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Pore pressure analysis

The field of pore pressure analysis is the study of how pressures within rock pores vary with depth inside the

Main page subsurface. In the field of exploration, pore pressure holds particular significance for drilling and discovery ADVERTISEMENT
Encyclopedic Dictionary purposes. Modern drilling teams often need a subsurface pore pressure map in order to drill safely and efficiently. Anomalous pressures,
Seismic Data Analysis especially overpressures, can pose a large threat to both life and the drilling prospect. Hazards like well blowouts, pressure kicks, and
Open data fluid influx are dangerous risks which can be avoided by studying pore pressure geometries prior to drilling[1].
Biographies
Geophysical tutorials Besides safety concerns, prior knowledge of the subsurface pressure layout can allow for optimization of the drilling and extraction
Student Center process to save time and resources. High variability in pressures can cause high instability inside of the borehole, leading to poorer quality
Aide measurements if well logs are being recorded while drilling.
Modifications récentes
For reservoir discovery, abnormal pressures can also provide additional evidence for hydrocarbons. For example, determining a high
Traduire pressure zone below a structural trap could increase confidence in a certain prospect.
Page preparation
Pages in translation Sommaire [masquer]
Groups 1 Units of Measurement
Traduire 2 Theory
2.1 Hydrostatic Pressure
Outils
2.2 Overburden Pressure
Pages liées
Suivi des pages liées 2.3 Pore Pressure
Pages spéciales 2.4 Fracture Pressure
Version imprimable 2.5 Overpressure and Effective Stress
Lien permanent
3 Application
Information sur la page
Chercher les propriétés 4 References
Ajoutez votre retour 5 External Links
Afficher les retours

Units of Measurement
Pore pressures can be expressed as a gradient, either psi/ft or Pa/m. However, in the field of pore pressure analysis, pressures are often
colloquially called equivalent mud weight or mud weight for short, which is defined as lbs/gal. The term was originally coined by the
drillers, who need to pump mud into the well to counteract pressures. For the drillers, being able to relate mud weight with subsurface
pressures is much more convenient than using psi units. Eventually, the term mud weight gained traction and is commonly observed in
pore pressure analysis. But lbs/gal is not a proper representation of pressure change with depth, so geophysicists may prefer to use psi/ft
or some other pressure unit per unit depth.

Theory
There are several key types of pressures involved in pore pressure analysis: hydrostatic pressure, overburden pressure, fracture
pressure, and pore pressure. These pressures will be expressed as the gradient of pressure change with unit depth [2].

Hydrostatic Pressure
Hydrostatic pressure, alternatively called normal pressure, is represented as the
pressure exerted by a vertical column of water. This column of water must be
connected to the surface to be considered hydrostatic. This can be simply expressed
as:

where:

= hydrostatic pressure Depth vs. Pressure plot depicting the relationship

between various types of pressures
= density of water
= force of gravity
= height of the water column

A typical hydrostatic pressure gradient is around 0.465 psi/ft. In the Depth vs.
Pressure Gradient plot, the hydrostatic gradient is assumed to be constant and
therefore it is a vertical line.

Overburden Pressure
Overburden pressure is the pressure due to the sum of all overlying rocks and fluids.
This can be expressed as:

Depth vs. Pressure Gradient plot depicting the

relationship between various types of pressures.
Black curve is the overburden gradient.
where:

= pressure as a function of depth

= force of gravity
= depth
= density as a function of depth

The gradient is called OBG or overburden gradient.

Pore Pressure
Pore pressure is the pressure exerted by the fluids within a rock’s pore space. Pore pressure can be calculated via a variety of methods
from either well logs or seismic velocities. The gradient is called PPG or pore pressure gradient. Pore pressure gradient can be
determined either from well logs (Resistivity log and Sonic log) or from seismic interval velocity.

There are several pore pressure techniques already in use, but one of the most popular methods was designed by Ben Eaton. These pore
pressure equations can be converted from using either well logs or interval velocity as input.

For sonic log data, Eaton’s method is expressed as[3][4]:

where:

= pore pressure gradient (psi/ft)

= overburden gradient (psi/ft)
= hydrostatic gradient (psi/ft)
= normal sonic log value (us/ft)
= observed sonic log value (us/ft)
= exponent value which is dependent on formation properties

For seismic velocity data, Eaton's method is expressed as [1]:

where:

= pore pressure gradient (psi/ft)

= overburden gradient (psi/ft)
= hydrostatic gradient (psi/ft)
= observed interval velocity (ft/s)
= interval velocity from normal compaction trend (ft/s)
= exponent value which is dependent on formation properties

Fracture Pressure
Fracture pressure is the pressure limit at which the internal pore pressure causes fractures and cracks to split open the rock. Fracture
pressure is a complex property which depends on many factors including overburden pressure and pore pressure. Other factors include
rock properties and anisotropy. The gradient is called FG or fracture gradient.

Overpressure and Effective Stress

From the above pressures we can derive overpressure and effective stress. Overpressure is defined as the difference between the
internal fluid pressures of a rock's pore space and the hydrostatic or normal pressure.

High overpressures can be particularly dangerous and is one of the reasons why pore pressure analysis is necessary in order to protect
the well-being of bystanders and to avoid drilling catastrophes.

The effective stress is defined as the difference between the pressure caused by the overburden material and the internal fluid pressures
of a rock's pore space.

Application
Note the relationship between the various pressures illustrated in the Depth vs. Pressure and Depth vs. Pressure Gradient plots. Drillers
tend to prefer using the Depth vs. Pressure Gradient plot. The reason they do so can be explained by the mud weight curve. In this
orientation, it is much easier for drillers to interpret and apply the data to their physical task. The ultimate goal is to keep the mud weight
appropriately between the pore pressure and fracture gradient curves. Straying too close to the fracture gradient curve will increase the
risk of large fractures and mud loss. Stray too close to the pore pressure gradient curve and the possibility of blowouts increases along
with the risk of higher instability inside the borehole. Higher overpressures push the two gradient curves closer, making the job of
balancing the mud weight that much more difficult.

Being able to determine the danger zone from a pore pressure map is a very valuable application of pore pressure analysis. The added
advantage of pore pressure analysis is how it can accept seismic velocities as an input. This allows for the generation of large scale maps
depicting subsurface pore pressure geometries.

References
1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zhang, Jincai. 2011. “Pore Pressure Prediction from Well Logs: Methods, Modifications, and New Approaches.” Earth-
Science Reviews 108 (1–2):50–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.06.001 .
2. ↑ Bruce, Bob, and Glenn Bowers. 2002. “Pore Pressure Terminology.” The Leading Edge 21 (2): 170–173.
3. ↑ van Ruth, P., and R. Hillis. 2000. "Estimating Pore Pressure In The Cooper Basin, South Australia: Sonic Log Method In An
Uplifted Basin". Exploration Geophysics 31 (2): 441. doi:10.1071/eg00441.
4. ↑ Eaton, Ben A. 1975. “The Equation for Geopressure Prediction from Well Logs.” In . Society of Petroleum Engineers.
https://doi.org/10.2118/5544-MS .

External Links
http://petrowiki.org/Methods_to_determine_pore_pressure
https://www.spec2000.net/10-pressure.htm

Catégorie : Geosciences

La dernière modification de cette page a été faite le 4 janvier 2018 à 14:10.

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