Wireline Logging

GEO 340

Spontaneous Potential (SP) Log

Bahria University
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
 Introduction
• Natural or spontaneous potential difference
(sometimes called self-potential)
• An electrode in the borehole and a reference
electrode at the surface.
• Acronym SP.
• Rarely useful in offshore environments
• Recorded in the track 1
• No absolute scale.
• Relative changes in the SP log, 10 or 20 mV.
 Principles
• Three requirements for the existence of an SP
current:
– A conductive borehole fluid (i.e., a water based mud).
– A sandwich of a porous and permeable bed between low
porosity and impermeable formations.
– A difference in salinity between the borehole fluid and
the formation fluid, which are the mud filtrate and the
formation fluid in most cases.
• Note, however, that in some special cases an SP
current can be set-up when there is no difference in
salinity, but where a difference in fluid pressures
occurs.
• Electrochemical (arise from electrical interactions
between the various chemical constituents of the rocks
and fluids),
• Electrokinetic (arise from the movement of electrically
charged ions in the fluid relative to the fixed rock).
 Measurement Tools
• Single electrode connected to a good surface
earthing point
• Galvanometer.
• 1.5 V battery.
• Changes of the order of 50 mV are typical.
 Log Presentation
• SP is shown in millivolts in Track 1, with negative
deflections to the left and positive ones to the
right.
• Shale base line, found by comparing SP with GR.
• Permeable formations response towards left and
right of shale base line.
• Salinity or resistivity of the mud filtrate.
• More saline formation water SP will likely kick
left and vice versa.
Condition 1: If Salinity of
Formation fluid is greater
than salinity of Drilling
Fluid Negative SP will be
formed (where curve is left
of shale baseline)

Condition 2: If Salinity of
Formation fluid is less than
salinity of Drilling Fluid
Positive SP will be formed
(where curve is right of
shale baseline)

Shale baseline is the

reference line marked by
identifying the shale
intervals and passing a best
fit line through shale points

shale baseline
Vertical Resolution and Bed Resolution

• Poor resolution. Although it can be used for

correlation, but best not to rely solely upon it.
• Bed boundary identification, by inflexion
point in the SP.
• Bed resolution is bad, beds less than about 20
times the borehole diameter can not be
identified.