In this article I will introduce basic and general information and I will

not talk about technical details to make it simple for beginners or for
none well logging specialists.

During the past decade, the logging while drilling (LWD)

technologies have evolved so fast that they have introduced technical
solutions to critical problems in time and intervals of wells being
drilled which in turn have provided more safety drilling environment,
cost reduction, and even indirect increase in production due to the
new tools and technologies introduced by service companies.

Since the strong access of LWD services into the oil & gas industry,
there have been always a question on whether one day the LWD
services should replace the wireline logging services for good!
Unfortunately, the answer to such question is not simple or direct due
to some technical and application differences.

In this article I will try to introduce a comparison between the LWD

and wireline services covering some of the important services that
both can provide, advantages, and disadvantages, and will conclude
with few points about why it is still not time to replace wireline with
LWD.

Logging while drilling is the operations of acquiring data in real time

while drilling . On the other hand, the wireline service is the operation
of acquiring data, but after finishing drilling a interval, a section, or a
well.

Some of the important services or measurements that both, LWD and

wireline, can provide are: Gamma ray, induction resistivity, laterolog
resistivity, density, neutron porosity, spectroscopy, caliper, images,
acoustic velocity, VSP, NMR, pressure sampling, fluid sampling, well
placement, permeability, fluid typing, sigma.

Let's start the comparison by listing the main advantages and

disadvantages of both, the LWD and wireline services:

Advantages:

Logging while drilling:

 Acquiring data after less time after drill passed whic means less
affected by mud invasion
 Critical for geological decisions while drilling
 More capable in tough environment (deviated wells, horizontal
wells, unstable borehole)
 Well placement

Wireline:

 Smaller, Lighter and delicate

 Accurate depth

 high data speeds due to wire usage

 good borehole contact

 Communication and Powered using cable
 Cased hole logging

Disadvantages:
Logging whie drilling:

 big, heavy and tough

 Data variety depends on speed telemetry

 limited control (Programmed before run in hole, unlink wireline

where you can make 2 ways communications with the tools)

 Powered using batteries and/or mud turbine

 Vibrations & stick and slip

Wireline:

 takes time

 Measurements are taken after long time of finished drilling

 specific coverage (as the tools don't rotate)

 problem at high deviation (Tough logging condition is needed)

 susceptible to hole condition

As noticed from the previous mentioned information, choosing LWD

or wireline services depends on many factors like, expected hole
condition, hole deviation, cost of the operations, etc.. Although the
LWD would give results quite similar to the wireline but the
associated cost with LWD service is higher and application of the
well will be the judgement on which services to go with. So, we may
not see the LWD completely replacing the wireline services in near
future, but there will be usage of both and on some cases both will be
used on the same well depending on many factors including but no
limited to cost and application.