RESERVOIR THICKNESS

The reservoir engineer also requires an accurate measure of reservoir thickness,

generally, the current true vertical thickness of the reservoir rock in place. Original
orientation of reservoirs and the effects of subsequent folding, faulting, uplifting, or
downwarping also influence reservoir parameters and are discussed later. The most
basic information provided by wireline logging is measured well depth and identifiable
top and bottom depths of traversed geological formations. If the borehole is nearly
vertical and formations are relatively flat (horizontal), the measured thickness of
different geological units is sufficiently accurate. However, when wells are deviated
more than about 5°, it becomes necessary to correct the measured reservoir thickness to
true vertical thickness by utilizing measurements of the borehole drift angle and
directions. (Fig. 1-11A). When the reservoir rock dips steeply as a result of folding or
faulting, the formation thickness must often be corrected to its true stratigraphic
thickness, and information pertaining to post-depositional structural dip is required (Fig.
1-11B). When the well is deviated and formations dip steeply, additional data are
required to correct the log measurements to true vertical thickness (Fig. 1-11C).

Fig. 1-11A
TVD principle for a vertical well and horizontal bed
Fig. 1-11B
TVD principle for a vertical well and a dipping bed

BED BOUNDARIES AND BED THICKNESS

Bed boundaries are usually characterized by a change in lithology, such as sand to shale
or carbonate to sand or shale. A distinct change in porosity, resistivity, or permeability
indications often identifies the boundary on log data.
A given tool responds to specific changes in circumstances. Different logging
measurements have different vertical resolutions and are affected differently by
borehole effects, bed thickness, steeply dipping beds, etc. The best logs from which to
select bed boundaries are:
 Microresistivity (Minilog, Micro Laterolog, Proximity, Thin-Bed
Resistivity, and Diplog)
 Dielectric (particularly those recorded with the 200-MHz tool)
 Short-spaced resistivity (short normals, spherically focused, and
focused)
 Gamma ray
 SP
 Borehole imaging devices

The correlative element being defined determines the tool selected for identifying the
top, bottom, and intermediate bed boundaries. These definitions do not normally require
tremendous vertical detail but do require the ability to segregate the top and bottom
boundaries from adjacent formations. On the other hand, when a series of thinly
laminated sequence of shale and sand is encountered, a tool with fine vertical resolution
is required to adequately segregate the thin permeable layers from thin impermeable
layers.

Formation tops are important to geologists because they construct structure maps from
such data. The depth selected as the formation's top boundary is subtracted from the
log's surface zero measure point, which is typically the kelly bushing (KB). As an
example, a vertical well that has a KB elevation of 420 ft above sea level and a
formation top recorded at a measured depth of 6,000 ft has a subsea structural top of –
5,580 ft. In some geographical areas (Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.), surface elevations are
very high and subsea tops may be near sea level or above sea level. In such
circumstances, a KB elevation of 12,500 ft and a well depth to a specific formation top
could be 12,100 ft, resulting in a +400 ft structural elevation for the formation top. In
deviated boreholes, the subsea top must be corrected to true vertical depth. When both
top and bottom depths of a formation (apparent formation thickness) are being
considered, recognize that measured thickness, true vertical thickness, and true
stratigraphic thickness can all be the same or completely different from one another,
depending on hole drift, formation dip angle, etc.
Fig. 1-11C
TVD principle for a deviated well and a dipping bed

Wireline Depth Control

Depth is one of the most fundamental and important measurements performed by
wireline logging crews, and log data are commonly used to resolve reservoir thickness.
Wireline logs offer a geological information source for the entire length of a wellbore,
and a major use of log data is to make well-to-well geological correlations.

The depth-control system relies upon calibration and verification. Calibration is based
on known and measurable properties relating to cable stretch characteristics, and the
verification procedure ensures accurate compensation for variations in the effective
length of the cable as a function of variations in the tension. Using present technologies,
several important assumptions are made in defining the system's accuracy. A detailed
discussion of wireline depth control systems is found in Appendix A.