Eduardo Arturo Luna Castillo

PE-6573-01

OU ID: 113281288

HOMEWORK # 1
Problem 1.
This problem will illustrate the typical workflow for log analysis. You may
want to export the log curve values to a spreadsheet application.
Assume that the logging tools have an average resolution of 10 feet
(although typical tool resolution is about 1-2 feet). Therefore your
spreadsheet should have 10-feet-averaged values of the reported log
values.
Curve Mnenomics:
MLLCF: Shallow resisitivity
SNC: Medium resistivity
ILDC: Deep resistivity
GRC: Gamma ray
CNLLC: Neutron porosity
RHOC: Density
DT: Sonic travel time
You may assume that the neutron log is reading the correct values of
porosity in clean, water-bearing layers.
a. Identify clean and shaly layers. Indicate these layers on your log.
Comment on the permeability of the formation in these layers
using all available data.
Shale layer: Both shale layers identified in the log, present high values
of GR, which indicate an important natural radioactivity which is a
characteristic of shales. Its more clear that its a shale, because all the
resistivities measured give small values that are practicaly equal for all
of them. Due to this condition wich gives us almost the same values for
all the resistivity measuremente, we can say that these layers presente
very low permeability and porosity.

Shaly layer: These layer may also be described as a not very clean
formation, because we dont get an intermidiate radioactivity, between
shales and a very clean formation. In the resistivity path for the shaly
layer we identify that the different measurements are a little bit
separated, this tells us that its a more permeable and porous formation,
than shale.
Clean layer: With the help of the log information, we can identify 2
clean and wide layers. This is assumed because there is a low GR, and
the distance between the deep and shallow resistivities is quite
important, this late statement also indicates that the layers may have a
higher permeability and porosity.

Shale layer

Clean layer

Shaly layer

Clean layer

Shale layer

b. Identify water-bearing and hydrocarbon bearing layers in the log.

Do this without any explicit calculations using Archies equation
use only the log responses qualitatively (gamma ray, resisitivity
profiles etc)
Hydrocarbon-bearing layers: These layers are the most important to
identify, because we are interested in producing hydrocarbons, so
knowing which layer contains them is going to let us know how much
volume we may have in the reservoir. This zone is distinguished by the
high resistivity we have, specially the deep and its big difference with
the shallow measurement. It can be also proved by the high value of the
density porosity, in regard to the neutro porosity.
Water-bearing layers:. As we have relativley low resistive values and
even lower deep resistivity data, this makes our first clue and more
important is that throughout the whole layer we dont observe notable
separation between the neutron and density porosity. For the waterbearing layer thats beneath the hyrdocarbon, we got a higher resistivity
than the the other water-bearing layer, this indicates that that water
located beneath hydrocarbon is less salty.

Hydrocarbon-bearing layer

Waterbearing

Water-bearing layer

c. Use the clean, water-bearing layer information to obtain a value

for the formation water resisitivity, Rw. You may use the deep
resisitivity curve as a substitute for the uninvaded formation
resistivity Rt. Do this using two different methods:
a. Use the Rwa method. This is the method we discussed in
class. Chose a few points in the log in the clean, waterbearing layers and calculate Rw as an average of the
previously obtained values.
For the Rwa method we apply Archies equation, to find Rw for each 10
feet interval of the whole layer. To use this we should assume that S w=1
for the whole interval, and a=1, n=2 and m=2,

S Rt 2
Rw = w
= R t
a
In order to choose which values of porosity and formation resitivity (R t)
to work with we go with the ILDC log, because they are measuring the
deep resitivity of the formation, and more likely to be the real resistivity
of it. For the porosity value we take the one given by the CNLLC (Neutron
porosity), despite the graphs of density and neutron porosity overlap, if
we focus on the scale they show differente values.
Since there are two water-bearing layers at different depths, we are
going to have water with different resistivity and salinity. For each of
these layers we calculate an average value of R w (Rwavg) according to the
different Rw found for every interval in the respective layer. (Table 1. And
Table 2.). As observed in the log we obtanided a higher measurement for
the shallow layer, Rwavg= 11.68675 *m and Rwavg=0.24184018 *m for
the deeper formation. This indicates that water in the deep formation is
more salty than the water contained in the shallow.
Depth

Rt (*m)

Rw (*m)

10750
10760

190
160

0.27
0.27

13.851
11.664

10770

195

0.24

11.232

10780

160

0.25

10

Rwavg= 11.68675 *m
Table 1. Shallow water-bearing layer
Depth
10810
10820
10830
10840
10850
10860
10870
10880
10890

Rt (*m)
18
16
2
1,95
1.6
1.8
1
1,2
1.8

0.06
0.09
0.21
0.23
0.26
0.27
0.33
0.31
0.27

Rw (*m)
0.0648
0.1296
0.0882
0.103155
0.10816
0.13122
0.1089
0.11532
0.13122

10900
10910
10920
10930
10940
10950
10960

1.6
1,7
1.4
2
2.8
4
1.98

0.27
0.11664
0.27
0.12393
0.27
0.10206
0.16
0.0512
0.15
0.063
0.16
0.1024
0.19
0.071478
Rwavg= 0.09478135
*m
Table 2. Deep water bearing-layer

b. Use the Pickett plot technique. This is a powerful technique

for Rw computation and an example is provided in your
lecture slides. On a log-log chart, plot the porosity (on the yaxis) versus formation resistivity (on the x-axis). Draw a line
passing through the points with a 100% water saturation,
extend the line to intersect the x-axis at a porosity value of
100%. Obtain the value of formation water resistivity from
this chart. See SPE 1446 by Pickett, G.R. for more
information.
1
1

10

0.1

Looking at the graph intercept with x-axis we can obtain that Rw=9.1
m, for the water resistivity of the deep formation.

10

d. Use the same method specified above to calculate the mud filtrate
resistivity, Rmf. You may use the shallow resistivity as a proxy for
the invaded zone resistivity, Rxo.
Looking at the graph intercept with x-axis we can obtain that R mf=1.1
m, for the mul filtrate resistivity.
1
1

10

100

0.1

0.01

e. Compute the density porosity and plot it on a log for a

a. Limestone matrix (2.71 g/cc)
b. Sandstone matrix (2.65 g/cc)
c. Dolomite matrix (2.87 g/cc)
In order to compute density porosity at intervals of 10 feet, we apply the
following formula:
D =

mab ma b
=
ma f ma1

For the density of the fluid we take waters density (1 g/cc) and b is the
value presented by the RHOC (Density) log for the corresponding depth.

For the matrix density we susitute depending on which type of rock we

are assuming. (Figure 1)

d. Assuming there are no lithology effects affecting the neutron

log response (i.e. the neutron log is reading the correct
porosity in a 100% water-saturated clean formation), what is
your assessment of the lithology of the formation. (Hint: If
you chose the correct matrix density, the density porosity
and the neutron porosity will overlay in a clean, waterbearing layer)
In the part in which we identified clear water-bearing layers, we
recognized two formations. The shallow layer from a depth of 10738 ft to
10780 ft, and the deep layer from 10795 ft all the way to 10965 ft.
For the shallow formation we compare the values of porosity reached
when assuming a limestone, sandstone and dolomite matrix, with the
neutron log response (Figure 1), that is supposed to give us the real
porosity in a water-saturated clean formation, we observed that in this
particular zone, the porosity log obtained when assuming sandstone
matrix gives the nearest values to the neutron log. So then we may say
that the shallow clean formation is sandstone.
In the other case, the deep layer is likely more to be a limestone,
because in this relatively large interval we see that the porosity
measurementes given by the neutron log are closer to the ones obtained
when assuming a limestone matrix.

0.5

0.45

0.4

0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
10690

10740

10790

Limestone matrix

Sandstone matrix

Dolomite matrix

Neutron
10840

10890

10940

Figure 1. D assuming different matrix compared to Neutron porosity

f. Compute and plot the water-saturation on your log. Indicate clearly
the shale sections, where this computation is not meaningful.
To obtain this log we need to use the archie equation, for calculating
water saturation.

Sw
1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

SHALE

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1
10690

10740

SHALY

10790

10840

10890

10940

SHALE

g. The sonic log is also a very useful tool for porosity estimation. The
curve DT represents the travel-time of sound waves in the
formation. So at a depth of 10870 feet, it takes sound 100 microseconds to travel one foot of the formation. The sonic travel-time
is strongly dependant on porosity and the rock matrix. The formula
that relates sonic travel-time to the rock matrix travel-time and
fluid travel-time is similar to that of the bulk density formula.

tlog tma 1 tf

Compute the sonic porosity and plot it on a log for a

a.
b.
c.
d.

Limestone matrix (47.5 us/ft)

Sandstone matrix (55.5 us/ft)
Dolomite matrix (43.5 us/ft)
The speed of sound in water is 1500 m/s.

First of all we need to change the speed sound in water to s/ft units,

[ ][

][

1
s
1m
110 s
s

=203.2 =t f
1500 m
3.28 ft
1s
ft

In order to compute sonic porosity at intervals of 10 feet, we apply the

following formula:
s=

t log t ma
t t
= log ma
t f t ma 203.2t ma

tlog is the value presented by the DT(y) log for the corresponding depth.
For the matrix time travel we susitute depending on which type of rock
we are assuming.
The 3 logs are plotted in Figure 2.
e. Assuming there are no lithology effects affecting the neutron
log response (i.e. the neutron log is reading the correct
porosity in a 100% water-saturated clean formation), what is
your assessment of the lithology of the formation. (Hint: If
you chose the correct matrix, the sonic porosity and the
neutron porosity will overlay in a clean, water-bearing layer)
Here we need to work again with the two water-bearing layers, the
shallow layer from a depth of 10738 ft to 10780 ft, and the deep layer
from 10795 ft all the way to 10965 ft.
For both formations we observed that in this particular regions, the
porosity log obtained when assuming limestone matrix, based on the
sonic log date, gives the nearest values to the neutron log. So then we
may suspect that the shallow clean formation is limestone.

0.5

0.45

0.4

0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
10690

10740

10790

Limestone matrix

Sandstone matrix

Dolomite matrix

Neutron
10840

10890

10940

Figure 1. s assuming different matrix compared to Neutron porosity

f. Use the sonic porosity to compute the water-saturations in

the formation.
To obtain this log we need to use the archie equation, for calculating
water saturation.

SW
1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1
10690

10740

SHALY

10790

10840

10890

10940

SHALE