GRAVITY

GAINS

MOMENTUM
A novel method of determining
gas saturation has proved
successful in Omans Natih Field
where conventional methods
were giving anomalous results in
difficult conditions. Stephen
Adams and Johann van Popta of
Shell describe how, for the first

ituated 250km from Muscat in

Northern Oman, the Natih Field
produces oil from a highly
fractured limestone reservoir (figure
1.1). Since production started the
primary method of recovery has relied
on gas/oil gravity drainage (GOGD). The
physics behind this method is simple.
Gas is injected above the oil into a
secondary gas cap, which developed as
the reservoir pressure declined. This
controlled injection prevents any
further reduction in pressure and,
critically for the GOGD process, lowers
the gas-oil contact (GOC) in this dual
permeability reservoir (figure 1.2).
The (lighter) gas flushes the
(heavier) oil out of the reservoir rock
into the fracture system, lowering the
gas-oil contact. Some of the gas mixes
with the oil held in the rock matrix,
encouraging flow into the fracture
system where gravity drainage then
takes over. This drainage is a slow
process - a foot or two per year of
vertical displacement.

time in the Middle East, sensitive

borehole gravity measurements,
interpreted as density logs, have
been compared with traditional

Fig. 1.1: Location of the Natih Field.

density readings or previous

borehole gravity measurements to
derive a quantitative estimate for

Gulf of Oman

gas saturation changes.

Contributor: Richard Piggin, EDCON.

Ibri

Muscat
Natih

200km

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Producing
Monitoring
Injecting

Gas cap

Transitional zone

Oil

Water

Key: OOWC FOWC MOWC MGOC FGOC -

Original reservoir

original oil-water contact

fracture oil-water contact
matrix oil-water contact
matrix gas-oil contact
fracture gas-oil contact

Primary depletion

MGOC

Continuing production
FGOC
OOWC
MGOC
FOWC

MOWC
OOWC

Fig. 1.2: TRUE LIFE

STORY: At discovery, the
Natih Field had no gas cap.
Through primary depletion the FGOC
moved down and the FOWC moved up. Oil
was left above the FGOC and below the FOWC in
the matrix blocks. Finally, with gas injection, the oil rim
in the fracture system is pushed down. This exposes the
maximum possible amount of rock to the gravity drainage
process. Oil is produced at controlled rates from the oil rim in
the fracture system.
Number 12, 1992

FGOC

FOWC / MOWC
OOWC

Consequently, the four wells

selected for BHGM surveys in the Natih
Field were chosen not only for their
structural position above the fracture
GOC and the completion status but also
for the quality of their open-hole
porosity logs. Depth control was
achieved using a combination of
wellhead, manual and downhole
measurements. A special
odometer was mounted on the
500
wellhead and a casing collar
locator log was calibrated with a
casing tally.
525
In addition, the length of
cable run down the borehole
550
between measuring stations was
checked manually using a steel
tape and a high-precision
575
pressure gauge was included in
the tool string. This last gauge
600
was added because it was
assumed the tool movement
downhole could be estimated
625
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
directly from the difference in
Gas saturation (frct)
wellbore pressure - the
borehole being filled with brine,
rather than weighted drilling fluid. Each
Fig. 1.3: CONSTANT CONFUSION:
of the three depth measurements were
Gas saturation from Pulse Neutron logs gave
examined in conjunction with the
inconsistent results - even within individual
gravity measurement and an optimum
wells.
depth determined for each BHGM
measurement.
The provision of a stable borehole
environment is essential to ensure
good quality gravity readings with such
sensitive equipment. In the depleted
fractured carbonate reservoirs of North
Oman, heavy fluid losses are
encountered when a formation is open
to the borehole.
Depth (mss)

The effectiveness of the gravity

drainage process depends on a uniform
and complete gas-oil contact being
maintained in the fracture system. To
find out how well the process had been
working in the Natih Field, Petroleum
Development Oman (PDO) launched a
gas saturation monitoring campaign
four years ago using conventional and
pulsed neutron capture measurements.
Readings were taken through
production tubings and in workover
wells. The estimated secondary gas
saturations were not only lower than
predicted by material balance
calculations but were inconsistent even within a single well (figure 1.3). As
the blocks of reservoir rock between
the fractures are relatively
impermeable, it is believed that the
shallow-reading neutron devices could
not see beyond the mud filtrate trapped
in the rock surrounding the borehole,
giving rise to pessimistic estimates of
gas flushing and variable results.
Because of this doubt over the
validity of the gas saturation results, an
alternative method had to be found for
evaluating the reservoirs gas
saturation.
Research by Shell in The
Netherlands indicated that the Borehole
Gravimeter (BHGM) might be the
answer. This is a deep-reading tool
which the research team believed
would see beyond the invaded zone
and could be used to quantify gas
saturations (see box right). Extensive
modelling studies were conducted at
Shells research laboratories in Rijswijk,
The Netherlands. The study findings
confirmed that bad hole conditions,
invasion of drilling fluid, poor cement
bonds, the presence of perforations and
previously acidized intervals would
have a negligible effect on the gravity
readings.
Two factors stood out as being
critical in achieving accurate gas
saturation measurements from the
BHGM:
A clear knowledge of the porosity
around the well, derived from openhole logs.
An accurate depth measurement for
the tool at each recording station.

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THEORY OF BHGM

Adjusting screw

Fig.1.4: MAGIC MOMENTS:

The sensor within the BHGM is simply a
spring balance. The tension necessary to
maintain the mass and beam in a horizontal
position is directly related to the
gravitational acceleration.

T
r

At equilibrium: mgd = rT
g = rT
md
Where: m = mass of weight
g = gravitational acceleration
d = distance between
hinge and mass
r = distance between
hinge and spring
T = tension of spring

mg

EDCONs gravity meter

(manufactured by LaCoste &
Romberg) is fundamentally a very
sensitive spring balance in which the
weight of a hinged beam with a small
mass on its free end is balanced by
the tension of a spring (figure 1.4). As
the gravitational acceleration - and
hence the weight of the mass changes, the spring tension must be
changed to hold the beam in a
stationary horizontal position. The
spring tension is calibrated in gravity
units.
Essentially, the BHGM can be used
to quantify hydrocarbon saturations
by reinterpreting the results to
produce a density log. To do this, the
earth is modelled as a layered cake
with infinite horizontal slabs (figure
1.5).
The change in gravity between the
top and bottom of each slab is
proportional to the slabs density and
thickness.
The density of each slab is made
up of the matrix (rock) density, plus
the fluid density. As oil is replaced by
gas, the fluid density decreases. This
density log from the BHGM can then
be compared with the original openhole density measurements. In the
Natih Field, where there was no initial
gas cap, any differences between the
two measurements can be directly
attributed to fluid movement and thus
gas saturation.
Under normal conditions,
measurements can be repeated to
within a standard deviation of about
3gal (three parts in 109 of the Earths
gravitational field).

Fig. 1.5: Density of an

infinite horizontal slab.

-2Gz

2 Gz

g = -4Gz
1 g
=
4G z
Number 12, 1992

Where:G = universal gravitational constant

= density

700

10

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

725
Gas saturation from resistivity log
BHGM min gas saturation
BHGM max gas saturation

Depth (mss)

750

775

800

825

850

0.2

0.4
0.6
Gas saturation

0.8

1.0

Fig. 1.6: Results from one of the calibration

surveys run in the Yibal gas reservoir. This
shows that the maximum and minimum gas
saturations derived from the BHGM straddle
the estimates from the resistivity log over the
complete interval tested.

1.0
Gas saturation from BHGM (frct)

Prior to running the surveys, three of

the four wells in the Natih Field were
being worked over, thus all existing
perforations were closed with cement.
This prevented fluid movement
distorting the results. In the remaining
wells, the surveys were carried out
before perforating.
As a result of the co operation
agreement between Schlumberger and
EDCON, the surveys were conducted
using EDCON's Deep Density BHGM
sonde in combination with
Schlumberger's gamma ray and highprecision pressure gauge tools. Each
survey took readings at the geological
sub-unit boundaries, producing an
average gas saturation for each layer.
Typically, 15 to 20 gravity stations were
selected in each well from 20m below
the GOC in the fracture system to 20m
above the reservoir. Before each
reading the tool had to be left to
stabilize for several minutes. Readings
at some stations were repeated in order
to improve the precision of gravity and
depth measurements and to provide
monitoring of gravimeter drift. Overall,
the logging time varied between 15
hours and 30 hours.
Using a BHGM to determine gas
saturation is an innovative use of the
tool based on theoretical considerations
and experience in sandstone reservoirs
in Texas, USA. To ensure the validity of
the results in complex fractured
carbonate reservoirs, a control test was
planned in two new development wells
over a gas-bearing formation in the
nearby Yibal Field (figure 1.6). The
estimates produced by the new tool
were compared with gas saturations
calculated using resistivity logs. Figure
1.7 shows the similarity of the results
produced by the two techniques.
Confidence in the tool is further
increased by comparing the BHGMderived formation densities and the
open-hole density log for Natih-48
(figure 1.8). In this example, the
calibration intervals above the
reservoir and below the fracture GOC
show good agreement. The
discrepancies between 585m and 601m
can be attributed to the gas-filled
formations influence on the BHGM.

0.8
90% confidence interval
0.6
Best fit line
0.4
90% prediction interval

0.2
0
0

0.2

0.4
0.6
0.8
Gas saturation from resistivity (frct)

1.

Fig. 1.7: Comparing the results from the

BHGM and resistivity logs for both the Yibal
calibration wells. The line of best fit indicates
the similarity of the results.

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570
Top reservoir

Depth (mss)

590

Gas saturations around the Naith

Field have been estimated based on
BHGM measurements. When plotted
with gas saturation values derived from
earlier pulsed neutron measurements
the BHGM estimates show consistently
higher gas saturation. This ties in with
the neutron tool being affected by
drilling fluid trapped around the
borehole (figure 1.9a and b).
Secondary gas saturations estimated
for the Natih Field using the BHGM are
now similar to predictions from
reservoir simulation studies, according
to Shell. Gas/oil gravity drainage will
continue to be the primary recovery
mechanism in the Natih Field, as will
the use of the BHGM for gas saturation
monitoring.

Corrected
density log

610

BHGM
Fracture GOC

630

650

1.95

2.15

2.35
2.55
Density (g/cc)

2.75

2.95

Fig. 1.8: A comparison between

BHGM -derived densities and the
shale corrected open-hole density
log shows excellent correlation
above the reservoir and below the
GOC.
500

Figs 1.9 (a) and ( b): Comparison of

gas saturations predicted by the BHGM
and PNL for two different subunits
show that an envelope created through
the BHGM results completely
encompasses the PNL figures. This is
consistent with the latter figures being
influenced by drilling fluid trapped in
the rock matrix adjacent to the well.

Depth (m)

525

550

575
Pulsed neutron
BHGM
600

625
0

0.2

0.4
0.6
Saturation

0.8

1.0

500

Depth (m)

525

550

575
Pulsed neutron
BHGM
600

625

Number 12, 1992

0.2

0.6
0.4
Saturation

0.8

1. 0

11