideal data
Pickett Plot
Sw = 1 0.5 0.25
1

PhiD 0.1

0.01
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Rt

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Looking at our real data
Pickett plot
1 0

Sw = 1 0.75 0.5 0.25

Density Porosity

Vshale
0.1

0.01 1
0.1 1 Deep Resistivity 10 100

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So, what happens now?
Well, we have two graphical methods to quickly
determine water saturation, and other
parameters:
„ Hingle: Porosity matrix values
„ Pickett: Rw, and cementation exponent, m

„ Q: Can we use them in concert?

„ A: Well, sort of…

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Pickett and Hingle in concert
m
Bassiouni (1974, SPE) shows
a method to use both to
resolve several
parameters,
BUT it is painful to do by
ρma
hand.

AND, while interactive

Pickett plots are common m Iterate until convergence m
in many software
packages, few packages
have Hingle plots, and
only one has linked
interactive Pickett and ρma
Hingle plots.
SO it’s possible, but
tedious.

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In conclusion
„ Pickett and Hingle plots are two slightly
different graphical solutions of Archie’s
saturation equation.
„ While fluid saturation is needed for the
calculation of volumetrics, it is less useful in
predicting production.
… And, are other quantities, like Bulk Volume Water, more
helpful there?

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In conclusion
„ Pickett and Hingle plots also predict some
other Archie or porosity parameters.
„ Each can give a quick and useful view of the
data, even when you have a computer to do
the grunt calculation work for you.
„ In the information age, pattern recognition is
alive and well, and it may provide some
insights to the subsurface that numbers
won’t.

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