PE301 Well Logging and Interpretation

Lecture 4 – Sonic (Acoustic) Log

Dr Abdullah H. Awdal
abdullah.awdal@ukh.edu.krd
Porosity Logs
• Types of porosity logs
o Sonic log

o Density log

o Neutron log

• None of these logs measure porosity directly.

• The density and neutron logs are nuclear measurements.

• The sonic log use acoustic measurements.

• A combination of these logs gives good indications for lithology and

more accurate estimates of porosity.

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Sonic (Acoustic) Log
• The sonic log is a porosity log that measures slowness or interval transit
time (Δt) of a compressional sound wave travelling through the
formation along the axis of the borehole.

• The sonic device consists of one or more ultrasonic transmitters and two
or more receivers. This is to reduce the errors due to the tilt of the tool
with respect of the borehole size.

• The correction is done, by averaging signals from different transmitter-

receiver combination over the same length of the borehole.

• Sonic log is usually displayed in track 2 or 3

• Units: μsec/ft, μsec/m; Mnemonics: DT, AC; Symbol: φ

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Sonic Log
• Sonic logging is recording of sound wave velocity in rocks.

• Sonic travel time (Δt) is inversely proportional to the speed of sound (v)
in the formation.

• The unit of sonic travel time (Δt) is µs/ft.

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Sonic Log
• It involves the recording of the time required for a sound wave to travel
through 1 ft of formation using transmitters and receivers.

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Principles of Sonic Operation
• The sonic tools create an acoustic signal and measure how long it takes
to pass through a rock.

• By simply measuring this time we get an indication of the formation

properties.

• The amplitude of the signal will also give information about the
formation.

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Principles of Sonic Operation
• Transmitter emits sound waves.

• Receivers pick up and record the various

waves.

• Measure the first arrival of the

compressional wave.

• Travel time is the difference in arrival of

the compressional wave at the receivers.
(1’, 2’, 3’ Sonic)

t = (t2 - t1)/Ls

where Ls is span between

receivers.

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Types of Sonic Waves
• Compressional wave (P wave) is created when sound waves travel
through the rock causing compression and expansion in the direction of
wave propagation.

Compression action created by P wave

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Types of Sonic Waves
• Shear wave (S wave) is the wave of shearing action. In this case, rock
properties’ motion is perpendicular to the direction of wave
propagation.

Shearing action created by S wave

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Types of Sonic Waves
• Stoneley wave is the wave at the liquid-solid interface resulting from the
interaction of P wave in the liquid and S wave in the solid.

• Stoneley wave depends on:

 Matrix permeability and open fractures.

 In zones of high permeability, there is a reduction in the stoneley wave

velocity and in turn a significant increase in the stoneley transit time.

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Sonic Travel Time (Slowness)
• Sonic travel time in solids is much lower than sonic travel time in liquids.

• Compression wave travels faster than the shear wave and more faster
than stoneley wave (i.e. compression wave transit time is lower than
shear and stoneley wave transit times.

Δtc < Δts < Δtst

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Sonic Travel Time (Slowness)

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Sonic Log
• Slowness or Interval transit time (Δ𝑡) is in microseconds per foot, 𝜇𝑠𝑒𝑐
/𝑓𝑡 (or microseconds per meter, 𝜇𝑠𝑒𝑐 / 𝑚).

• Interval transit time (Δ𝑡) is usually displayed in tracks 2 and 3 of a log.

Track 1 usually consists of a Caliper (CALI), and a gamma ray (GR) or an
SP log.

• The interval transit time (DT) is dependent upon both lithology and
porosity. From which a sonic porosity can be derived by knowing
formation’s matrix interval transit time, as shown in table 1.

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Table 1: Sonic velocities and interval transit
time for different matrices

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Sonic Log
• Once the formation’s matrix interval transit time is known, the sonic
derived porosity can be known by using chart or the below equations:

Where:

– ∅𝑆 is the sonic-derived porosity

– Δ𝑡𝑚𝑎 is the interval transit time in the matrix (Table 1)

– Δ𝑡𝑙𝑜𝑔 is the interval transit time in the formation.

– Δ𝑡𝑓𝑙 is the interval transit time in the fluid inside the formation ( fresh water = 189
𝜇𝑠𝑒𝑐 /𝑓𝑡; salt water mud = 185 𝜇𝑠𝑒𝑐 /𝑓𝑡)
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Porosity Evaluation Chart from Sonic

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Unconsolidated Formation
• When a sonic log is used to determine porosity in unconsolidated sands, an
empirical compaction factor (Cp) should be added to the Wyllie equation as
follow:

• Where:

- Cp is the compaction factor

• The compaction factor is obtained from the following formula:

• Where:

- Tsh is the interval transit time in a shale adjacent to the formation of interest.

- C is a constant which is normally 1.0

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Hydrocarbon Effect
• The interval transit time (Δ𝑡) of a formation increases as the present of
hydrocarbons rises.

• If the effect of hydrocarbons is not corrected, the sonic-derived porosity

will be too high.

• The following empirical correlations can be used to correct for

hydrocarbon effect:

∅ = ∅𝑆 × 0.7 (𝑔𝑎𝑠)

∅ = ∅𝑆 × 0.9 (𝑜𝑖𝑙)

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Secondary Effect
• Borehole Environmental effects:
 Enlarged borehole, formation fractures, gas in the borehole or
formation, or improper tool centralization can produce signal
attenuation resulting in ”cycle skipping” or DT spikes to higher values.

 Improper centralization, lack of standoff, or excessive logging speed can

result in ”road noise”, or DT spikes to either higher or lower values.

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Cycle Skipping
Cause: Dampening of first arrival at far receiver.

Effect: Sonic curve shows spiking or an abrupt

change towards a higher travel time.

Occurs in:
• Unconsolidated formations (particularly gas
bearing).

• Fractured formations.

• Transmitter weak and/or receiver poor.

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Example of Cycle Skipping and Road Noise

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Secondary Effect
• Interpretation effects:
 Lithology: porosity calculated from sonic depends on the choice of
matrix transit time, which varies with lithology.

 Porosity calculations for uncompacted formations may yield porosity

values higher than the actual values when using the Wyllie equation.
Use instead the Raymer-Hunt-Gardner equation or correct for
decompaction.

 Porosity calculated in gas bearing zones will be slightly higher than the
actual values because the travel time in gas is higher than in water.

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Applications of Sonic Log
1. Determine porosity of reservoir rock.

2. Identify zones with abnormally high pressures.

3. Assist in identifying lithology.

4. Estimate secondary pore space.

5. Indicate mechanical integrity of reservoir rocks and formations that

surround them (in conjunction with density data).

6. Estimate rock permeability.

7. Seismic to well tie, synthetic seismogram and depth conversion.

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Secondary Porosity
• Sonic ignores secondary porosity; i.e. vugs and fractures.

• In vuggy carbonates, the sonic often underestimates the total porosity

as detected by the density log.

• Estimate secondary porosity by: Φ2 = Φt – Φs

• Alternatively: develop specific empirical relationships for heterogenous

systems.

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Vertical Resolution
• The vertical resolution of an array type sonic is the vertical height of the
receiver array.

• Span is defined as distance between receivers, which determines vertical

resolution.

height ~ span

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Lateral Resolution (Depth of Investigation)
• Compressional waves have a deeper DOI than shear waves.

• DOI of any wave is greater at lower frequencies.

• A rough rule of thumb: DOI (in inches) = T-R spacing (in feet).

• DOI of the Sonic array tools depends on:

o T-R spacing

o Formation slowness

o Wave type

o Signal characteristics

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Types of Sonic Log
• Basic Sonic (obsolete).

• BHC - Borehole Compensated Sonic (most common).

• LSS - Long Spaced Sonic.

• Array Sonic or Full Waveform Sonic.

• Dipole Shear Imager (DSI).

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Basic Sonic Log
• One transmitter and two or three receivers, T-R1-R2-R3.

• Borehole and sonde tilt problems.

• The tool has low vertical resolution.

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Borehole compensated Sonic (BHC)
• Automatically compensates for
borehole effects such as cavings
and sonde tilt (i.e. if borehole
axis is not vertical).

• System of upper and lower

transmitters bounding two sets
of receivers.

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Comparison of BHC with Basic Sonic

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Dipole Sonic Imager (DSI)
• Multipurpose / multi-array sonic tool which enables the measurements
of compressional (Δtc), shear (Δts) and Stoneley (Δtst) waves transit
times.

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Sonic Velocity and Formation Damage
• Sonic velocities are affected by chemical and mechanical damages
around the borehole.

• Chemical damage is caused by a reaction between the drilling mud and

the formation, especially when smectite or swelling clays are present.

• Mechanical damage is caused by the change in pressure and stresses

introduced by the drilling process such as drilling induced fractures.

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
1. Borehole diameter
2. Porosity effect
3. Compaction
4. Shales
5. Rock type
6. Rock density
7. Large size vugs
8. Cycle skipping
9. Open fractures
10. Gas effect

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
1. Borehole diameter
This come into effect when the borehole size is larger than the spacing of
the tool.
2. Porosity effect
Porous rocks have higher transit time than impervious rocks.

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
3. Compaction 4. Shales

Hard compacted rocks have lower transit Shaly rocks exhibit higher values of transit
time than soft unconsolidated rocs. time than clean formations.

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
5. Rock type

The magnitude of transit time differs from formation to formation. Transit

time in pure dolomite (44 µs/ft) is less than that of sandstone (56 µs/ft).

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
6. Rock density

Sound waves travel faster in more dense formations than rocks with low
density (i.e. low density rocks have higher interval transit time than rocks
with high density).

7. Large size vugs

Sonic tools are not sensitive to large size vugs. Therefore, sonic porosity
does not include vuggy porosity.

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
8. Cycle skipping

Cycle skipping is a sudden jump in Δt linked to presence of gas or

fractures.

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Factors Affecting Sonic Travel Time
9. Open fractures

Transit time is highly attenuated in fractured rocks. In front of fractured

zones, sonic log shows high values of Δtc and show absence of Δts.

Cycle skipping may occur in fractured zones.

10. Gas effect

The attenuation of the sonic wave signal is too high in front of zones
producing gas or light gravity oil.

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