BASIC WELL LOGGING ANALYSIS

Nazir mafakheri

Winter 2019

1
OUTLINES
Introduction
Borehole Environment
Invaded Zone, Flushed Zone, Uninvaded Zone
Invasion and Resistivity Profiles
Basic Information Needed in Log Interpretation
Exercises (#1A, #1B, #2A, #2B)

2
 INTRODUCTION
Well log, Wireline Log, Geophysical
well logging, Log

A continuous measurement of formation

properties with electrically powered
instruments to infer properties and make
decisions about drilling and production
operations.

3
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
The record of the measurements,
typically a long strip of paper, is
also called a log.

4
 INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
In wireline measurements, the logging tool (or
sonde) is lowered into the open wellbore on a
multiple conductor, contra-helically armored
wireline.

Once lowered to the bottom of the interval of

interest, the measurements are taken on the way out
of the wellbore.

5
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
This is done in an attempt to maintain tension on the cable (which
stretches) as constant as possible for depth correlation purposes.

(The exception to this practice is in certain hostile environments in

which the tool electronics might not survive the temperatures on
bottom for the amount of time it takes to lower the tool and then
record measurements while pulling the tool up the hole. In this case,
"down log" measurements might actually be conducted on the way
into the well, and repeated on the way out if possible.)

6
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)

Logging data are used to identify productive

zones, to determine:
depth and thickness of zones
To distinguish between oil, gas, or water in a reservoir
to estimate hydrocarbon reserves.
Geologic maps developed from log interpretation help
with determining facies relationships and drilling
locations.

7
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
Most wireline measurements are recorded continuously even though
the sonde is moving.

Measurements include:
1. electrical properties (resistivity and conductivity at various frequencies),
2. sonic properties,
3. active and passive nuclear measurements,
4. dimensional measurements of the wellbore,
5. formation fluid sampling,
6. formation pressure measurement,
7. wireline-conveyed sidewall coring tools, and others.

8
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)

9
INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
Certain fluid sampling and pressure-measuring tools require that the
sonde be stopped, increasing the chance that the sonde or the cable
might become stuck.

Logging while drilling (LWD) tools take measurements in much the

same way as wireline-logging tools, except that the measurements are
taken by a self-contained tool near the bottom of the bottomhole
assembly and are recorded downward (as the well is deepened) rather
than upward from the bottom of the hole (as wireline logs are
recorded).

10
BOREHOLE ENVIRONMENT

11
DRILLING MUD
Today, most wells are drilled with rotary bits and use special mud as a
circulating fluid.

The mud helps remove cuttings from the well bore, lubricate and cool
the drill bit, and maintain an excess of borehole pressure over
formation pressure.

The excess of borehole pressure over formation pressure prevents

blow-outs.

12
DRILLING MUD (CONT.)
The density of the mud is kept high enough so that hydrostatic
pressure in the mud column is always greater than formation pressure.

This pressure difference forces some of the drilling fluid to invade

porous and permeable formations.

As invasion occurs, many of the solid particles (i.e. clay minerals

from the drilling mud) are trapped on the side of the borehole and
form MUDCAKE.

13
DRILLING MUD (CONT.)

Fluid that filters into the formation during invasion is called MUD
FILTRATE.

The resistivity values for drilling mud, mudcake, and mud filtrate are
recorded on a LOG HEADER.

14
BOREHOLE ENVIRONMENT

Where a hole is drilled into a formation, the rock plus

the fluids in it (rock-fluid system) are altered in the
vicinity of the borehole.

A well’s borehole and the rock surrounding it are

contaminated by the drilling mud, which affects logging
measurements.

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a porous and

permeable formation which is penetrated by a borehole
filled with drilling mud. 15
FIG. 1

16
THE DEFINITION OF SYMBOLS USED IN FIG. 1

17
DIAMETER
dh – hole diameter
di – diameter of invaded zone
(inner boundary, flushed zone)
dj – diameter of invaded zone
(outer boundary, invaded zone)
Δrj – radius of invaded zone
(outer boundary)

18
 HOLE DIAMETER
A well’s borehole size is described by the
outside diameter of the drill bit.

But, the diameter of the borehole may be

larger or smaller than the bit diameter
because of
(1) wash out and/or collapse of shall and
poorly cemented porous rocks
(2) build-up of mudcake on porous and
permeable formation

19
 HOLE DIAMETER (CONT.)
Borehole sizes normally vary from 7 7/8
inches to 12 inches, and modern logging
tools are designed to operate within these
size ranges.

The size of the borehole is measured by a

CALIPER LOG.

20
 MUD
hmc – thickness of mudcake
Rm – resistivity of the drilling mud
Rmc – resistivity of the mudcake
Rm – resistivity of mud filtrate

21
 RESISTIVITY
Rw – resistivity of formation water
Rs – resistivity of shale
Rt – resistivity of uninvaded zone (true
resistivity)
Rxo – resistivity of flushed zone

22
 RESISTIVITY
where:
R = resistivity (ohm-m)
r = resistance (ohms)
A = cross-sectional area of substance being measured
(m2)
L = length of substance being measured (m)

23
 RESISTIVITY
Archie’s experiments showed that the resistivity of
a water-filled formation (Ro) could be related to the resistivity
of the water (Rw) filling the formation through
a constant called the formation resistivity factor (F):

24
 RESISTIVITY
Archie’s experiments also revealed that the formation factor (F)
could be related to the porosity of the formation by the following
formula:

where m is the cementation exponent whose value varies with:

grain size
grain-size distribution
complexity of the paths between pores (tortuosity)
a is the tortuosity factor

25
 RESISTIVITY
Archie’s experiments also revealed that the formation factor (F)
could be related to the porosity of the formation by the following
formula:

The higher the tortuosity of the formation, the higher the value of m. The
tortuosity
factor (a) is commonly set to 1.0
but is allowed to vary by some petrophysicists.

26
 RESISTIVITY
Water saturation (Sw) is determined from the water-filled resistivity
(Ro) and the actual (true) formation resistivity (Rt) by the following
relationship:

where n is the saturation exponent, whose value typically varies from 1.8 to 2.5
but is most commonly assumed to be 2.

27
 RESISTIVITY
Water saturation (Sw) is determined from the water-filled resistivity
(Ro) and the actual (true) formation resistivity (Rt) by the following
relationship:

to achieve an initial estimate of water saturation:

a = 1.0; m = n = 2.0

28
RESISTIVITY

29
 SATURATION
Sw – water saturation of uninvaded
zone
Sxo – water saturation of flushed
zone

30
INVADED ZONE

31
 INVADED ZONE
The zone which is invaded by mud filtrate is
called the invaded zone.

It consists of a flushed zone (Rxo) and a

transition or annulus (Ri) zone.

The flushed zone occurs close to the borehole

where the mud filtrate has almost completely
flushed out a formation’s hydrocarbon and/or
water (Rw).

32
 INVADED ZONE (CONT.)
The transition or annulus zone, where a
formation’s fluids and mud filtrate are mixed,
occurs between the flushed (Rxo) zone and
the uninvaded (Rt) zone.

The depth of mud filtrate invasion into the

invaded zone is referred to as the diameter
of invasion (dj).

33
QUESTION --
General invasion diameters are:

dj/dh = 2 for ？ porosity rocks

dj/dh = 5 for intermediate porosity rocks
dj/dh = 10 for ？ porosity rocks

High or Low porosity? And why?

34
INVADED ZONE (CONT.)
General invasion diameters are:

dj/dh = 2 for high porosity rocks

dj/dh = 5 for intermediate porosity rocks
dj/dh = 10 for low porosity rocks

35
 INVADED ZONE (CONT.)
The diameter of invasion is
measured in inches or expressed
as a ratio:
dj/dh
where dh = borehole diameter

36
INVADED ZONE (CONT.)
The amount of invasion which takes place is dependent upon the
permeability of the mudcake and not upon the porosity of the rock.

In general, an equal volume of mud filtrate can invade low porosity

and high porosity rocks if the drilling muds have equal amounts of
solid particles.

The solid particle in the drilling muds coalesce and form an

impermeable mudcake.

37
INVADED ZONE (CONT.)
The mudcake then acts as a barrier to further invasion.

Because an equal volume of fluid can be invaded before an

impermeable mudcake barrier forms, the diameter of invasion will be
greatest in low porosity rocks.

This occurs because low porosity rocks have less storage capacity or
pore volume to fill with the invading fluid, and, as a result, pores
throughout a greater volume of rock will be affected.

38
FLUSHED ZONE

39
FLUSHED ZONE
The flushed zone extends only a few inches from the well bore and is
part of the invaded zone.

If invasion is deep, most often the flushed zone is completely cleared

of its formation water (Rw) by mud filtrate (Rmf).

When oil is present in the flushed zone, you can determine the degree
of flushing by mud filtrate from the difference between water
saturations in the flushed (Sxo) zone and the uninvaded (Sw) zone.

40
FLUSHED ZONE (CONT.)

Usually, about 70 to 95% of the oil is flushed out.

The remaining oil is called RESIDUAL OIL.

Sro = 1.0 – Sxo

where Sro = residual oil saturation (ROS)

41
UNINVADED ZONE

42
UNINVADED ZONE
The uninvaded zone is located beyond the invaded zone.

Pores in the uninvaded zone are uncontaminated by mud filtrate;

instead, they are saturated with formation water (Rw), oil, or gas.

Even in hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs, there is always a layer of

formation water on grain surfaces.

Water saturation (Sw) of the uninvaded zone is an important factor in

reservoir evaluation.

43
UNINVADED ZONE (CONT.)
By using water saturation (Sw) data, a geologist can determine a
reservoir’s hydrocarbon saturation.

Sh = 1.0 – Sw
where Sh = hydrocarbon saturation (i.e., the fraction of pore volume
filled with hydrocarbons)

The ratio between the uninvaded zone’s water saturation (Sw) and the
flushed zone’s water saturation (Sxo) is an index of
HYDROCARBON MOVEABILITY.

44
INVASION AND RESISTIVITY PROFILES

45
 LOG HEADER

46
INVASION AND RESISTIVITY PROFILES

47
INVASION AND RESISTIVITY PROFILES

48
 TRANSITION PROFILE – WATER ZONE

49
ANNULUS PROFILE – HYDROCARBON ZONE

50
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG
INTERPRETATION

51
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG
INTERPRETATION
Lithology – from cutting
In quantitative log analysis, there are several reasons why it is
important to know the lithology of a zone:
Porosity logs require a lithology or a matrix constant before the
porosity (φ) of the zone can be calculated.
The formation factor (F), a variable used in the Archie water
saturation equation, also varies with lithology.

52
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG INTERPRETATION

Temperature of formation – temperature Gradient Calculation

Assume that:
y = bottom hole temperature (BHT) = 250°F
x = total depth (TD) = 15,000 ft
c = mean annual surface temperature = 70°F
Solve for m (i.e., slope or temperature gradient):

53
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG INTERPRETATION

Temperature of formation –Formation Temperature Calculation

Assume:
m = temperature gradient = 0.012°/ft
x = formation depth = 8,000 ft
c = surface temperature = 70°
Remember:
y = mx + c
Therefore:
y = (0.012 8,000) + 70 y = 166° formation temperature at 8,000 ft

54
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG INTERPRETATION

Temperature of formation – Because the resistivities of the drilling

mud (Rm), the mud filtrate (Rmf), and the formation water (Rw) vary
with temperature. (Resistivities information can be read from LOG
HEADER)

RTF = resistivity at formation temperature

Rtemp = resistivity at a temperature other than formation temperature
Temp = temperature at which resistivity was measured (usually Fahrenheit
for depth in feet, Celsius for depth in meters)
Tf = formation temperature (usually Fahrenheit for depth in feet, Celsius for
depth in meters)
55
BASIC INFORMATION NEEDED IN LOG INTERPRETATION

Example:

Using a formation temperature of 166°F and assuming an Rw of 0.04

measured at 70°F, the Rw at 166°F is:
Rw166 = 0.04 (70 + 6.77) / (166 + 6.77)
Rw166 = 0.018 ohm-m

56
 FORMATION TEMPERATURE CALCULATION

Given:
Surface temp. = 80 F
Bottom hole temp. = 200 F
Total depth (TD) = 10000 ft
Formation depth = 7000 ft

57
EXAMPLE
Procedure:
1. Locate BHT (200°F) on the 80 scale (bottom of the chart; mean
surface temperature = 80°F).
2. Follow BHT (200°F) vertically up until it intersects the 10,000 ft
(TD) line. This intersection defines the temperature gradient.
3. Move parallel to the (diagonal) temperature gradient line up to
7000 ft (formation depth).
4. Formation temperature (164°F) is read on the bottom scale (i.e., 80
scale) vertically down from the point where the 7000 ft line intersects
the temperature gradient.

58
EXERCISE # 1A
Calculate Formation 1A temperature

Given:
Surface temp. = 60 F
Formation 1A depth = 5500 ft

59
EXERCISE # 1B
Calculate Formation 1B temperature

Given:
Surface temp. = 75 F
Formation 1B depth = 7600 ft

60
CORRECT THE RESISTIVITIES TO
FORMATION TEMPERATURE
Given: Rm = 1.2 at 75 F, Formation temp. = 160 F
Rm=0.56 at 160F

START HERE
61
EXAMPLE
1. Locate the resistivity value, 1.2 ohm-m, on the scale at the left of
thechart.
2. Move to the right horizontally along the 1.2 ohm-m line until the
vertical line representing a temperature of 75°F (from the bottom of
the chart) is encountered (point A on the chart).
3. Move parallel to the (diagonal) constant salinity line to where it
intersects the vertical linerepresenting a temperature value of 160°F
(point B on the chart).
4. From point B, follow the horizontal line to the left to determine the
resistivity of the fluid at the desired temperature (0.58 ohm-m
at160°F).

62
EXERCISE # 2A
Correct SIX resistivities (Rm, Rmf, and Rmc, in RUN-1 and RUN-2)
to surface temperature

Given:
Surface temp. = 75 F
Rm, Rmf, Rmc => from log header RUN-1 and RUN-2

63
EXERCISE # 2B
Correct the resistivities (Rm, Rmf, Rmc) to Formation 1B
temperature

Given:
Formation 1B temp. => From your answer of Ex. #1B
Rm, Rmf, Rmc => From log header RUN-2

64