Basic Log Interpretation

Seminar
Bahana Surya Hotel
October 2731 2003

Introduction

Seminar Program
Monday
Introduction, logistics of wireline logging
Gamma ray logging

Tuesday
Density logging
Neutron porosity logging

Wednesday
Sonic logging
Determination of lithology and porosity

Thursday
Fundamentals of NMR logging
Resistivity logging

Friday
Water saturation from resistivity and porosity
Shaly sand evaluation
Introduction

Seminar Logistics
Seminar timing is 8-12 and 13-16.
There will be coffee breaks in the morning and in the
afternoon.
Lunch is served at 12 noon.
Please bring hand calculators for practical exercises.
There will be several written quizzes.
All examples are from recent TFE wells. Do not leave
these logs lying around when you go away at night. This
is valuable, confidential material.

Introduction

Instructor
Laurent Moinard
Worked nearly 30 years for a major logging
contractor, mostly in interpretation support.
Extensive international experience including field
operations, management and research, in
petrophysics and related fields.
Graduated from Ecole des Mines de St-Etienne.

Introduction

What are logs?

Why do we log
oil and gas wells?

Introduction

Introduction: What are Logs?

A well log is a measurement of some physical property
of the subsurface.

This measurement can be carried out while drilling the

well, using electronic equipment that is part of the drill
string. This is referred to as Logging While Drilling, or
LWD for short.
The data are stored in downhole memory for retrieval
after the equipment has been pulled out of the borehole.
A subset of measurements can be sent uphole in real
time, using mud-pulse telemetry.

Introduction

Introduction: What are Logs?

The measurements can also be done after the drill
string has been pulled out of the hole. This uses
electronic equipment carried at the end of a cable
(wireline), which transmits measurements from the
downhole sensor to the surface on electrical wiring.
In highly deviated holes, the same equipment can be
connected to drill pipes or coiled tubing. It is still
connected electrically to the surface recording equipment
by the same wireline.

This option is called Wireline Logging. It will be the

focus of this seminar.

Introduction

Introduction: What are Logs?

Although Wireline and LWD logs are recorded with
different equipment and under different conditions, the
physical principles behind both sets of measurements are
identical.
Most interpretation methods taught in this wireline
logging seminar can be used, with only minor changes, to
interpret LWD logs.

Introduction

Introduction: What are Logs?

A single logging tool can often perform more than one
measurement. For instance, the density and
photoelectric factor of the formation, as well as the
diameter of the borehole, are all done at the same depth
by a single piece of downhole hardware.
Several logging tools can be hooked together to
acquire many different measurements during a single
descent in the borehole.
The measure points of these multiple measurements
are usually at different depths.

Introduction

Introduction: What are Logs?

Although the logging tool moves continuously,
measurements are recorded in digital format at preset,
discrete, time or depth increments, referred to as
Sampling Interval or Sampling Rate.
The coarsest sampling rate, used for most
measurements, is 6 inches or 15.24 centimeters.
High-resolution measurements can be recorded at 3,
2 and 1 inch sampling interval.
Imaging tools are sampled at 0.2 and 0.1 inch.
These tools will not be discussed in this seminar.

Introduction

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Introduction: Why do we log wells?

The oil business is about finding and producing
hydrocarbons.
An accumulation of hydrocarbons requires a reservoir
(porous rock), a cap rock (usually shale) and a trapping
structure.

Introduction

11

Introduction: Why do we log wells?

The structure can be seen on seismic surveys, but the
vertical resolution is poor and the vertical axis is time,
not depth.
The structure can be described more accurately by
correlating wireline logs (mostly gamma ray), from well
to well.
This requires accurate depth measurements and an
accurate directional survey of the borehole so that the
actual vertical depth and the x-y location of the reservoir
can be known precisely.

Introduction

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Introduction: Why do we log wells?

The amount of hydrocarbon present in a reservoir is
directly related to its porosity.
Porosity cannot be measured directly, but it can be
inferred from several physical properties of the rock, which
can be measured, directly or indirectly, by wireline logs:
density, neutron hydrogen index, acoustic slowness, etc.
It is also necessary to determine whether hydrocarbon
is present or not, and in what amounts.

This can also be inferred from wireline measurements,

such as resistivity and carbon/oxygen ratio.

Introduction

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Introduction: Why do we log wells?

Identify and differentiate rock layers

Describe the structure of these layers

Estimate the porosity of reservoirs
Identify the presence and type of hydrocarbon
Estimate the amount of hydrocarbon in the reservoir
Estimate the producibility of the reservoir

Introduction

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Introduction: Why do we log wells?

Lithology, Structure
Gamma ray log
Depth measurement and directional surveys
Lithology, Porosity
Density
Neutron
Sonic
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Amount of Hydrocarbon
Resistivity

Introduction

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