Logging Interpretation Method -

Basic Approaches

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Quick look Log Interpretation with shaly sand formation
 Objectives

 How to compute Volume of Shale?

 How to calculate porosity from log reading via formulae
or chartbook?

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 How to derive shale corrected porosity via formulae or
chartbook?
 How to perform hydrocarbon corrected porosity via
chartbook?
 How to get Rw?
 How to confirm Rw is correct?
 How to use Archie equation?
Log Interpretation
 Interpretation is defined as the action of explaning the
meaning of something
 Log interpretation is the explanation of logs such as b,
GR, Resistivity, etc. in terms of well and reservior

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parameters, zones, porosity, oil saturation, etc.
 Log interpretation can provide answers to questions on:
 How much hydrocarbon is in these wells?
 Where is it?
 Is there communication between these reservoirs?
 What is the extent of this reservoir?
Log Interpretation (Cont.)
 Log interpretation can provide answers to questions on:
 How will it produce?
 Will it require enhanced recovery techniques?

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lithological
sandstone grades
to clay sediment

GAS

OIL
sandstone
WATER pinch out
What Can the Log Measurements Provide?

 Log measurements give:

 Porosity: From porosity tools
 Water Saturation: From a combination of porosity / lithology tools
and Resistivity or Capture Cross-Section from the TDT tool

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 Thickness: From depth measurements
 Position: Markers-correlation
 Lithology: Reservoir/non-reservoir
Early Log Interpretation

 Early resistivity logs were used to find possible producing zones

 SP was used to define permeable beds, compute Rw and
determine shaliness
 Resistivity was used to determine “Porosity”

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 Archie developed the relationship between resistivity, porosity
and saturation
WellSite Interpretation-Quicklook
 This is a schematic representation of the logging
measurements used and the petrophysical parameters
determined for answering the basic questions of wellsite
interpretation
Density
Can ?  Neutron

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Sonic
1. Does the formation contain Hydrocarbon?

Clean? GR Rt
SP
2. Quantity Resistivity

3. Recoverable

(1-Sw) Rxo
f(Rt,)
Qualitative Interpretation
 This is a summary of phenomenological interpretation
Descriptor Measurement Functional Behavior

Clean/Shaly SP Vshale  SP 
GR Vshale  GR 

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Porosity() Density   b 
Neutron   n 
Sonic   t 
Hydrocarbon Rt Sw  Rt 
So  Rt 
   Rt 
Recoverable/ Rxo vs. Rt Rxo=Rt  no
invasion
Moveable (shallow vs.
deep) Rxo/RtRmf/Rw 
Moved fluid
 Modern Log Interpretation
 LQC
 Consult the field engineer/client and check the original hardcopy
 Environmental correction (GF: PrePlus)
 Data Editing and Crossplot (GF: WellEdit and UtilityPlots)
 Logs in open hole give:
 Porosity
 Quantity, Type and Distribution

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 Saturation
 Thickness
 Permeability
 Producibility
 Lithology
 Rick type, Shale content, Shale type and deposition
 Fluid Type
 Fluid Contact
 Etc.
Interpretation Procedure

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Zoning
 Zoning is the first step in any interpretation procedure. During zoning, the logs are
split into intervals of:
 Porous and non-porous rock
 Permeable and non-permeable rock
 Shaly and clean rock
 Good hole conditions and bad hole conditions

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 Good logs and bad logs
 Zoning Tools:

 SP

 GR

 Caliper

 Neutron Density

 Resistivity
 Lithology General

 The next major step in the

Simple
procedure is lithology identification.
Lithology data gives information on
porosity and other parameters

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 This is an essential step as from the
lithology comes porosity and other
parameters
Dirty
 Lithology of a formation can be:
 Odd minerals can also be present,
such as micas in sandstones or
anhydrites in carbonates which
complicate the problem further
Complex
Lithology Interpretation
 The lithology can be obtained in several ways:
 From the cuttings (depth problems)
 From local knowledge (good during development)
 From the known depositional environment (good in general basis)

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 From a log Quicklook (good starting point)
 From individual log readings (difficult if there are no areas of zero
porosity)
 From crossplots (the best method)
Lithology: Logging Tools
 All tools react to lithology – usually in conjuction with the
porosity
 Major lithology tools are:
 Neutron – reacts to fluid and matrix
 Density – reacts to matrix and fluid

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 Sonic – reacts to a mixture of matrix and fluid, complicated by
seeing only primary porosity
 NGT- identifies shale types and special minerals
 GLT/GRA – geochemical logging, identifies 10 elements:
 K,U,Th,Al,Si,Ca,S,Fe,Gd,Ti
 From these the exact mineralogy can be computed
 Crossplots

 A “two-dimensional” way of
looking at logs
 Combines properties from
both measurements, thus

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eliminating ambiguities
 The most common cross-
plot is the Density-Neutron
 Virtually any log can be
plotted against another
 Crossplots
 A standard crossplot is a
frequency plot with points
plotted as their frequency
 A third dimension is added
in a z-axis plot which uses
something like colour

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classes or numbers to
include another
measurement
Nuetron Density Cross Plots
 This crossplot has
b plotted against
the corrected
neutron porosity
 Fluid density in this

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plot is 1.0 g/cm3
Shale Volume: Vsh

(for paper log quicklook)

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Shale Index: Gamma Ray

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(For paper log quicklook)
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Shale Volume: SP
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Shale Volume: Sonic
Shale Volume: Neutron

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Shale Volume: Neutron-Density

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Clean Sand Formation Porosity:
Density
ρb = (1-Φd) * ρma + Φd * ρf
 ma  b
D 

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 ma   f

ρ
For ma:
Sandstone: 2.65 g/cc
Limestone : 2.71 g/cc
Dolomite : 2.87 g/cc
 Shaly Sand Formation Porosity:
Density

ρb = (1- Φ - Vsh) * ρma + Φ * ρf + Vsh * ρma

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(ρb – ρma) (ρsh – ρma)
Φ= --------------- - ---------------- * Vsh
(ρf – ρma) (ρf – ρma)

Φdcor = Φd – Φdsh * Vsh (for shale correction)

 Clean Sand Formation Porosity:
Neutron Matrix Correction (Chart)
NPHI = (1-Φn) * NPHIma + Φn * NPHIf

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(NPHI – NPHIma)
Φn = ---------------- (Chart Por-13b page 3-10)

(NPHIf – NPHIma)

If NPHI is in LIMESTON Matrix, the log reading

Is the neutron porosity.
Shaly Sand Formation Porosity

•Shale corrected Porosity:

Φdcor=Φ d –Φdsh * Vsh

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Φncor=Φ n –Φnsh * Vsh
•Shale corrected crossplot Porosity:
Φ1 from CP-9
•Hydrocarbon corrected porosity:
Φ2=Φ1+ΔΦ (from CP-9)
Clean Sand Formation Porosity:
Sonic

ΔT = (1-Φs) * ΔTma + Φs * ΔTf

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(ΔT – ΔTma) t log  t ma
Φs = ---------------- or  C
(ΔTf – ΔTma) t log
For ΔTma:
Sandstone: 55.5 – 51.3 us/ft
Limestone : 47.6 – 43.5 us/ft
Dolomite : 43.5 – 38.5 us/ft
Shaly Sand Formation Porosity:
Sonic

ΔT = (1-Φ-Vsh)*ΔTma + Φ*ΔTf+Vsh*ΔT ma

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(ΔT–ΔTma) (ΔTsh – ΔTma)
Φ= ---------------- - -------------------*Vsh
(ΔTf – ΔTma) (ΔTf – ΔTma)

Φscor = Φs – Φssh * Vsh (for shale correction)

 Basic Relationships

 Rw = resistivity of water in the pore space

R0
 Define Ro = resistivity of a rock totally filled with water
F
 F: Formation Factor
Rw

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 At constant porosity F is constant
 As porosity increases, Ro decreases and F decreases
 Experiments have shown that F is inversly proportional to m
 m: is called the “ cementation exponent”
 a: is called the “lithology” constant a
F m

 Saturation Equation

 Saturation can be expressed as a ratio of the

n R0
resistivities
Sw 
 Where n is the “saturation exponent”, an
empirical constant.
Rt


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Substituting for Ro:

n FR w

 Substituting for F:

 The Archie equation is hence very simple. It links porosity Sw

and resistivity with the amount of water present, Sw. Rt
 Increasing porosity,, will reduce the saturation for the

a Rw
same Rt.

S n
 m
 Increasing Rt for the same porosity will have the same

effect.
w
 Rt
 Invaded Zone Saturation
 The same method can be applied to the invaded zone. The porosity is identical, the
lithology is assumed to be the same, hence the constants a,n,m are the same
 The changes are the resistivities which are now Rxo and Rmf
 Rmf is measured usually on surface and Rxo is measured by the MSFL tool
 The equation is then:

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n aR mf
Sxo  m
 R xo
Alternative Saturation Determination
1
Sw  R xo R t 2
  
Sxo R mf R w 

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1
Sxo  Sw5

5
 R xo R t 8
Sw   
R mf R w 
Archie Parameters

 Rw = resistivity of connate water

 m = “cementation factor”, set to 2 in the simple case
 n = “saturation exponent”, set to 2 in the simple case

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 a = constant, set to 1 in the simple case
 All the constants have to be set
 Two common sets of numbers for these constants are:
 In a simple carbonate, the parameters are simplified to:
 m=2, n=2, a =1

 In a sandstone they become:

 m=2.15, n=2, a =0.62
Archie’s Equation

Empirical constant

a Rw
(usually near unity) Resistivity of
formation water,

Sw  n

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-m


Water m Cementation

Rt
saturation, exponent
fraction (usually near 2)
Saturation
exponent
(also usually Resistivity of
near 2) Porosity, uninvaded
fraction formation, -m
Saturation Equations

1 1
Sw   Vcl  *
1
Vcl
2

 e Rt
Rcl
 Rw
2
1    n

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1.4 m
V 2

   e
 Sw
cl

Rt  Rcl aRw 
1 Sw2 BQv Sw
 *  *
Rt F Rw F

Ct 
 m
t Sn
wt 
Cw 
Swb
Cwb  Cw 

a 
 Swt


 Rw Determination
• Rw from SP

• Rw from porosity and resistivity (wet zone)

Rw=(Φ^m)*Rt

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• Rw from resistivity only (wet zone)

Rt*Rmf
Rw = --------------
Rxo
• Rw from client (water chemical analysis)

All the Rw from different sources should be in consistent.

Rmf and Rw

•Rmf and Rw should be corrected by temperature (BHT).

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•Chart Gen-9
 Clean Sand Formation Workflow
(Density-Neutron)
 ma  b
D 
 ma   f Φd Φn
 dphi
2
  nphi
2

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x 
Crossplot porosity Φ1 2
Rw from SP or Rwa   m Rt
Rw

1/ n
 a Rw 
Sw Sw  
m R  
 t 

I  Rt / Ro  1 / Sw m
F  1 /  m  Ro / Rw
 Shaly Sand Formation Workflow
(Density-Neutron)

Φdcor Φncor
CP-9 on page 4-34

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Shale corrected Φ1
Crossplot porosity
a*Rmf
Shr=1-Sxo Sxo^2= -----------------
CP-9 on page 4-34 Φ1^2*Rxo

ΔΦ

a*Rw Φ2=Φ1+ ΔΦ Hydrocarbon corrected porosity

Sw^2= ------------
Φ2^2*Rt Sw Shale corrected saturation
Por-5: Density Porosity

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12 p.u

2.46 g/cc
Por-13b: Neutron Porosity

38 p.u in Ss

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33.5 p.u in LS
CP-9: Shale and Hydrocarbon correction
for N-D crossplot porosity

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38 p.u

32.2p.u

Sxo=50%

12 p.u
ΔΦ= -1.6 p.u
Φ2= Φ1+ ΔΦ
Φ1=32.2
 Permeability
 Permeability is an inherent property of the reservoir

 It is a dynamic property associated with fluid movement

 It cannot be simply related to porosity, a low porosity carbinate may have a “high” effective
permeability due to extensive fractures

 Formulae linking permeability and porosity have been around for a long time

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 The first, in 1927, linked porosity and grain surface area:

K= **3/5*Sg**2*(1-)**2
Usually written:

K=A* **3/S**2
Where  is the porosity, S is the surface area of the grains and A an empirical constant
 Permeability Equations
 The surface area of the grains is difficult to find from logs

 The equations linking permeability to porosity employed studies which linked the surface
area to the irreducible water saturation Swirr, such as:

K**(1/2)= **2.25/Swirr

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 Swirr is difficult to estimate from logs, except in a pay zone which is producing dry
hydrocarbon

 A more general equation using the volume of irreducible water (Bvwirr= *Swirr) was
revised:

K**(1/2)= 10000* **2*(t-Bvwirr)/BVwirr

 Permeability Equation (continued)
 These equations are empirical and work well in some places
 Difficulties are:
 Shaly formation (more than 25%)
 Low permeability
 Finding the irreducible water parameter

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 It is also assumed that:
 The permeability is due to intergranular, primary porosity
 The formation is water wet
 The equations are usually only applicable to sandstones as carbonate
rocks have complex poro-perm systems
 Permeability and Logs
 Most tools react to permeability

 The SP is a permeability indicator, it would not exist if there was no permeability

 The separation of shallow, medium and deep resistivity curves indicates invasion,
which can only happen in permeable zones

 The microlog curves react to the presence of mud cake, which only occurs in front

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of permeable formations

 Some tools can be linked to the permeability in a direct fashion

 These are sonic (Stonley wave), Geochemical and RFT/MDT pressure tests and
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. None of these tools is a pure “permeability” tool.
Each measures a property that allows a computation of permeability