3/18/2017

GR Log

Gamma Ray
Omar El Gushti GR Log will be used at this stage

GR Log Use of GR Log

Af ter M. Rider, 2000
― GR is the measurement of the natural
― Estimate bed boundaries,
radioactivity of the formation.
stratigraphic correlations.
― Measured in API units

― Radioactive elements tend to concentrate in

shales. Thus, high GR indicates shale

― Principal isotopes emitting radiation are

Potassium-40, Uranium, and Thorium (K40,
U, Th)

― Clean (Shale-free) formations usually have

low level of radiation.

― Some clean water bearing sand reservoirs

have high GR due to dissolved radioactive
salts.

― Some non shale rocks can also be

radioactive, notably some carbonates
and feldspar-rich rocks.

GR can be run with any DM type And in both cased and open holes Af ter A.D. Miall, 2016

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Use of GR Log Use of GR Log

― Differentiate between the clean lithologies (such as sandstone, ― Estimate shale content
Limestone)(Low GR values) from Shale (High GR values).
Example
― Sandstones show high GR values if they contain higher portion of Given:
radioactive minerals (potassium minerals) such as feldspars,
― Clean Sand =15 API
micas, and rock fragments which will increase GR values. Or filled
― Shale = 90 API
with Uranium rich water.
― Zone of interest=40 API

Calculate Vsh for this interval.

Answer

Vsh= 40-15/90-15=0.33

To convert it to percentage, multiply in 100

0.33*100=33% shale at that interval.

Glauconite causing higher GR values in the sandstone

Use of GR Log Use of GR Log

― Estimate shale content
In order to determine the API boundary between the
Clean Fm (usually sand or carbonates) and shale,
we need to have Vsh cut off and then use the
following equation should be used.
― By using the spectral GR logs. We can identify mineral deposits of Uranium and organic
material
― Organic-rich shales often (NOT always) contain large amounts of syngenetic Uranium
(extracted locally) in which case they are associated with high gamma ray log values.

Note: Vsh cut off is the percentage of shale that if it exists' in

the rock it must be considered as a complete shale.

For instance, if our Vsh cut off is 50%, it means that any
interval with Vsh more than 50 is considered at shale even
if it is 50% sand.
Example

Clean Sand =15 API, Shale = 90 API, Vsh cut off 50%.

Calculate API Sand/shale Baoundry for this interval.

Answer

API Sand/Shale Boundary= [Vsh X (GRmax-GRmin)]+GRmin

API S/Sh= 0.5(90-15)+15= 52.5 API.

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Use of GR Log GR Tool Depth Invistgation

Determining the grain size and identifying sedimentary ― For average values of drilling mud and formation density, we can consider that the vertical
facies and interpreting depositional environments.
height of investigation is 40 cm (20cm below and 20 cm above the detector) and the depth of
― Based on a general thought, shaleness increases with
investigation is about 10 cm.
decreasing the grain size due to the depositional energy
decrease. In other word, coarse sand size sediemnts will ― Volume of investigation is controlled by the drilling mud type, density, and the formation

have less shale portion than the fines sand deposits. density.

― Based on this idea, the change in grain size will likely

followed by change in GR values.
― Note: the grain size variation in a shale-free deposits cant not
be identified by GR.
― GR signature is called as an electro-facies.
― Each electro-facies indicates a grain size change due to
depositional energy change, which can be used to interpret
the depositional environment,

Factories Effecting GR Measurements Exercise 1

― Borehole Quality

― The gamma ray log can be badly affected by 1- use the well A28 to correlate all the surfaces with the other wells.
borehole caving.
2- Calculate Vsh for 3 points at each formation.
― In intervals that suffer from caving, there is more
3- Colour the sand intervals by yellow and the shale by gray or blue at each
drilling mud between the formation and the gamma
formation. (use Vsh cutoff of 0.5)
ray detector to attenuate the gamma rays produced
by the formation. Hence, the log is underestimated
Caving
(gives values less than the real values).

― Drilling mud Density

― The density of the drilling mud (mud weight) effects

the signal because higher density muds attenuate
gamma rays more. The denser the mud used, the
greater the underestimation will be,

― Barite muds are a particular problem as barite is

very efficient at absorbing gamma rays, therefore,
they result in give an anomalously low gamma ray
readings.

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A28-NC115 A37i-NC115

A33i-NC115 A36i-NC115

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Factories Effecting GR Measurements

― GR is the measurement of the natural
radioactivity of the formation.

― Measured in API units

― Radioactive elements tend to concentrate in

shales. Thus, high GR indicates shale

― Principal isotopes emitting radiation are

Potassium-40, Uranium, and Thorium (K40,
U, Th)

― Clean (Shale-free) formations usually have

low level of radiation.

― Some clean water bearing sand reservoirs

have high GR due to dissolved radioactive
salts.

― Some non shale rocks can also be

radioactive, notably some carbonates
and feldspar-rich rocks.